418 ANNUAL REPORT. 



in that than some people think for. When the August and Sep- 

 tember weather comes on, the ground should be warm; if 

 there is a great mulch of weeds, the sun will not touch it at all, 

 and the grapes will be later. Doctors disagree in regard to 

 pruning. Commence to pinch back when the vine gets out three 

 or four inches. You take off scarcely anything, and so it gets no 

 check. The seed will start again, and when it forms two leaves 

 give it another little pinch. It is not the sun and yet it is the 

 sun that ripens the grape. The sun shining upon a grape will 

 never ripen it, but the action of the sun shining uijon the leaves 

 is what rii^ens the fruit. As far as I at present know, in a region 

 where the Concord ripens, we will find at least half of that variety. 

 I believe that the Worden is nearly as good as the Concord, and 

 I think it is a little earlier, but I want a few years more experience 

 before I tell everybody to plant that variety. The Worden is 

 not as productive as the Concord. There is another variety that 

 I have tested that matures early, about ten days earlier than the 

 Concord. If I was where the Concord would not ripen, I would 

 plant Moore's Early, and if I lived in a region where I could not 

 raise those, I would raise grapes anyhow, and would plant out the 

 Champion or the Janesville. We only recommend these for places 

 where other varieties will not ripen. The Champion is a very poor 

 grape. It is the poorest grape we have ever had put on us. It 

 is a very vigorous grower and early, and if you can't get anything 

 else you can grow them. In planting the Concord I would en- 

 deavor to put them on a side hill, the steeper the better, if it slopes 

 to the south. I would work it up pretty deep, and if I had to have 

 it on level ground I would j)ut up a board fence. A farmer might 

 raise a vine or two on the south side of his barn. I have no doubt 

 but that some of the new varieties would be valuable to us, but 

 I would not recommend a farmer to try any of them. I have not 

 grown the Victor, but from reports I think it is a good grape. I 

 think there are half a dozen different varieties earlier than the 

 Concord. I think it would be advisable to try a vine of the Ni- 

 agara, but would not advise anyone to try many of them. It 

 comes to us so well recommended that I have a good deal of hopes 

 for it. But it did not originate in Minnesota, and may not be 

 adapted to our soil. There is one advantage in the Worden, and 

 that is that it is ready to eat before the Concord is. The Delaware 

 will keep longer than the Concord. One of the very best grapes 

 for keeping is the Catawba. So is the Eogers No. i, the Eogers 

 No, 15, and the Salem. The Diana is a very uncertain grape to 



