132 AMERICAN GRAPE GROWING 



ing summer days, and gives out its heat slowly during 

 the autumn and early winter months, then freezes over 

 more or less completely. 



The narrow belt of territory, green-walled on one side 

 by the Chautauqua ridge, and flanked on the other by 

 this immense reservoir, has a climate quite unlike that 

 of the region immediately south of it, or of the State at 

 large. In spring the chilly airs from the lake usually 

 retard the swelling buds until the season is well estab- 

 lished, and in autumn the breezes, coming across the 

 waters now, warmed by summer heats, protect the belt 

 from killing frosts. Another climatic peculiarity of the 

 region resulting from the proximity of the lake, is the 

 limited precipitation of rain and dew. The soil is clay, 

 or glacial drift on clay subsoil. The underlying rock is 

 soft argillaceous shale. 



It will be readily seen that this region is peculiarly 

 well fitted, by soil and climate, for successful grape cul- 

 ture. Experience has proved it to be so, and flourishing 

 vineyards are found throughout its entire length and 

 breadth. Grapes were cultivated here more than thirty 

 years ago, but it is within the last half of that period 

 that the business has expanded to any great commercial 

 importance. There are now about twenty-six thousand 

 acres of the region planted to vineyards, and the annual 

 crop is worth over a million dollars. 



The Concord is universally cultivated as the standard 

 sort, far more acreage being devoted to it than to all 

 others together, which are spoken of in a general way as 

 "varieties." All the other American grapes which have 

 been tried here succeed equally well, but the Concord is 

 so eminently successful as a leading market grape that 

 it is largely the favorite. Furthermore, it is beyond 

 question that the Concords grown in the Chautauqua 

 grape belt possess a finer and richer flavor than those 

 from other regions. Moore's Early is cultivated to some 



