MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 27 
grape that was bought for the Catawba, but nobody knew its name, 
and it has since been discarded. I did not take any to the fairs 
when held too far from my home, but have had fruit every year. 
One season, however, in 1869, I believe, they did not mature well, 
on account of a very early frost. The next season the vines did not 
yield a first rate crop, as they seemed to have been injured by the 
hard freeze the previous fall. 
THE NUMBER OF VINES, SALES, &C. 
The amount of ground I now have in my vineyard is about two 
acres, but one-half acre of which has been set during the past two 
years and has not produced a crop. The whole number of vines in 
bearing is 825 including about forty varieties, some twenty of 
which have produced fruit. My leading kinds are the Concord, Del- 
aware, Hartford Prolific, Northern Muscadine and Creveling. 
Since the fair at Fort Snelling, I have raised more or less fruit to 
sell. My markets are St. Paul and Minneapolis, the latter being the 
place to get the best prices, not being so overstocked with fruit from 
below. One year my crop brought forty cents per pound at retail, 
and thirty cents at the stores. In 1874 my sales were 8,600 pounds, 
being my largest crop. The amount received was $1,077. They 
were nearly all sold at wholesale, the Delawares bringing 18 to 20 
cents, the Concords 10 to 123 cents, the Creveling 124 cents per 
pound. The Hartford and Muscadine brought 15 cents at first and 
124 to 10 cents later. 
The average for Delaware per vine $1.393 ; Concord $1.48; Hart- 
ford $1.41; the Northern Muscadine $1.514, the best of all. Some 
of the Delawares were not in a suitable place, which reduced their 
amount. They are quite particular about their treatment. Some 
seasons the result might be quite different from the above. The 
business has paid well the past four years. 
TIME OF RIPENING. 
The first to ripen is the Hartford, and a few days later the Mus- 
cadine, then the Delaware and Creveling, and last the Concord. 
The first two drop their fruit and last but a short time. ,Some of 
the newer sorts may take the place of the above. When we have a 
good year for dent corn, our grapes ripen well. We need something 
that will do well when we have a short season. 
I am looking for some variety as good and productive as the Con- 
cord, but earlier. This would be a great thing for the vineyardist, 
and indeed for the masses. 
PROTECTION, SOIL, &C. 
My practice is to prune the vines in the fall and cover, leaving a 
pretty good supply of wood as some damage is quite sure to occur. 
If too many buds start in the spring some are rubbed off. I do not 
follow the course laid down in the books altogether, in this climate, 
but am guided very much by circumstances, 
