478 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



state, comprising' mainly rocky, sandy, bluffy, deep-gullied and 

 other poorer sections, should, under the authority and supervision 

 of the state, be consecrated to tree growing-. 



We cannot reasonably anticipate that such a forest area will be 

 built up and secured for perpetuity until our legislature shall le- 

 galize this pressing demand. Let us work together for these ends, 

 and the victory will be for and to the people. 



HOW TO MAKE A MINNESOTA VINEYARD PAY. 



W. p. ROGERS, EXCELSIOR. 



In this paper I will simply state what I know can be done. The 

 results have been obtained mostly from experimenting in a small 

 vineyard. 



Grapes, like everything else that has life, need feeding; they, there- 

 fore, need to be fertilized. Several years ago I heard that bones 

 were good for grapes. Having plenty of them, I buried them among 

 the roots of the grape vines. I re-boned the same vineyard this year- 

 Bones are rich in lime, animal matter and phosphates. About two 

 years ago, I manured the vineyard. I would have done this before* 

 only I was foolish enough to believe that manure would cause mil- 

 dew on the grapes. This treatment just about doubled the crop of 

 grapes on that vineyard. Every two years is often enough to man- 

 ure. 



The yield of grapes depends largely on the pruning. No fixed rule 

 can be given for pruning. The way to prune depends on the age of 

 the vine, the kind of grape, the richness of the soil and the thriftiness 

 of the vine. I have obtained the best results from Delaware and 

 Concord grape vines by short spur pruning. Two or three upright 

 canes may be left to advantage on moMt varieties of grapes, how- 

 ever. In short spur pruning, these points should be kept in mind: 

 cut away the dead wood; leave three buds besides the base bud on 

 each spur; select the best canes for pruning and cut away all others; 

 where canes are bunched, scatter the spurs; fill up all vacancies 

 with longer spurs and if in any vacancy on the old vine a sprout has 

 started leave it for next year's pruning. Aim to have an ideal vine 

 with spurs growing from it every few inches apart. In pruning, I 

 leave two or three times as many buds as are needed for next year's 

 growth. Some of these buds are liable to be winter killed. In the 

 spring, soon after the grape buds have set, when the sprouts are six 

 inches to a foot high, I carefully thin out everything that I do not 

 want for fruit or for fall pruning. I have observed that the first 

 bud from the base of the spur bears the most fruit. In pruning 

 and thinning, there is a universal law that may be followed, namely, 

 the law of the survival of the fitest. 



I do not know whether spraying paj'S or not. The way I look at it 

 is, that you might as well feed a well man on medicine to keep him 

 from getting sick as to spray a healthy grape vine in order to ward 

 off disease. Mildew is about the only disease that seems to bother 

 our grapes. When it does come on the grapes, it is almost always 

 caused by the weather. In hot, sultry weather, with frequent show- 

 ers, look out for mildew. Such weather may not be the primary 



