262 STATE rOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



both waj'S. There is also in tliis a very considerable saving of labor required 

 for clean culture. 



John Williams' Delaware vineyard, South Haven, located ai an elevation of 

 110 feet, sloping south and west toward Lake Michigan, and distant from it 

 one to two miles. The soil is clay "clear down," and is thoroughly drained, 

 two feet deep at the distance of every twenty feet ai)art, with wood tile. It is 

 an exceedingly strong soil, and well tiled, is finely adapted to the grape and 

 other fruits. The subsoil is a stiff clay with the requisite amount of lime and 

 iron. 



This vineyard consists of two and a half acres of Delaware vines planted 

 seven to nine years, eigb.t feet by ten, all trained on the two wire trellis, run- 

 ning northeast and southwest — receives its jiruning during tlie winter — producing 

 big crops annually, and is highly creditable and prolitable to the owner. We 

 could but deem it worthy a premium for an exclusively Delaware vineyard, but 

 unfortunately in this year's classification for premium entries, no provision is 

 found for such award. 



The Hiram Griflin, South Haven, Concord and Delaware vineyard, comprises 

 180 Concords on slat trellis, five feet high, and 140 Delawares on single stakes, 

 all set 0x8 feet. This vineyard is eiglit years old, quite uniform tiiroughout, 

 with no vacancies. The Concords one year — 1875 — failed to ripen, and the 

 following year, produced a light crop, but with these exceptions always had 

 good crops. The Delawares succeed better, and have never failed of fair crops. 

 In August this year they promised as finely as any in the State. But all varie- 

 ties in this vineyard ripened late and unevenly, with phylloxera and oidium 

 developed, if not to a degree to alarm owners, yet enough on which to predicate 

 an early decay, unless arrested by ciiauge of treatment. Tlie silent stealthy 

 approaches of these insidious foes must not be allowed to catch our vintners 

 sleeping at their posts, for tliey are no less deadly for stealing on unawares. 

 The management of this vineyard is as follows : It is j)runed in February 

 back to two or three buds; he does not think bleeding hurts the vines, — plows 

 both in fall and spring, to the rows in fall, and from them in spring; the soil 

 is clay and without drainage, which nuiy account for the late and uneven 

 maturity. 



L. G. Bragg & Co., Kalamazoo, entered their one acre of vineyard, ten years 

 old, set 8x8 feet, three fourths Concord, and the remainder a selection, Dela- 

 ware, Salem, Hartford, and others; soil, a sandy loam, but not very loamy, 

 with a little gravel ; it has a southeastern exposure, with timber protection on 

 the northwest. Part of these vines arc trellised, and the rest supported by 

 stakes, iireference being given to the trellis. The pruning is on the renewal 

 system, cutting away all old wood to the ground, leaving four to six young canes 

 to train fan-shaped, giving no other (or summer) pruning, except the removal 

 of suckers. A shallow plowing is given in the fall, to the vines, and from them 

 again the following spring; they are cultivated no later than July 4th. They 

 claim as the result of this metliod every time with them, without fail, a fair 

 crop of good bunches, and extra quality ; never aiming at an extraordinary 

 yield, that may overtax the vines, but making a point of quality rather than 

 fiuantify.'" We noticed none of the oidium here, except on some of the Rogers' 

 grapes. This vineyard has tlie benefit of a good market, Jackson and Kala- 

 mazoo furni.-hing a demand too great for the su])ply. The location is some 

 hundreds of feet high, on old Asylum Hill, looking smilingly down upon the 

 somnolent village below; beautiful 'Zoo, the "Sleeping Beauty."' 



