GRAPE 



GRAPE 



1377 



the growth is not likely to be so great the first season. 

 Vineyards composed of unprofitable varieties may be 

 changed to new varieties very readily by this means. 

 Vinifera varieties can also be grafted on our common 

 phylloxera-resistant stocks by the same method. 

 Almost any method of grafting can be 

 employed upon the grape-vine if the work is 

 done beneath the surface. 



Insects and diseases. 



The grape is amenable to many insect and 

 fungous attacks. The most serious difficulty 

 is the phylloxera, which, however, is practi- 

 cally unknown as an injurious pest on the 

 native grapes. On the vinifera varieties it is 

 exceedingly serious, and it is working great 

 devastation in many of the vineyards of the 

 Old World and of the Pacific coast. The most 

 practicable means of dealing with this pest is 

 to graft the vinifera vines on native or resis- 

 tant roots. 



The mildew and black-rot are the most seri- 

 ous of the fungous enemies in the central and 

 eastern parts of the continent. Both these 

 diseases cause the berries to decay. They 

 also attack the leaves, particularly the mildew, 

 causing the leaves to fall and preventing the 

 grapes from maturing. It is the mildew 

 that has worked such havoc in European 

 vineyards. The mildew is most serious on 

 thin-leaved and smooth-leaved varieties, as 

 the Delaware. It produces yellowish patches 

 on the leaves, with frost-like colonies on the 

 1721 under sides. It causes the berries to decay 

 Common with a gray and finally a brown rot, the 

 3-budcut- berries usually remaining small and firm but 

 grape! no ^ P^tly wrinkled. The black-rot causes 

 the berries to become very hard, dry and shriv- 

 eled, and the epidermis is covered with minute pimples. 

 (Fig. 1286, Vol. II.) The treatment for both these 

 diseases is the same spraying with bordeaux mixture. 

 In regions in which the diseases have not been very 

 prevalent, it is usually sufficient to begin the spraying 

 after the fruit has begun to set, and to spray two or 

 three times, as the case seems to require. When the 

 diseases have been very prevalent, however, it may be 

 well to begin before the buds swell in the spring. In 

 infested vineyards, the foliage and diseased berries 

 should be raked up and burned in the fall. 



The anthracnose or scab (Sphaceloma ampelinurri) is 

 a very serious fungous disease. It is most apparent on 

 the fruit, where it makes a hard, scabby patch. Its 

 most serious work, however, occurs on the stems of the 

 clusters and on the young growth, where it makes 

 sunken, discolored areas, and where it interferes seri- 

 ously with the growth of the parts. It is not so easily 

 controlled as the mildew and the black-rot. Careful 

 attention to pruning away all the diseased wood and 

 burning it will help in controlling the disease. Before 

 growth starts, spray the vines, trellis and posts with 

 sulfate of iron solution. After the leaves open, use the 

 bordeaux mixture. 



In grape-houses the powdery mildew (Uncinula spi- 

 ralis) often does much damage. It also occurs in the 

 open vineyard, but it is usually not serious there. It 

 appears as a very thin, dust-like covering on the leaves. 

 It sometimes attacks the berries, causing them to 

 remain small or to crack. This fungus lives on the sur- 

 face, and is therefore readily controlled in grape-houses 

 by dusting with flowers of sulfur or by the fumes of 

 evaporated sulfur. 



The oidium is the most prevalent fungous disease in 

 California. It is controlled by dust-sprays of sulfur 

 (page 1387). 



Many other insects and diseases prey upon the grape, 

 but those mentioned above are widespread and may be 



88 



considered as perhaps the standard parasites. (See Vol 

 II, pp. 1031, 1053.) 



Literature. 



The American book literature of the grape is nearly 

 as large as that of all the tree-fruits combined. Proba- 

 bly 100 books, counting the various editions, have been 

 published in North America since Adlum's volume in 

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

 126). The earlier books were founded largely on Euro- 

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

 berg's Descriptive Catalogue and Grape Growers' Man- 

 ual;" 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," 

 Wickson's "California Fruits," and Eisen's "Raisin 

 Industry" are useful guides. Detailed discussions of 

 pruning and methods of training are contained in 

 "The Pruning-Book." A standard European mono- 

 graph is Foex's "Cours Complet de Viticulture." The 

 recent standard American works are Munson's "Foun- 

 dations of American Grape Culture," and Hedrick's 

 "Grapes of New York," which are notable contribu- 

 tions to horticultural literature. L jj g 



Grapes in the North (Canada). 



Any section in which grapes will thrive without 

 winter protection may be said to be a commercial 

 section. For home use they are grown far north by 

 covering with earth or litter during the winter. When 

 the leaves are falling or have fallen in autumn, the 

 vines are pruned fan system, with the old stalks very 

 close to the ground, and laid flat upon the earth. Here 

 they are left under their straw or earthy covering 

 until danger of frost is past, the following spring, when 

 the covering is removed and the canes tied to the wires. 

 But this is expensive and the method is not commercial. 

 For market purposes, grapes are grown with one of 

 two main objects in view: either for wine (sweet or 

 fermented) or table and dessert purposes. The purpose 

 determines the variety. Concords and varieties ap- 

 proaching it in type and quality are the choice for 

 the former purpose, while for the latter the variety 

 is determined by the season and the 

 market demand. In the former case, 

 also, the number of varieties is limited, 

 while in the latter they are numerous, 

 ranging from the earliest, Champion, 

 to the latest, Vergennes, and inter- 

 mediate varieties of all colors and 

 grades. 



1722. Cleft-graft- 

 ing the grape. 



1723. Cleft-grafting the grape. 



Grapes, unlike peaches and cherries, are not subject 

 to very great fluctuations in price and yield. They are 

 comparatively steady in their returns, and, while 

 never advertising themselves by enormous yields and 

 profits, are ever pushing to the front in acreage, yield 

 to the acre and importance. The acreage increase has 

 been very rapid until now New York, the leading 

 northern state of the United States, which thirty-five 

 years ago had but a small acreage, today has more 



