58 State Horticultural Society. 



and south ; stretch smooth wire from post to post and do- not arbor it 

 over ; the vines get too far from the ground, as the sap has toO' far to 

 travel. As to the varieties, I think you can be sure of the Concord and 

 Moore's Early and in the white grapes the Elvira, although not very 

 perfect, were a great source of pleasure to our family. I have had no 

 success with Moore's Diamond nor the Niagara. 



Mr. Kemper. — I cultivate with the hoe and sometimes with a hand 

 plow to keep the ground loose. The rootlets of the grape vines come 

 very near the surface so do not cut the ground deep near the vines. 

 I sometimes cultivate with a five-tooth cultivator and then follow with 

 an A harrow, but nothing more severe. Take away with the hoe the 

 weeds near the vines. Pruning the vines is one of the most important 

 things. It is hard for us to cut the vines back severely enough. If a 

 shoot comes out near the ground, we really want to let it grow and think 

 it will make a good vine, when, ten to one, it will die the next winter. 

 Right here in our home vineyards we do not get grapes near the ground 

 unless put on posts and trimmed back to two eyes nearly every season. 

 On arbors it is impossible to have grapes near the ground. / 



Pres. Robnett. — We have not said anything about fertilizing the 

 grape. I suggest that Mr. Morrill talk to us about this. 



Mr. Morrill. — T suppose the commercial fertilizer business is new to 

 you. In Georgia we do not trust to Providence for anything. We fer- 

 tilize everything we plant and mostly with the commercial fertilizer. I 

 have been growing grapes for about fifteen years and when I fertilized 

 my vineyards, I had less fungi, less dust, less black rot, less mildew and 

 possibly less insects. I used to fertiUze once every two or three years 

 by putting cowpeas between the rows and after the fruit was gathered, 

 plowed them into the ground. I used to use fifty to two hundred pounds 

 of ground bone, and fifty pounds of potash every year. I found that by 

 doing that, my vines were in a more vigorous condition and better able 

 to resist drought. I iiad finer colored fruit and I picked nothing but 

 first class bunches. I also noticed by fertilizing that I had less imperfect 

 bunches. I grew a number of varieties that would not pollinize without 

 other varieties mixed with them. Brighton has to have another variety ; 

 also, the Lindley, a magnificent grape in Georgia. I have had bunches 

 weighing nearly two pounds. I suppose you don't need to fertilize so 

 much in this country. You people claim such rich land. I do not see 

 how you can grow fruit even in Missouri without fertilizing: especially 

 feeding the soil where thf; grapes draw from the soil, for grapes demand 

 potash and nitrogen, and that is why we fertilize our grapes in Georgia. 

 At one time we had a very large acreage, but we have quit to a large ex- 



