118 NEBIIA«KA .STATE HOUTlCULTUitAL SOCIETY. 



very di'j August aud 1 used dust inuleli aud euiiivated it 

 every week or teu days witli a tive-LooLli cultivator aud l:ept 

 the ground even and loose. 1 have a small windmill irrigat- 

 ing plant, and 1 run the water through between two rows; 

 the rows are eight feet apart, and 1 run the ^vater through in 

 the center between the rows and let it run there about ten 

 days during the dryest weather. 1 thought 1 would see which 

 would turn out the best, the dust mulch process or the irri- 

 gating process, and 1 must say that where I irrigated my 

 grapes 1 had the best. They ripened a little later, but were 

 a little larger, and I think there is no doubt but that my crop 

 would have been very nearly a failure if I had not used the 

 dust mulch process; and if I had depended on the mower to 

 cut down the weeds I would have had very few grapes on ac- 

 count of the extreme drouth. The drouth hit hiy grapes and 

 dried them up and they fell oft' badly. I believe. I lost a quar- 

 ter of my crop by drying up and falling off, and I did the very 

 best I could with dust mulch, but it was too extremely hot 

 and dry, I believe, to make a success of it. To make a suc- 

 cess of grapes in this country you must give them thorough 

 cultivation, and a person should hoe out the rows at least 

 twice during the season and should not allow the weeds to 

 gTow. I believe when we have excessively wet weather it 

 would be a good idea to furrow through the middle between 

 the rows to give it a good drainage, because I have noticed 

 that if the vine gets too much water the foliage looks bad and 

 black spots begin to appear on the grapes and the leaves don't 

 look right. This year I intend to have the ground lower in 

 the center so that when the heavy rains come on a part of that 

 water will run off. The grape stands dry weather better than 

 excessively wet weather. 



A Member: How old are your grapes? 



Mr. Davidson : They have been out about seven or eight 

 years. 



A Member : Don't you strike the roots when you cultivate? 



Mr. Davidson : No, sir. I plow first with a little stirring 



