GRAPE 



the more easily grown ami cosmopolitan native varieties. 

 Under glass, however, the vinifera varieties thrive ; below 

 a special discussion is given to this branch of the subject. 

 The greatest development of the native Grape indus- 

 try has taken place in New York and Ohio, bordering 

 lakes and large streams. These areas are the lower 

 Hudson river valley ; the region of the central-western 

 New York lakes ; the Lake Erie region of New York, 

 Pennsylvania and Ohio. There are also important 

 Grape interests in Ontario, Michigan, and other northern 

 parts. There is considerable interest in Grape culture 

 in the cooler parts of Georgia and Alabama, and there 

 are enlarging areas in the country extending from the 

 Ozark region southward. Nearly all the country, ex- 

 cepting the northernmost parts, raises Grapes, but in 

 most cases the growing of them cannot be said to be 

 extensive enough to be called an industry. Although 

 the Grape sections of the North hug the water areas 

 and the land, therefore, is often steep, all Grape growers 

 prefer nearly level laud. The Old World plantations 

 are largely on very steep lands ; such lands, by virtue 

 of their warmth and drainage, are thought to give an 

 extra quality of wine. These ideas were brought to this 

 country, and many of our early vineyards were planted 

 on terraced slopes. But we grow Grapes for a different 

 purpose from the Europeans, and land is cheap and 

 labor is dear. Old World methods cannot be followed 

 in the American commercial plantations. 



The ideal bunch of Grapes is one which is of medium 

 size for the variety, compact, uniformly developed and 

 ripened throughout, containing no small or diseased 

 berries, and with the bloom intact. A very dense or 

 crowded cluster is not the most desirable, for all the 

 berries cannot develop fully, and the cluster is not easily 

 handled when the fruit is eaten. Fig. 955 shows a clus- 

 ter of good shape and compactness ; Fig. 95G is too 

 broad and irregular ; Figs. 957 and 958 are rather too 

 dense and compact. 



The American Grape is essentially a dessert fruit. It 

 is eaten from the hand. There are several manufactured 

 products, but, with the ex- 

 ception of wine, they are 

 yet of minor importance. 

 Americans are not a wine- 

 drinking people, and wine 

 is a secondary output of 

 tlie Grape in the eastern 

 states, although there are 

 many large wine-cellars in 

 New York and Ohio, and 

 the product is of excellent 

 quality. Unfermented 

 grape juice is a product 

 which deservedly is grow^- 

 ing in popularity. The 

 lack of secondary domestic 

 uses of the Grape is one 

 reason for the very serious 

 gluts in the markets. 

 However, one j'ear with 

 another, the profit on a 

 good vineyard may be ex- 

 pected to exceed that on 

 the staple farm crops. 



The American book liter- 

 ature of the Grape is near- 

 ly as large as that of all 

 the tree fruits combined. 

 Probably 100 books, counting the various editions, have 

 been published in North America since Adlura's volume 

 in 1823 (see "Evolution of Our Native Fruits," pp. 117- 

 12(i). The earlier books were founded largely on Euro- 

 pean practices. The leading current works are: 'Bush- 

 berg Descriptive Catalogue and Grape Growers' Man- 

 iial;" Mitzky's "Our Native Grape;" Fuller's "Grape 

 Culturist;" Husmann's "American Grape Growing and 

 Wine Making." For the Pacific slope, Husmann's 

 "Grape Culture and Wine Making in California." Wick- 

 son's "California Fruits," and Eisen's "Raisin Industry" 

 are current guides. Detailed discussions of pruning 

 and methods of training are contained in "The Prun- 

 ing-Book." A standard European monograph is Foex's 

 "Cours Complet de Viticulture." 



GRAPE 



667 



951. Champion, one of the 

 early - season Labruscas. 

 but of poor Quality (X ^4). 



Pruning and Training. — A Grape vine is pruned in 

 order to reduce the amount of wood (that is, to thin or 

 to limit the amount of fruit), and to Iteep the plant 

 within manageable shape and bounds. A viue is trained 



952. Horticultural product of Vitis cesti 

 seedling of Herbemont l> 



=.»). 



in order to keep it off the ground, out of the way of the 

 worknaen, and to so arrange the fruit that it will be "well 

 exposed to light and air. In order to tmderstand the 

 pruning of Grapes, the operator must fully grasp this 

 principle: Fruit is borne on wood of the present sea- 

 son, wliicli arises from wood of the previous season. To 

 illustrate : A growing shoot, or cane of 1899, makes 

 buds. In 1900 a shoot arises from each bud ; and near 

 the base of this shoot the Grapes are borne (1 to 4 clus- 

 ters on each). This is shown in Fig. 959. The 1899 

 shoot is shown at the top. The 1900 shoot bears 4 clus- 

 ters of Grapes. While every bud on the 1899 shoot may 

 produce shoots or canes in 1900, only the strongest of 

 these new shoots will bear fruit. The skilled Grape 

 grower can tell by the looks of his cane (as he prunes 

 it, in winter) which buds will give rise to the Grape- 

 producing wood the following se.ason. The larger and 

 stronger buds usually give best results; but if the cane 

 itself is very big and stout, or if it is very weak and 

 slender, he does not expect good results from any of its 

 buds. A hard, well-ripened cane the diameter of a man's 

 little finger is the ideal size. 



The second principle to be mastered is this: A vine 

 should bear oniy a limited number of elusters, — s3.j 

 from 30 to 80. A shoot hears clusters near its base; be- 

 yond these clusters the shoot grows into a long, leafy 

 cane. An average of two clusters may be reckoned to a 

 shoot. If the vine is strong enough to bear 60 clusters, 

 30 good buds must be left at the annual pnming. How 

 much a vine should be allowed to bear will depend on 

 the variety, distance apart of the vines, strength of the 

 soil, age of the vine, system of pruning, and the ideals 



