198 MANUAL OF AMERICAN GRAPE-GROWING 



of large size with large berries. Both are very good in quality. 

 Neither of the two is particularly easy to grow, since they 

 require a long time to ripen ; but, to offset this, both keep 

 longer than any other sorts after ripening. Because of the 

 large size of the berries, thinning must begin early and must 

 be rather more severe than with other grapes. This variety 

 is now largely grown in England for exportation to this country 

 in early spring. 



White Nice and Syrian are two white sorts which attain 

 largest size in clusters, specimens weighing thirty pounds be- 

 ing not infrequent, but are coarse and poor in quality and 

 are, therefore, hardly worth growing. 



Alicante is a black sort often grown for the sake of variety, 

 since it departs from the Vinifcra type rather markedly in 

 flavor. The grapes have very thick skins and may be kept 

 longer than those of any other \ariety. 



Lady Downs is another late-keeping black grape of highest 

 quality, but difficult to grow. The bunches and berries are 

 small in comparison with other standard sorts, characters 

 that do not connncnd the variety to most gardeners. 



Perhaps a dozen more sorts might be named worthy of trial 

 in American grnp(>ries, but the list given covers the needs of 

 commercial establishments and will meet the wants of most 

 amateur growers. 



Planting and Training 



Two-year-old vines are most commonly planted. The vines 

 are set inside the house at least a foot from the walls and four 

 feet apart. The grapery must be built on piers with spaces 

 of at least two feet between, and the vines are placed opposite 

 these o})enings in the foundation. When planted, the vines 

 are cut back to two or three buds, and when these start the 

 strongest are selected for training, the others being rubbed off. 



