41 y MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



GRAPES. 



E. J. CUTTS, HOWARD LAKE. 



The task assigned me this year is by no means a pleasant one, as 

 it is much more agreeable to record success than failure. Yet the 

 lessons learned from disaster are equally important and, I believe, 

 belter reiuembered. Owing to the extreme drouth of the past year 

 or, I might say, the past three or four years, fruit bearing wood was 

 not nearly as vigorous as it would have been if there had been more 

 moisture in the soil. The very warm weather in April caused the 

 buds to swell earlier than usual, and we had to take up our vines 

 sooner than we wished. They were making a rapid growth, with fruit 

 buds in abundance, when the severe frosts in June nearly ruined the 

 prospective crops — I think, damaged it about two-thirds. To my sur- 

 prise, the Janesville, which is usually considered the hardiest and 

 which had made aboxit two feet of growth, froze off down to the old 

 wood, as did also the Champion; and although both varieties started 

 out again and made rapid growth, there was no fruit worth men- 

 tioning. I think the Delaware, Brighton and Niagara suffered less 

 than other varieties; Concord and Worden were more severely in- 

 jured, as were also the Agawam and Lindley. It was very dry in our 

 immediate vicinity, but owing, I believe, to frequent cultivation our 

 vines did not suffer much from drouth, and the fruit ripened up 

 very nicely, what there was of it, about two tons. 



Just a word about varieties. While we consider the Brighton one 

 of the very best, the fruit needs to be eaten as soon as ripe; if left on 

 the vine long, it becomes quite insipid. The Agawam and Lindley 

 are rapidly growing in favor in our section; the Woodruff Red has 

 borne for us the past two seasons and we consider it a very desir- 

 able acquisition. We think the Niagara, all things considered, the 

 best white grape; the Lady, while it is superior in quality, is a very 

 feeble grower and quite tender. The Martha we have discarded, dug 

 up every one in the vineyard; its quality is inferior to that of the 

 Champion or the Janesville; its only redeeming feature is its pro- 

 ductiveness. 



I wish to mention another item of experience which has never 

 happened to us before in some fifteen years. We had a young vine- 

 yard, consisting of about five hundred Delawarew which had been 

 set two years, nearly all root-killed last winter, and we recommend 

 additional protection besides earth covering for two or three j^ears 

 after planting. 



Another lesson we have been rather slow to learn and which may 

 seem to some of little account — yet we consider it of some impor- 

 tance; when rows are running north and south, train the vine to 

 to the north, as the prevailing winds during the growing season are 

 from the south, and it is almost impossible to train a vine in good 

 shape against the wind. (Train your vines to the east, when using 

 an east and west trellis, for the same reason. Sec'y.) 



Mr. G. J. Kellogg. How do you account for the los.s of the 

 five hundred Delawares? 



Mr. Cutts. It was on account of the very severe winter. 

 Mr. Kellogg. Don't you think it was the dry fall? 



