294 State Hortiautural Society. 



VARIETIES OF GRAPES FOR MISSOURI. 



(By Ed. Kemper, Hermann, Mo.) 



My subject, "What Variety to Plant," is a question I have to an- 

 swer daily or several times daily during the planting season in fall .and 

 spring, and I answer it as good as I can, but have often said nobody can 

 answer it positively, even if the soil and location are described, black, red 

 or white variety, early, medium or late ripening, market or wine grape, 

 etc., because there often is too much difference in a variety within a short 

 distance. I have found a great difference almost within a stone's throw. 

 Close to large bodies of water, -say along the Missouri river, any variety 

 will do better than a few miles away. We have at Hermann, along the 

 river, from Gasconade City to Berger (it is very hilly; we call it the tail 

 end of the O'zarks), a good many vineyards. Some of these vineyardists 

 have to depend almost solely upon their grape crops. With these 

 growers nearly all varieties do well, and some are almost sure, but as w'e 

 get a few miles away from the river we find it of no use to plant such 

 varieties as Concord, Niagara, Campbell's Flarly, Moore's Earl}^, Moore's 

 Diamond, Catawba, Herbemont, etc. All that we find doing well here 

 are Nortons, Perkins, Marsala, Ives, Elvira, etc. Still a few miles fur- 

 tlier (where it is still hilly) they sa}' "'we can't grow grapes with profit," 

 and grow only a few for home use. 



It seems entirely different when we come to South Missouri, Kan- 

 sas, Arkansas and Oklahoma. Nearly all varieties do well there without 

 large bodies of water. Is it all because this country is new ; that is, 

 almost no grapes have l^een grown there before, hence no pest for the 

 grape? I know that a good many will think, "Yes, that's it." But then, 

 how about our grapes along the river and those a few miles away? 



I have these days read over all the reports of grapes and grape 

 growing of this Society as far back as 1888. There I find it about this 

 way: One party says, "The Catawba and Nortons are the very best va- 

 rieties to plant." There jumps up another fruit grower and says, "The 

 varieties just named are no good at all ; the old Concord and Niagara are 

 the varieties to plant." A third one, "The Hicks far excels the Con- 

 cord and Goethe beat the Niagara all to pieces." A fourth voice, "With 

 me the Moore's Early and jMoore's Diamond lead." 



Now we are again at the beginning, "What varieties to plant." I 

 have always said try those varieties that do good in most localities, the 

 old, well-known varieties, and try a few of the new varieties, but do not 

 plant the latter named largely. 



