DECEMBER 3IEETIXG. 261 



his very strouEi: soil, as lie gets more luid better fruit with the shade less dense, 

 gaining more light and heat. These advantages were not so ap2)arent, jiowever, 

 in the younger vineyards. 



He u.~ed to prune and train by tlie Fuller-arm system, but now uses two short 

 arms and otherwise the usual renewal system, with long canes of new wood 

 annually. The location is on a ridge with a southern slope, 200 feet high, just 

 outside the city of Ionia and overlooking it. The soil is a strong loam, and at 

 one foot deptli a stitT clay; it is not tileil, but would be somewhat improved by 

 tiling. It is slightly screened by deciduous groves at the soutli. IJut Mr. Smith 

 is not an advocate of forest protection, but regards altitude and a free sweep of 

 air as far more important, all the protection rerpiired for fruit. This was 

 unanimously voted a very fine vineyard. His market is Ionia and Greenville. 



Mr. Smith's second entry was 700 Concords, set live years and trained to 

 stakes 8x9 feet. Part of these are on a more sandy soil, and had killed out 

 some in spots and been reset repeatedly ; in all other respects the location and 

 condition was similar to the above, with the like training of long canes coiled 

 round tlie stakes six feet high. He finds this method preferable with these 

 strong growers in his rank soil. The Concord is his best grape for profit. 

 He would pinch back some in summer, plow deep in spring, cutting off roots 

 freely, bleeding them mercilessly, cultivating no later than July, and then 

 sow to turnips. 



His third entry was 700 Delawares, set five years, 8x8 feet, which bore $90 

 w'orth the third year from setting, thus early paying back their cost, and now 

 having their tliird crop at four and a half years old, though last year they 

 mildewed and did not ripen well. The soil, clay loam, needing tile. His extra 

 fine, large clusters of Kalamazoo grape were a surprise, and his Concords 

 ripened most thoroughly, and were hard to beat. 



Columbus Engle, of Paw Paw, Van Buren county, entered a vineyard of over 

 1,500 vines of the following selection : 900 Concord, 300 Delaware, 200 Ives, 12 

 Martha, doing as well as Concord, and 100 lona, doing nothing. This very 

 fine vineyard is eight years old, planted 6xG feet ; is pruned back yearly to two 

 young canes nearly 8 feet long, which are tied in the middle to the top of the 

 stakes 1 feet high, the ends then bowed over to near the ground, and tied there 

 to the stake. His Concords were extra fine both in size and ([uality, — bunches 

 very large and berries also, — rarely excelled either in the flavor or weight of 

 crop per acre. He thins out the young clusters some, removing the smaller 

 ones; follows with summer pruning, and pulling off all but two shoots for the 

 following year, garnering all resources into these two long strong canes relied 

 on for the next ensuing crop. His system certainly is attendant with excellent 

 results, and more especially so with his Concords and Marthas, though we would 

 deem them planted originally too thickly for a strong soil producing a rank 

 growth. It is not at all amiss, however, to plant closely at first, and after realiz- 

 ing say three to six crops, thin out liberally ; they will already have paid for 

 themselves over and over. 



The location of this vineyard is very high, with eastern slope, sheltered on 

 the north and south ; soil gravelly loam with slight admixture of clay ; usually 

 free from insects, though last year the cut-worms were very troublesome cutting 

 out the buds. Great numbers of these pests were killed by night. The vines 

 are cultivated early and continuously botli ways. AVe deem it no small con- 

 sideration in favor of tliis method, now growing into use more extensively among 

 our vintners, of tying to single stakes, the important advantage of cultivating 



