GRAPES THAT ARE FINE BUT HARD TO GROW. 



Gi;OKi;i;. W. Camphki.i., Bkkore Michigan State Horticli.tiral Sociei v. 



<^lr^ '•'- admit that the fine grapes 

 ll—S \ are the most desirable, and the 

 /[ 1 \ practical enquiry is, Why 

 are they more difficult to 

 grow : and how can these difficulties be 

 overcome ? t The principal reasons why 

 the finer variety of grapes are harder to 

 grow are, want^'of hardiness in severe 

 winters, and a disposition to mildew of 

 the foliage in summer. Some of the 

 finer varieties have but one of these 

 difficulties to contend with ; others have 

 both. In localities where mildew does 

 not prevail to an injurious extent, lack 

 of hardiness in winter is so easily 

 guarded against as to be practically 

 of little consequence, in comparison 

 with the gain of having fine grapes. 



Pruning the vines in Autumn, as soon 

 as practicable after the falling of 

 the leaves, and laying the canes upon 

 the ground, affords ample protection to 

 quite tender varieties where there is 

 regular snow fall, and the vines are 

 covered with snow during the coldest 

 weather. In localities where cold is ex- 

 treme, and without snow, it is necessary 

 to cover with a little earth, and this I 

 have found sufficient for the finer hybrid 

 and tender varieties. 



It is generally true that the finest 

 quality in grapes is accompanied with a 

 more delicate constitution and some- 

 times, but not always, with slender 

 growth. Many of Roger's Hybrid 

 Grapes, which are fine in quality, are 

 very strong and vigorous in growth ; 

 not specially inclined to mildew, and, 

 though not hardy under extraordinary 

 cold, will endure a temperature a little 

 below zero, without much injury. I 

 think they will all bear as much cold un- 

 impaired as our cultivated peach trees. 



Among the most popular of Roger's 

 Hybrids, I will name No. 3, or Massa- 

 soit, as the earliest and one of the best. 

 Wilder, Lindley, Barry, Herbert, Salem, 

 and Agawam, are all, when grown under 

 favorable circumstances, finer in cjuality 

 than the somewhat hardier sorts, Hart- 

 ford, Champion, Telegraph, Worden or 

 Concord. By giving a little winter pro- 

 tection all the above named hybrid 

 varieties can be grown with nearly as 

 much certainty as the Concord, and its 

 seedlings. 



The Delaware Grape, which is still 

 among the finest, only fails where the 

 foliage is injured by mildew. In favored 

 locations, where the temperature is equit- 

 able and the leaves remain healthy, the 

 wood ripens perfectly, and the Delaware 

 endures the severest winters without 

 protection and without injury. It is 

 also singularly exempt from rot, gener- 

 ally escaping from this malady when 

 others are destroyed. Two varieties 

 may also be named which are really 

 fine, and which only require winter pro- 

 tection to be grown as easily, and in 

 most places as certainly, as the Concord. 

 These are Brighton and Jefferson. I 

 have grown these varieties since their 

 first introduction : and with me they 

 are vigorous in growth, healthy in foli- 

 age, very productive, bearing large and 

 handsome clusters, and of the best 

 quality. 



^\'herever there is a market that ap- 

 preciates and will pay for fine grajies I 

 believe it will be found much more pro- 

 fitable to grow these fine varieties, with 

 the little additional trouble and ex- 

 pense of giving winter protection. 



The other difficulty which renders 

 some of the fine varieties hard to grow 



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