HOW TO MAKE A MINNESOTA VINEYARD PAY. 479 



cause of disease, but it certainly helps to develop it. As the weather 

 chang'es, the grapes seem to recover from the disease of themselves. 

 A little air slaked lime sprinkled on the leaves will help them. I 

 know of several vineyards that have never been sprayed; and they 

 -seem to bear as much fruit as those that are sprayed. Spraying 

 may help the growth of the canes. As to that I am not prepared to 

 «ay. 



Save work. Cultivate only often enough to keep down the weeds. 

 Ude a plow in covering the vines in the fall. Wait until nearly all 

 the canes get above the second wire before tying in the spring. 

 This eaves tying, as many of them will catch and tie themselves 

 Then do not tie again until they get above the third wire. If worked 

 right only two tyings are necessary. 



I do not believe in pinching off the laterals. A little later in the 

 season, a few hour's w^ork w^ith a sharp knife or sickle will accomp- 

 lish the same as a week's work would in lateral pinching. The vines 

 should be trimmed in oval shape; leaving plenty of foliage around 

 the fruit and trim close at the top. Cut the canes off about six 

 inches above the third wire. The canes should not grow more than 

 three to three and a half feet long. 



Plant between the rows and plant close. This has not much to do 

 with grape culture; but it has a good deal to do with the profits of 

 the vineyard. I have raised potatoes between grape vines for several 

 years. By spraying.potatoes may be forced. Last year I had eating 

 potatoes by the 22d of June. This year about the 1st of July. Last 

 year I got 90c per bushel, this year, 50c to 60c. Next j^ear I hope to 

 get them in the market, if the season is favorable, by the 20th of 

 June, 



This year I had a part of my garden between the grapes, raising 

 spinach, radishes, peas, beans, tomatoes, cabbages, cucutnbers, mel- 

 ons, potatoes, Hubbard squash and sweet corn. I would hardly ad- 

 vise, however, planting Hubbard squash and sweet corn between 

 grape vines. The squashes like to grow on the grape vines too well. 

 I managed the sweet corn all right. 1 planted it between the melon 

 hills. The corn grew in the air, the melons on the ground and the 

 grapes all around. You may say that planting between the grapes 

 will injure the vines. Did you ever try it? On the contrary, I believe 

 it is a benefit to the grapes. Growing plants help to keep the mois- 

 ture in the ground. They also decompose the manure and turn it 

 into plant food. 



In raising grapes, the aim should be to have choice grapes and a 

 large j'ield without injury to the vines. This j'ear most of my Del- 

 awares averaged two small baskets to the vine, while some of the 

 Concords averaged nearly three. I believe that with proper care and 

 culture in two year's titue most of our vineyards could be brought 

 up to an average yield of two small baskets of grapes to the vine. 

 If I were to set out a grape vinej^ard for myself I would set the vines 

 seven feet apart in the row and five feet between the rows. An acre 

 of land set out to grapes in this way would coutain over twelve hun- 

 dred vines, and after it came into full bearing ought to yield about 

 twenty-five hundred small baskets of grapes. With last year's 

 (1895) prices, it would net $250.00 and with this year's (1896), $200.00. It 

 ought to pay, had it not? 



