448 HEPOET OF THE SECRETARY OF THE 



THINNIKG GRAPES— THE GRAPE CROP. 



Mr. Alston of Spring Lake states that he thinned his grapes, 

 and with the most satisfactory results. He removed half of 

 the fruit on each vine. This was done when tlie new shoots 

 were about a foot long. Branches were removed with the fruit 

 on. Mr. A. trained his vines on the ann system. Every alter- 

 nate shoot on the arm was taken off. Now for the result. Mr. 

 Alstoue says that his grapes ripened earlier than those of his 

 neighbors., not so thinned. The juice of his Concord gi'apes 

 held up an Qgq,, without adding any sugar. We have heard of 

 no other Concord grapes, raised in this vicinity, the juice of 

 which would do this without the addition of half a pound of 

 sugar to the gallon. The vines, Mr. Alston claims, grew very 

 vigorously, and are capable of bearing heavier crops the coming 

 season. 



From live to seven tons of grapes per acre were raised in the 

 Spring Lake vineyards this season. What grape section can 

 beat this ? At a low rate per pound, say four cents, the vine- 

 yards paid in the neighborhood of $500 per acre. Ab high as 

 ten cents per pound were realized in the beginning of the 

 picking, and none were sold for less than three cents. Grapes 

 pay in Michigan. It is the experience of the Spring Lake 

 peach shippers, that peaches shipped in baskets sold for 25 

 cents more than in boxes, even when the baskets held more in 

 bulk. 



At the State Fair, held at Kalamazoo, were the largest Seckel 

 pears we have ever seen. The pears were exhibited by Mr. 

 Charles Davis, of Kalamazoo, who is the disseminator of the 

 Kalamazoo Grape. They were almost as large as good-sized 

 White Doyennes. Time will show that Michigan is not behind 

 in growing pears. 



Extensive preparations are being made, in the vicinity of 

 Grand Haven and Spring Lake, for planting peach trees next 

 spring. Large lots of trees are now received from various 

 sources, and they ai-e still coming by the car-load. Fruit- 



