286 CALIFORNIA FRUITS: HOW TO GROW THEM 



Much has been learned during the last few years, but it will require the 

 experience of another generation, perhaps, to make the matter clear. 



Soils for the Grape. The grape will thrive on a great variety 

 of soils, in fact, on any of those enumerated as fruit soils in Chapter 

 III. There are thrifty vineyards on the light, deep valley loams, on the 

 heavy clayey loams, on adobe, and on the red soils of the foothills. 

 Even on shallow soils the grape will do well if given sufficient moisture, 

 and on rocky subsoils it thrives if there be crevices for the roots to 

 penetrate, or if the rock be shattered to admit the roots to permeable 

 substrata. Standing water during the active period of the vine is, how- 

 ever, unfavorable to growth, and alkali is adverse to satisfactory results 

 in wine making. Almost any soil which does not hold excess of water 

 or is not tainted with alkali will do for the vine, although the plant 

 appreciates good, deep soil, and will grow and bear fruit in proportion 

 to its supply of it. Of course the economic question of ease of culti- 

 vation enters into the choice of soil for the grape, as for other fruits, but 

 its claims are obvious and need not be enlarged upon. 



Length of Grape Season. By choice of early and late varie- 

 ties the grape season extends over half a year in California, without 

 recourse to artificial means of preservation. Where the fall rains are 

 not very protracted, the late varieties sometimes remain in good con- 

 dition on the vines until the winter pruning. Good grapes have been 

 picked from the vines as late as the middle of January. In the Lodi 

 district of the San Joaquin Valley, a great center of the grape shipping 

 industry, overland shipping begins about August 10, with Black Prince. 

 Tokays from light soil soon follow, then from the heavy soil, and in 

 about two weeks everything is going at full blast, keeping up strongly 

 for nearly two months. Then it decreases greatly and continues into 

 November with the later varieties, like Cornichon, Emperor and Fer- 

 rara. There are also a number of other shipping varieties grown than 

 those named, but Tokays far outnumber all the rest put together. 

 There is much latitude in grape gathering, for grapes can stay on the 

 vine for some time without deterioration ; besides there is the "second 

 crop" from later blooming which is of advantage in shipping, but ob- 

 jectionable in handling for raisins, brings less price for wine making. 

 Tokays may be picked during a period of two months in the same 

 vicinity because of the "second crop" and because the ripening comes 

 earlier or later according to soil, as noted above. Even the intrusion 

 of a light fall rain, such as they have in the interior, may help size and 

 color, but a heavy rain is destructive and constitutes a constant menace 

 in the late ripening districts near the coast, while occasionally injurious 

 to the interior also. 



Shipping Grapes in Sawdust. The table grape industry of Cal- 

 ifornia seems to be entering upon a notable extension of its marketing 

 season and area through the demonstration by the United States Bureau 

 of Plant Industry, that California grapes can be profitably packed in 

 drums, holding about 35 Ibs. of grapes, packed in redwood sawdust, 

 properly prepared and held safely in cold storage for winter sale in the 

 East as Spanish grapes in cork dust are handled. Better results are 



