THE GRAPES OF N'EW YORK. 9 1 



in order of acreage by Delaware, Niagara, Worden, Moore Early. Bacchus, 

 Pocklington, Campbell Early, Hartford and Vergennes after which come 

 a great number of less well-known sorts grown in acre or less quantities. 

 The value of the crop in this district in 1900 was $298,350. 



During the early years of grape-growing along the Hudson the methods 

 of training were essentially those used in Europe. The vines were kept 

 well headed back and were trained to stakes of varying heights. It did 

 not take long to discover that for our native grapes the vines must be so 

 trained as to give the fruit and foliage the greatest possible amount of 

 sunshine; to regulate the bearing wood; to permit them to bear just so 

 much and no more fruit; and to control the height of the main trunk. 

 Soon distinctive systems for native grapes arose and one of the earliest of 

 these originated with William Kniffin of Ulster County. This system 

 still bears his name and is most generally used either as it was first practiced 

 or in some of its modifications. In the Kniffin system, and its modifica- 

 tions, the trunk is carried to the top wire and the bearing shoots are allowed 

 to droop ; for this reason this method of training is often called the drooping 

 system in contra-distinction to the upright systems hitherto mentioned in 

 which the bearing shoots are tied to wires above the canes from which they 

 grow. The Hudson Valley growers claim that the Kniffin system is espe- 

 cialh' desirable for the strong growing sorts like Concord, Worden, and 

 Niagara but admit that for the slender shorter growing kinds like Delaware 

 and Catawba the upright system is best. 



As is always the case when fruit is grown near to the market in which 

 it is sold, there is little uniformity in the packages in which it is shipped 

 and the manner in which the fruit is packed. Most of the fruit from the 

 vineyards along the Hudson goes to market in climax baskets of the two 

 standard sizes. Some of the growers pack two, or even three varieties, 

 in one package for the purpose of giving a range in color and quality. The 

 shipping facilities along the river are unexcelled. Most of the grapes go 

 by boat down the Hudson to New York City. In this case the fruit is 

 loaded late in the evening and reaches its destination early the next 

 morning. The rail connections to New England cities are good and laige 

 shipments go eastward by rail while smaller quantities go inland and 

 south. The fruit is not marketed through unions nor has co-operative 



