CHOICE OF VARIETIES OF GRAPES 25 



face ; it is plain that fine earth should be well filled in around such 

 material and also that this should not be excessive. There is no 

 danger of souring the ground easily in a California vineyard, as sim- 

 ilar work is done in European countries, where decay on account of 

 summer rains goes on much quicker. A grapevine is not easily 

 affected by decaying organic substances in the soil, at least not the 

 right kind of a grafting stock. Humus is most important as no soil 

 is productive without it, however rich in mineral ingredients it may 

 be. It is almost an impossibility in California to cause any material 

 benefit to deep-rooting perennial plants, by simply plowing under 

 organic manures, not considering the great loss through combus- 

 tion by the sun's heat. The benefit derived is generally of a physi- 

 cal nature only, in that compact soils are made more mellow and 

 coarse gravelly ones denser and closer, and so both kinds more 

 retentive in holding moisture. Of course this is very important. 



It might be claimed that such work does not pay in California 

 on account of high wages paid for labor. But considering that we 

 need not plant our vines three or four feet apart in order to get them 

 to ripen their fruit uniformly, it will not cost as much as work con- 

 ducted on such a plan in European countries. A little more re- 

 course to old world methods, seasoned down with a touch of Amer- 

 ican ingenuity in the use of proper implements, will make grape- 

 culture the most remunerative pursuit in the State. 



The next best way to the above-described method would be to 

 dig deep and wide holes and then put a good amount of stable man- 

 ure, coarse or rotted, in their bottoms. This will enable the young 

 vine to get a quick start and get its roots down deep, so it does 

 not suffer from want of moisture and nourishment. 



When it becomes necessary later, commercial mineral manures 

 can be applied by plowing under. As a rule such manures are 

 necessary in California only when the vines become old, provided 

 the land is worked over before planting, as described, and plowed 

 deeply afterwards, as according to Prof. Hilgard's investigations, 

 our soils are generally very rich in such ingredients to a great 

 depth, on account of absence of summer rains and so of leaching 

 of their valuable portions. 



Stable manures intended for vineyard use should be kept dry 

 and piled up loosely under a shed, to prevent the formation and 

 escape of carbonate of ammonia. Mixing with land plaster or 

 humus earth, or sprinkling with diluted sulphuric acid, will assist 

 in this. It should not be left undisturbed very long but worked 

 over occasionally. If it dry-burns, which means the formation of 

 nitric acid, which is very volatile, the loss is still greater. In the 

 winter it is safest to haul it right on to the land, wliere it is intended 

 to go. 



CHAPTER IV. 



Choice of Varieties of Grapes. 



This has been one of the most difficult problems confronting 

 the vine-grower in the past, and has led to numerous mistakes and 



