674 



GRAPE 



GRAPE 





scribed, is most effectual to land the brush on the ground 

 between the rows. 



The next operation is to haul the brush to the end 

 of the row. Many tools have been devised for this pur- 

 pose, some of them involving considerable expense. It 

 is now the general practice to use a simple pole -one 

 a little larger than would be used to bind a load of logs, 

 and not so large as required in binding a load of hay. 

 It may be a sapling about 4 inches at the butt and 

 2% inches at the top, and 10 to 12 feet long. The small 

 end is to be held in the right hand, and the butt end to 

 be pushed along the ground. A horse is hitched to this 

 pole by a rope drawn through an inch hole about 4 feet 

 from the butt or ground end. When starting at the end 

 of the row, it stems that the straight pole would not 

 gather any brush at all. It is a question of catching the 

 first wad, and all the rest of the brush will cling to it. 

 At the end of the row the brush is hauled to a conve- 

 nient pile, where it is to be burned, and is dumped by 

 letting the end of the pole held in the hand revolve over 

 towards the horse. If the pole hits the horse, the opera- 

 tor will see that there is not enough stretch of rope be- 

 tween the pole and whiffletree, and more must be 

 provided. 



Tying is done by women, boys and girls, and cheap 

 men. The tying materials are "wire, wool-twine, raffia, 

 willow and carpet-rags. The horizontal arms, at the 

 lower wire, are more or less permanent, and they 

 are loosely confined to the wire, always by string or 

 willow. The vertical canes, which are fastened to the 

 top trellis, are now commonly tied with annealed wife 

 of No. 18 gauge, and cut in lengths of 4 inches. The 

 economy in using the wire is the despatch in tying, and 

 the fact that the work can be done on cool days when 

 light gloves are necessary. The use of wire has been 

 strenuously opposed by people who have never used it. 

 The objection has been that the fine wire would chafe 

 the cane so that the cane would break and fall from the 

 trellis. Such instances occur rarely, and when they do 

 it is so late in the season that the tendrils of the vine 

 are ample to hold it to the trellis. The cane should be 

 tied to the windward side of the wire for the same rea- 

 son that the wire was stapled on the windward side of 

 the post. In using the wire tie, the operator stands on 

 the opposite side of the trellis from the cane, and fol- 

 low* the movements as illustrated in Figs. 970-973. 

 This operation puts on the wire with the fewest number 

 of movements, binds the cane snug to the trellis, and 

 makes a loop that falls from the trellis on the following 

 season, when the cane is torn away. The tying wire 



970. Tying with wire. The first movement. 



should be thoroughly annealed, so that it can be easily 

 bent and give no springy reaction after being worked 

 This wire is also useful in tying thorny shrubs to a 

 trellis when a mittened hand is necessary to hold the 

 branches in place while the other hand makes the tie. 

 To recommend varieties is a difficult and personal 



matter. Grapes, like most other fruits, are influenced in- 

 character by difference of location. There are many 

 more Concords sold than any other variety, yet by the 

 fastidious Grape eater it is thought far inferior to many 

 other varieties. However, as it is the sort the public 

 most want, and is a good yielder, it is probably the most 



971. The second movement. 





profitable to plant. For the past few years many ha 

 wished that all their Concords were Niagara, for the 

 reason that the yield of the latter has been good and the 

 crop brought at least ten dollars per ton more when sold 

 in bulk. Perhaps this condition is only temporary. The 

 Catawba is of excellent flavor; it is latest to ripen and au 

 excellent variety for storage. When placed in good cel- 

 lars, and an even low temperature is maintained, but 

 not low enough to freeze, this variety will keep in good 

 shipping condition until the last of March and first of 

 April. These are standard commercial varieties in New 

 York and Ohio. Worden is excellent for a near-by mar- 

 ket, but does not stand long journeys well. 



Many fruits are better picked before fully ripe, of 

 which the pear is a conspicuous example. Grapes have 

 not that characteristic, for no maturing development 

 goes on after the fruit is harvested. As soon as the full 

 ripening period has been reached, the clusters should be 

 gathered by carefully cutting and placing in trays which 

 hold from 25 to 35 pounds. The care in handling should 

 almost equal that taken with eggs. After picking, the 

 fruit should be placed in a fruit house built upon the 

 principle of an ice house, but so arranged as to give free 

 access to the cooling night air, and to- be closed each 

 morning to protect from the heat of the day. By such 

 means the temperature can in time be worked down to 

 40, which checks excessive evaporation, thereby keep- 

 ing the stems green and the fruit plump. This is the 

 ideal method, but is far from being attained or even 

 sought in many large commercial districts. The prac- 

 tice is far more closely observed in the Lake Keuka 

 (N. Y.) and adjacent lake districts than in the Chautauqua 

 district. In the former locality many Concords are stored 

 in this manner and shipped in fine condition during No- 

 vember and December, and Catawbas during the balance 

 of the winter. In the latter district the fruit is sent al- 

 most direct from the vine to the consumer. This direct- 

 ness means haste and carelessness that is much to the 

 detriment of the Grapes when they reach the market. 



From 1893 to 1899 the price of Grapes steadily de- 

 clined, and with the decline came a casting about f 

 means to economize in harvesting. One of the ways 

 veloped towards that end has been to requifc that 

 woman who packs should increase her daily output f: 

 80 9-pound baskets to 200. The woman fulfilled 

 requirements without working any harder in one case 

 than the other. The increase is at the expense of qual 

 ity of packing, which at first was at the expense of t 

 consumer or shipper, but in the final outcome resulte 

 in less demand for the Grapes. The public may b 

 fooled part of the time, but sooner or later smart prac- 



; tor 



1 



