STATE HORTICULTUEAL SOCIETY. 383 



of cane growth aud has beeu selected tor its superior root growth. 

 An extra two year old is selected with special reference to its 

 superior root growth. An extra vine will cost a few cents more 

 than an ordinary one, yet in the end may result in making grape- 

 growing a success instead of a failure. Purchase your vines from 

 a reliable nurseryman near your home, aud deal direct with the 

 principal and never with an agent unless you are certain that 

 the agent has full power to bind the nurseryman he pretends to 

 represent. 



Third — Number of varieties and number of vines of each vari- 

 ety to plant. Prudence would dictate the planting of each of 

 the five varieties named herein: Lady, Janesville, Moore's Early, 

 Delaware and Worden, and should a selection have to be made 

 from these, take them in the order in which they are given, and 

 at least three vines of each variety should be set, as long experi- 

 ance has taught grape-growers that it requires three vines of a 

 variety to ascertain with certainty the value of any variety in a 

 given soil. I have given a list of varieties and have arranged 

 them in the order in which, were I going to plant vines on a 

 farm in Minnesota, I should expect the best results from, taking 

 into consideration all the merits and defects of the several varie- 

 ties named in regard to vigor, plant growth, time of blooming, 

 maturing of the fruit, etc., and from the five varieties named 

 should expect at least three to succeed well. 



Fourth — Planting the vines. This point I respectfully refer 

 to the Minnesota State Horticultural Society to fill out. 



Fifth — Care of the vines after planting. Mulch the ground for 

 some distance around the vine aud allow all the top to grow the 

 first year. In the fall, after the leaves are all killed by the frost, 

 prune the vine to a single stem or cane, leaving three eyes above 

 the ground, and cut the same about an inch above the third eye, 

 as cutting the cane too near the eye may cause the last eye to 

 die from the drying out of end of the cut cane. When winter 

 sets in cover the cane as left with dirt, and this closes the work 

 of the first year. It is not necessary to stake the vines the first 

 year they are set, but early the second year they should have 

 a support. 



The length of this paper admonishes me that although much 

 more might be said yet, it must be deferred, and as I see from 

 your programme this is to be followed by pruning and training 

 of the grape, I leave all that to Mr. Pearce. 



Farmers of Minnesota, if this paper should incite you to plant 



