GRAPES. 307 



twist between a couple of wires, that in a day or two the 

 tendrils would attach themselves to the wires so you would 

 not have to tie them. Once in a while we had a heavy wind 

 which would break them loose, though, after they became at- 

 tached. 



Mr. Murray: I believe that the ground needs all the sun- 

 shine it can get. Last summer I lost three-fourths of my crop 

 because I could not get sunshine enough. I am, therefore, not 

 in favor of mulching. Here is another point about trimming. 

 I lost my whole crop five or six years ago by trimming very 

 closely; I took away too many of the leaves. I do not see 

 how you are going tp let the laterals grow down on your lower 

 buds without ruining your spurs. It seems to me you must 

 pinch off the laterals for three or four buds, and after that you 

 need not be so very careful. Taking, for instance, such a vine 

 as the Delaware, after taking a little care in the way I have 

 described, I can then go over the rest with a sharp hooked 

 sickle, and a pruning with that will answer very well. I 

 think it would be well to be careful to leave enough foliage above 

 those two or three buds. 



Some gentleman suggested the idea of training higher. 

 My idea is that I would set my posts six feet high, if I could, 

 as it would be vastly easier to handle the grapes and would 

 insure a circulation of air that would ripen more '.grapes. I 

 think, in running my branches up I would run them a little 

 more forward. Our grapes are separated ten feet, and although 

 my ground is worth $500 an acre, if I were to i)lant more I 

 would do the same thing, and would plant nearer together in 

 the rows. 



Some one has suggested fertilizing. I wish somebody capa- 

 ble of answering that, would do so. Can we use ordinary fer- 

 tilizers on these vines? Last year I put on some ordinary 

 stable manure, deciding to take the chance anyway. Another 

 thing, we should plant such vines as the Moore's Early, as the 

 gentleman from Wisconsin suggested last year, in the shape of 

 a fan, or in some other way that would give us a better crop of 

 grapes. 



Mr. Brackett: I want to have Professor Green answer that 

 question in regard to mulching. I happened to be over at the 

 Experiment Station this summer, and I saw a side hill there, 

 that used to wash very badly, that they had literally covered 

 with hay, which seemed to improve it. Now, in regard to trim- 

 ming, I was over to Mr. Latham's place last summer, when Mr. 



