Summer Meeting. 59 



AFTERNOON SESSION— WEDNESDAY, JUNE 14. 



SMALL FRUITS — STONE FRUITS. 



HOW WE GROW GRAPES IN SOUTH MISSOURI. 



(By G. W. Ferguson, Brandsville, Mo.) 



If the subject had been how we grow grapes at Brandsville, it would 

 have been an easy task, but to cover every little vine garden, or enough of 

 them to sum up the best method used, would be a gigantic undertaking, 

 and end in a complete failure on our part. Therefore we deem it a part 

 of wisdom to adopt the latter, and tell how we grow grapes at Brands- 

 ville. 



Soil suitable for each individual variety is one of the most important 

 questions we have to deal with, and no one can tell this without some 

 practical understanding. Some varieties, such as Concord, Moore's Early, 

 Missouri Reisling, Ives"^ Seedling and Elvira, give best results on com- 

 paratively smooth well-drained soil, while either of the last three men- 

 tioned varieties will do well on any of our South Missouri hill land if 

 properly cared for. 



The Norton's Virginia and Cynthiana, the two leading red wine 

 grapes, give better results on our poorest ridge land that have but little top 

 soil, but plenty of red clay subsoil, being very vigorous growers, making 

 exceedingly long growth each season, and should they be planted on rich 

 soil, would make more vines and less fruit, so we prefer planting them on 

 our rocky hillsides, of which we have a plenty, with as much southern ex- 

 posure as possible. 



Planting our vineyard, as in all other kind of fruit growing, some 

 mistakes were made in soil, location, and varieties, but the greatest mis- 

 take was the planting of the vines too close together. All vines should be 

 planted at least eight feet apart each way, and there are some, such as 

 Norton's Virginia, Cynthiana and Ives Seedling, should be planted not 

 less than ten feet apart each way. 



Our vineyard consists of sixty-five acres, and every kind of soil known 

 in South Missouri is well represented in that sixty-five acres. Rocky 

 ridges, flat table land, gravel land, hillside and bottom, all with a clay 

 subsoil. 



Every slope known to us is also in that vineyard, north, south, east, 

 west and some pointing heavenward ; in fact there is a slope to every 

 variation of the compass iu our vineyard. So with these exposures and 



