THE VINEYARD. 



The Site. — The investigating fruit- 

 grower will find in Ontario healthy and 

 paying vineyards, situated upon nearly 

 all classes of soils. The grape is a 

 warmth loving plant, and undoubtedly 

 the most favorable location is that which 

 furnishes a loose, well drained clay 

 loam, in addition to a free atmospheric 

 circulation. Good soil drainage is im- 

 perative if a long-lived, productive vine- 

 yard is the ambition of the fruit-grower. 

 There are examples of the ill effect of 

 imperfect soil drainage to be found in 

 some of the best grape growing sections 

 of Ontario — a yellowing of the foliage — 

 dropping of the fruit — indications are 

 that there is something radically wrong. 

 Occasionally late spring frosts visit us, 

 the injury is most severe as a rule in the 

 lower levels of the vineyard. In Eastern 

 Ontario and Quebec, where the summer 

 heat requisite to bring some of our best 

 varieties to maturity is deficient, a warm 

 southern exposure should be selected. 

 If this is protected by wind breaks on 

 the north and west, so much the better. 



Preparing the soil. — Hoed crops, 

 meaning those requiring cultivation, in 

 summer, as roots and potatoes, should 

 precede vines. When the ground is 

 cleared of these, a good plan is to plough 

 it into narrow lands, allowing the dead 

 furrow to fall into the line of each 

 proposed row. Subsoiling is of prime 

 importance, and should be done as 

 thoroughly as possible. If the ground 

 is allowed to remain in this condition 

 till spring, the pulverizing action of the 

 frost will have acted beneficially upon 

 the soil, greatly increasing its mellow- 

 ness and friability. 



Time to plant. — In the best grape 

 growing sections, both fall and spring 

 planting is practised, most growers 

 claim, with equal success. The amount 



of leisure time, therefore, may be allowed 

 to guide the planter, although in fall 

 planting the ameliorating influence of 

 the frost upon the soil previous to plant- 

 ing is lost. Fall set plants should also 

 be protected by throwing a furrow 

 against them on each side. In the east 

 and north, spring is undoubtedly the 

 best season. 



Distance apart and how to plant. — 

 Grapes, like apple trees, require room, 

 according to their vigor — Daleware, 

 Moore's Early and Moyer do well 8x8 

 feet apart, or even less. Strong growing 

 varieties, like Concord and Niagara, 

 need more room between the plants in 

 the new row and should be lo feet apart, 

 though as a general rule 8 x lo feet is the 

 distance used by most planters. At the 

 north, it is important that the vine should 

 be planted deeply, 15 to 18 inches being 

 often recommended. To obtain this 

 depth, the vine is planted in a hollow, 

 which is filled gradually subsequent to 

 the growth of the plant. Ten to twelve 

 inches may be accepted as the ordinary 

 depth. It always pays to buy strong 

 plants. They quickly return the price 

 in fruit. Occasionally satisfactory year- 

 lings may be secured, but strong two 

 year olds are much better. As in set- , 

 ting out tree fruits, be careful to remove 

 all bruised portions of roots ; the fibres 

 should not be allowed to become dry ; 

 the earth should be firmly packed about 

 the roots. 



Intermingling varieties in the vineyard. 

 — It has long been a common observa- 

 tion that certain varieties set loose 

 straggling bunches when planted in 

 blocks by themselves. This is the re- 

 sult of imperfect pollination. The ex- 

 periments of Prof. S. A. Beach, of the 

 New York Experiment Station at Gen- 

 eva, have given us a list of those varie- 

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