WINTER MEETING. 287 



Mr. Boucher — The Planet, Jr., with a horse is the best cultivator. 

 I don't like the one pushed by a man, unless it is some other man. 



Mr. Barnes of Kansas — One of the most important points is keep- 

 ing the grapes. Our Iowa friend finds New York grapes now in the 

 markets here at higher prices than we could get for our home grown 

 grapes. Our grapes all mature too early when the weather is warm, eo 

 we can't keep them. New York grapes ripen later when the nights are 

 cooler. They put them in cool houses. 



Mr. Snodgrass — I propose to grow Moore's Early and get rid of 

 them early in the season. I succeed in growing it. 



Mr. Bomberger — When Moore's is gone Worden is ready. It is 

 nearly as large as Moore's, but they don't ripen entirely uniformly. 

 Moore's all ripen at once. 



Prof. Whitten — The cause of the grape rot is very well known. It 

 is a fungus disease, propagated by spores too small to be seen with 

 the naked eye. Rotten grapes are full of them. They are found on 

 the posts, old leaves and on the ground. On warm days in the winter 

 they are being scattered. In spring they germinate very rapidly when 

 conditions are right. It works in the leaves as well as in the fruit. It 

 also goes into the vines. Spray with Bordeaux mixture to prevent it» 

 We can keep grapes from rotting to a reasonable extent. We have 

 110 varieties on the experiment grounds at Columbia. We sprayed 

 four times, and practically kept off the rot. Spray first before the 

 buds open in the spring ; second, after buds are open, before bloom- 

 ing, and twice after blooming. Some varieties rot worse than others. 

 Moore's, Worden and Concord can generally be saved by three spray- 

 ings. 



Mr. Snodgrass — Herbemont is the best grape for white wine ; Nor- 

 ton for red. 



Mr. Patterson — Our fruit building is on top of the ground, with- 

 out any floor. The walls and roof are about one foot thick with five 

 dead air spaces. It has a sky-light six feet square, and double doors. 

 If we want to cool the house we open the sky-light and doors on cool 

 nights in October. It is practically frost proof, but if we find the 

 temperature going too low we use a stove. The cider from the culls 

 paid for all the barrels and for picking the apples. We usually get 

 about twelve and a half cents a gallon for vinegar. 



Mr. Gano — Some applemen sell their cider fresh every day in the 

 city. 



Secretary Danlap — I wist to ask a question. You have some 

 fruit-houses in the ground. I wish to know what effect the ground 

 has on the keeping of the apples. The ground is usually about fifty 



