Hoiv Grapes are Grov^n in the Chautauqua Grape Belt 



D. K. Falvay, Wcstfidd, New York 



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THERE are 35,000 acres of bearing 

 vineyard in the Chautauqua grape 

 belt. The Concord is the standard 

 variety. Some Niagaras are raised, but 

 of late years they have not found a ready 

 market, the price rarely being equal to 

 that of the Concord. Only very few of 

 other varieties are grown, and are most- 

 ly sold in local markets. 



Our grapes were formerly set eight 

 feet in the row, the rows being nine feet 

 apart. For the past few years the roots 

 have been set six or seven feet apart in 

 the row, the object being to put up fewer 

 canes from each vine and still maintain 

 an average. The posts should be be- 

 tween the third and fourth vines to pre- 

 vent the wires from sagging when 

 loaded. 



The best roots obtainable should be 

 purchased. They are now so graded that 

 those designated "Extra Number Ones" 

 are the kind to get. Other grades are 

 set, but the best are always the most 

 satisfactory. During recent years newly 

 set vineyards have not done as well as in 

 former years. The cause has not been 

 definitely determined. It is believed by 

 some that the vitality of the grape cut- 

 tings has been weakened by the general 

 deterioration of the vines from which the 

 grape bush is taken for cuttings. With 

 all the fungous diseases that infest the 

 vines, the grape root grower should use 

 extra precaution in obtaining grape brush 

 for cuttings. No wood should be used 

 unless taken from sprayed vineyards. 



These roots are set very deep, from 

 fourteen to eighteen inches below the 

 general surface of the soil. As the 

 ground is worked, the high centres are 

 gradually worked toward the roots. Corn 

 or potatoes are usually planted between 



A portion of a paper read at the convention 

 of the Ontario Fruit Growers' Aesocialion. Mr. 

 Falvay's remarlts on spraying, harvesting, cost 

 of production and marlteting. will be published 

 in later issues of The Canadian Horticulturist. 



the grape rows the first year. The first 

 year's growth is cut back to two or three 

 buds the second spring. The third spring 

 the canes are tied up ; not more than two 

 canes should be used. One and a half 

 canes are better, that is, one cane to the 

 top wire and a shorter one to the bot- 

 tom wire, the shorter cane making the 

 better wood growth for the following 

 year. Invariably the best growth of 

 wood is near the top of the cane, and if 

 both canes are tied to the top wire the 

 growth of wood will be too far from the 

 ground to make a good shaped vine. The 

 first wire is usually twenty-four inches 

 from the ground ; the second wire is from 

 twenty-six inches to twenty-eight inches 

 from the lower wire. 



The canes are tied with No. 21 wire 

 cut about five inches long, and so twisted 

 around the cane and trellis wire as to 

 come off with the old wood. String is 

 used when necessary to tie any of the 

 canes to the lower wire. Tie a loose knot 

 to prevent girdling. We tie but once, 

 unless some of the vines should be brok- 

 en down with wind or other causes. A 

 good tier can tie an acre a day in a vine- 

 yard with four canes to the vine. There 

 are from 540 to 600 vines per acre ac- 

 cording to distance apart in the row. 



It requires about six years to get a 

 strong vineyard ; that is, one that is 

 capable of supporting from four to six 

 canes. The constant temptation among 

 vineyardists is to tie up too many canes 

 on young vines ; and by so doing they 

 injure their vineyards seriously. 



In old vineyards we usually put up from 

 four to six canes if the vine will sup- 

 port that many. The judgment of the 

 trimmer must be exercised constantly. 

 He must treat each vine individually, 

 and not only train for the present year 

 but also must have in view which canes 

 and buds will produce wood in the pro- 

 per place for the following year's crop. 



An extra good trimmer will trim an 

 acre of heavy vines in from ten to twelve 

 hours. The work is done during the 

 winter months. After the brush is pulled 

 from the wires it is drawn out by a team 

 hitched to a long pole. Two men with a 

 team can pull out and burn the brush 

 from ten to twelve acres in a day. The 

 work in the vineyard is all done by horse 

 power except the hand hoeing. The one- 

 horse plow, the gang plow, the spring- 

 tooth harrow, and the two-horse vine- 

 yard cultivator with the disc wheel to 

 guide it, are the principal tools used 

 during the season. The hor.'^e-hoe, of 

 course, is used for cleaning out under 

 the wire. 



The Chautauqua grape grower has the 

 method of cultivation reduced to a sci- 

 ence. Nowhere are grapes cultivated so 

 cheaply or rapidly as in Chautauqua 

 County. 



A vineyard should be gang-plowed 

 twice during the season, horse-hoed and 

 hand-hoed once, and be cultivated every 

 ten days, at least, up to August 10 or 

 15. The cost of trimming, tying and 

 care should be about $13.00 an acre up 

 to time of harvesting. Vineyards that 

 are infested with grape pests, such as 

 the root worm and leaf hopper, require 

 special treatment — that is, cultivation 

 and spraying — ^which adds to the expense 

 quoted. 



Cox's Orange Pippin, an English ap- 

 ple greatly in favor with English con- 

 sumers, is being planted at Vernon, B. 

 C. , and other places in the Okanagan 

 Valley for export. Newtown Pippin 

 promises to succeed well in Kelowna dis- 

 trict. 



Photographs of orchards and of or- 

 chard operations, such as spraying and 

 pruning, are wanted for publication in 

 these columns. 



A Gliinpie of the Vineyards in the Chantanqu* Grape Belt of New York State where 35, 000 Acrei of Grapes are in Bearing. 



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