110 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



[April ^ 



being the most profitable plan, and it becomes 

 a'question as to what is the best way of doing 

 the thing. In our own case we use stout bran- 

 ches that have numerous snags on, and which 

 help to support the immense weight of fruit 

 which our plants alwa3-s bear. Others use a 

 long trellis, sloping and meeting at the top a 

 section which looks like an inverted v (a), l^ut 

 the cool air so much shaded soil induces, is not 

 favorable to the best results in tomato growing, 

 as the tomato rejoices in warm ground. Some 

 take pains to make neat upright trellises and 

 train and prune the plants, making a prettj' gar- 

 den picture, as well as producing capital results 

 for the kitchen. Herewith is a picture from 

 Mr. H. A. Dreer, the well-known seedsman of 

 Philadelpliia, of one trained in this way. 



COMMUNICA TIONS. 



CRAPE ROT AND ITS PREVENTION. 



BY THE SECRETARY OF THE OHIO STATE HOR- 

 TICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The disease known as grape rot has prevailed 

 to an unusual extent the past two or three sea- 

 sons in many parts of Ohio and several of the 

 adjacent States. From what I have seen and 

 learned I believe that the crop of not less than 

 a thousand acres of vineyards, or one-eighth of 

 the aggregate of our State, was destroyed by it 

 the past season. 



I wish to enlist the sympathies of Editor 

 Meehan and a goodly number of the readers of 

 the Monthly in behalf of thousands of our 

 perplexed grape growers, and to ask them to 

 co-operate with us in observing facts and testing 

 experiments that may assist in solving the prob- 

 lem as to the cause of the rot and the means of 

 its prevention ; for we are not willing to accept 

 the opinion that these matters are past finding 

 out. 



In order to prepare the way for further ad- 

 vance, and to give the public the benefit of what 

 has been already learned, I append here a brief 

 summary of facts and observations, some of 

 which are old and others have been elicited at 

 recent meetings of our State and county horti- 

 cultural societies in discussions on this subject. 



Grape rot has prevailed, more or less, for 

 about thirty years in southern Ohio and parts 

 adjacent, aftecting chiefly the CataAvba variety ; ' 

 but of late years it has prevailed in nearly all | 



parts of the State, though less along the lake 

 shore and on the islands than elsewhere, and has 

 affected the Concord, Ives, Hartford and lona 

 varieties, as well as the Catawba, while the 

 Delaware and a few others escape the rot but 

 are liable to mildew. The disease attacks the 

 fruit suddenly, from the time it is one-third 

 grown until of full size, sometimes destroying 

 the whole crop, but usually leaving a few good 

 clusters, or some sound berries on clusters 

 mostlj^ destroyed. 



Vines of thrifty growth and on rich and moist 

 soils are most liable to the disease, and such as 

 have been in bearing six to ten years are more 

 liable than young vines ; in fact the disease sel- 

 dom appears until after three or four years of 

 bearing. Heavy rains in June and July are al- 

 most certain to bring the rot, especially if ac- 

 companied by hot and " muggy " weather, low 

 barometer and little wind ; and soils which allow 

 the water to soak in deeply are worse than 

 where most of it runs off quickly. Sheltered 

 positions are also worse than those fully exposed 

 to winds. Hence vineyards on elevated posi- 

 tions and hard clayey slopes are least liable to 

 the disease. 



Vines trained against buildings, especially on 

 the east and south sides, where most sheltered 

 from rain and dew, are not aftected with rot : 

 and vines growing on trees where the fruit is 

 largely sheltered from above but open to free 

 circulation of air generally escape disease. 



A coping of two wide boards, in roof form, 

 on top of the trellis, will generally protect the 

 fruit from rot. Some advantage is also secured 

 l)y training the vines so that most of the young 

 shoots and foliage shall be on the upper wires 

 of the trellis and the fruit on those below, taking 

 pains to remove surplus leaves from among the 

 fruit to give free circulation of air. 



Covering the fruit by slipping a paper bag 

 over each cluster soon after the berries are 

 formed, and letting remain till ripe, is found a 

 complete protection from rot, and also from 

 insects and birds. The bags are those in com- 

 mon use by grocers, the size six by nine inches, 

 and costing about S2.00 per 1000. They are 

 fastened around the stem of the clusters with 

 two pins — of course allowing space for the fruit 

 to grow. One gentleman near Cincinnati saves 

 from 5000 to 7000 clusters per year in this way, 

 largely of Catawbas, and finds the quality very 

 superior. The cost, including labor, he estimates 

 at only one-third of a cent per cluster. This 



