302 MINNESOTA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



And where, until recently, they thought they were doing well if they 

 succeeded in getting a pan-full or two of partially ripe grapes, there are 

 many who are raising all they want for home consumption with a surplus 

 to sell or give away to their less fortunate neighbors. 



There was formerly an impression that grape growing was an achieve- 

 ment only attained by a favored few, and that hideous bugbear, winter 

 protection, deterred many from even attempting to grow this most 

 delicious and healthful of all fruits. And eveti now, visitors to our vine- 

 yard will occasionally remark, as they look at the long rows of vine- 

 covered trellises: "Well, that's beautiful, but what a task it must be to 

 cover them all up in the winter." I usually reply, " that if they will 

 come around in November after the vineyard is trimmed, they will see but 

 comparatively little to cover"; and they generally give a look of incredu- 

 lous surprise, when I tell them that the whole vineyard can be put under 

 ground at an expense of less than one-half cent per pound of the fruit 

 raised. 



A few years ago a gentleman from that great grape growing region, Erie 

 county. Pa., visited us, and we had the pleasure of showing him our vines, 

 method of culture, etc., and in conversation with him learned that, 

 although our system of training was a little different from that in his 

 section, yet the labor was about the same. But he would quite frequently 

 remark: "But you have to bury all these vines in the winter." I became 

 a little tired of that and finally inquired what his grapes averaged him 

 per basket last season. He replied: "Seventeen and one-half cents." I 

 then asked, "did it pay;" He replied, : "Yes, it paid better than any crop 

 they raised." I had already learned that in addition to fifteen acres of 

 grapes, he carried on a large farm besides. I then told him that I would 

 much rather raise grapes in Minnesota. "Ohl" he said, " but you have 

 to cover them in winter." "Yes," I replied, " but that does not cost over 

 one-half cent per pound, or five cents per basket, and I received fully 

 fifty cents per basket for my entire crop." Now, while they have never 

 been so high since, and, probably, never will be again, yet even at the low 

 price of the past two seasons, I believe that grape growing is profitable. 



A large portion of Wright county is specially adapted to grape culture. 

 Our numerous lakes exert a genial influence over the atmosphere, and 

 plenty of timber greatly modifies the cold north winds; and I know from 

 personal observation that there are many other sections of the state 

 equally favored. I think that this coming spring there will be more than 

 double the vines set out in Wright county than in any previous year, and 

 I believe the time is not far distant when no garden will be considered 

 complete without its row or rows of grape vines; and that the valuable 

 information disseminated by this society and the farmers' institutes is 

 doing much towards enlightaning the people and encouraging the culture 

 of small fruits, and thus removing the cause for about the only complaint 

 you ever hear made against our beautiful state, and proving the falsity of 

 that old, and, I may add, nearly worn out assertion, " You can't raise 

 fruit in Minnesota." 



