Suggestions on the Arrangement of Grape Trellis. 363 



SUGGESTIONS ON THE AERANGEMENT OF GEAPE TEELLIS. 



BY JOHN J. WEIITH. 



The disastrous results of the late 

 rainy season on the grape crop west 

 of the Alleghany Mountains, and the 

 injurious effects of the intense heat of 

 our midsummer sun on some varieties, 

 in any season, in our section, suggest 

 an arrangement of trellis which I am 

 partially adopting to modify the effects 

 of these two unfavorable conditions. 



I propose to construct a trellis of the 

 form of a common pediment roof, rep- 

 resented by the letter A — the frame to 

 be composed of rafters 9 feet long, 2ix 

 4 inches, 9 feet apart at the base, rest- 

 ing on tarred or otherwise preserved 

 slabs 8x10 inches x 2 inches thick, 

 and supported by short stout stakes, 

 say 16 inches long, driven into the 

 ground on the outer edge of the slab, 

 to resist the outward pressure until 

 the frame becomes settled — the rafters 

 to be brought together and connected 

 at the apex ; first inserting between 

 the mitred faces strips IG feet long, 

 4x1 2 inches, and bracing each pair of 

 rafters with a cross strip 2 feet from 

 the apex, 3 feet long, 3x1 inch. A 

 pair of these rafters should be set 

 every 8 feet, and the entire row con- 

 nected by a line of strips 16 feet long, 

 2^x11-, and 2 feet from the base. 

 Other strips, or lines of wire, can be 

 placed at such distances, between 

 these two strips, as may be deter- 

 mined by economy and the mode of 

 training decided on. 



Having planted my vines in rows 

 9 feet apart, and 6 feet apart in the 

 rows, alternating two Delaware or 

 Creveling, or other moderate grow- 



ers, and one Concord or Clin- 

 ton, or other rampant growers, I 

 propose to have three lines of strips 

 each side, besides the ridge stiip; 

 which will give four lines two feet 

 four inches from center to center. On 

 the lower strip I shall lay down two 

 arms, of the short-jointed vax'ieties, 

 three feet each ; and on the second 

 and third strip, four arms of the long 

 jointed varieties, six feet each. The 

 distance of 9 feet between the legs of 

 the trellis is most advisable in refer- 

 ence to the inside pitch, and the 

 steadiness of the structure. It will 

 give 6 feet clear head room, under 

 the collar beams or braces, supposing 

 the ground to be, as it should be, ten 

 inches higher on the line of the vines 

 than in the center between the rows. 

 But it is not important that the rows 

 should be nine feet apart. The pro- 

 portions recommended will answer as 

 well for rows 8 or 9 or 10 feet apart, 

 as it matters not whether the vines 

 are in a line with or a foot inside or 

 outside of the line of rafters ; and it 

 is evident that the vines can be trained 

 on any system that an upright trellis 

 is adapted to. 



This structure can be put up with 

 me (sawed timber costing twenty 

 dollars the thousand feet, boai'd meas- 

 ure) at less outlay than a perpendicu- 

 lar trellis of the same superficies; 

 and promises the following advan- 

 tages : 



I hold that the grape rot is not 

 caused so much b}^ the quantity of 

 rain that falls in a given time, as by 



