676 



GRAPK 



been sold at less than $10 per ton, and at more than $15. 

 When more than the latter, it is risky for the seller to 

 be too confldent of a much higher price for any great 

 length of time; and if less than the former, the buyer 

 would better secure his supply as soon as possible. An 

 average price is, say, $12.50. This gives a gross income 

 for a 4-ton acre of Concords as $50, and a net income 

 from $27 to $30. Be it remembered that this is for 

 Grapes in crates. The cost of packing 4 tons of Grapes 

 baskets, would be from 

 iirils in crates or baskets 

 nlvantageous to Jsell in 

 :ill vineyard and a large 

 ^vh.-n another who had to 

 I help scarce would sell 

 John W. Spencer. 

 -The region south of the 



t-pound baskets, inch 

 $28 to $30. The |.ri, .- |.-, 

 vary so much 1 1 1 i ; i 

 either way. A m: . ■ 

 family would iiriiix in i.:i-! 

 pay all his help ur whu 

 by the ton in crates. 



Grapes in the South. 

 38th degree north latitude has in it more native spe- 

 cies of Grapes than all the world besides. This alone 

 would lead one to suppose the South naturally adapted 

 to vineyard culture. Yet New York, Ohio and Califor- 

 nia up to the present far excel it in vineyard area, al- 

 though only three or four species are nutive in iliosc 



states. The cause of this is that cUli-^nt , m., in 



ters and originators have proiliii^ 1 \ , 



marketable value adapted to thi.M 1. -' ■ , 



of those regions, or hybrids of naii^i- v, i:li l,i.|:i ■ 

 foreign kinds. In the" case of California, tin- viiiif.ra 

 varieties are mostly grown because the climate and 

 other conditions are so similar to those of the native re- 

 gion of the vinifera. But the South has chiefly planted 

 the northern and foreign varieties which succeed but in- 

 differently in most southern localities, and has neglected 

 almost entirely its native varieties until quite recently. 

 Now experimenters have shown that most excellent and 

 very successful varieties of all colors and seasons can 

 be and have been produced by selection and hybridiza- 

 tion of some of the large, fine-fruited varieties. 



While the foregoing predicts by actual existence in 

 practical market vineyards in a number of localities in 

 the South what is in store for the South as a whole, the 

 present state of Grape culture in the South at large is a 

 different affair. Information gathered from best sources 

 throughout the South shows that Grape culture is a very 

 small industry. It shows that the leading varieties cul- 

 tivated in the northern sections of the South are Ca- 

 tawba, Concord, Delaware, Early Victor, Elvira, Ives, 

 Moore Early, Moore Diamond, Niagara, Norton Virginia, 

 Perkins, Worden, Wyominc-. Fav'TnM'- mention is made 

 of America, Beacon, I'.rilli.n.i , i :,i;,..j,l| Early, Gold 

 Coin, Green Mountain, I. .'I, . '■ I'l.sly. 



East of Texas and soul I . i. the following 



are chiefly planted: Bri^'lii' n, i !i.iii;[ i -n, t 'oncord, Dela- 

 ware, Diana, Diamond, Elvira, Goethe, Hartford, Herbe- 

 mont, Ives, Missouri Reisling, Moore Early, Niagara, 

 Norton Virginia [Cynthiana], Perkins, Worden. Of the 

 Muscadine class for wine: Flowers, James, Mish, Scup- 

 pernong, Thomas. Favorable mention, of varieties test- 

 ing, is made of Brilliant, Bertrand, Carm.an, Fern, (iold 

 Coin, Jaeger, Laussel, Marguerite, Superb. In the soiitli- 

 western section, west of the 'JGth meridian, are chiitly 

 planted the Herbemont, Jacquez [Black Spanish, Le- 

 noir], Niagara and Golden Chasselas, Malaga and some 

 other vinifera varieties near the gulf coast and in 

 western Texas under irrigation. By several who have 

 had them under trial for several years favorable men- 

 tion is made of Bertrand, Brilliant, Carman, Fern, Jai - 

 ger, Laussel, Marguerite, Muench, Neva, Perry, as fur- 

 nishing successful table and wine Grapes for this rii;ion. 



For Georgia, Professor Hugh N. Starnes gives me the 

 following notes : "Leading varieties in order named; 

 Ives, Concord, Niagara, I^elaware, Moore Early, Goethe, 

 Lindley, and for wine Norton Virginia, Scuppernong 

 and Thomas. 



"General distance 10 x 10 ; Delawares 8x8; Rotundi- 

 folias 30 ft. apart. Single stake spiral method of train- 

 ing chiefly used, and either spur renewal or cane re- 

 newal pruning employed, according to circumstances. 

 Some growers employ trellises Instead of single stakes, 

 using either one or two wires and adopting the umbrella 

 Kniffin or low wire arm spur Kniffin system of train- 

 ing, according to circumstances. See Bulletin No. 28, 

 Georgia Experiment Station. 



GRAPE 



"Very little wine is now made in this state, and that is 

 nearly all claret from Norton Virginia, Ives or Concord. 

 In southern Georgia a poor article of Scujipernong wine 

 is made, but it is not adapted to trained palates — too 

 foxy. Delaware and Goethe blended are sometimes used 

 to make a very good Rhine wine, and when properly 

 handled sometimes produce an excellent article. Goethe 

 must, reinforced with 20 per cent of California brandy, 

 makes a good pale sherry; yet it is diflicult to sell wine 

 here profitably. When it can be sold at all, prices range 

 from 50 cts. to $2 per gallon, according to the grade. 

 Grape vinegar, while generally regarded as inferior to 

 eider vinegar, will bring about 25 or 30 cts. at retail and 

 20 cts. wholesale, and at these figures is more profitable 

 than wine. 



"When sold fresh the Grapes are generally shipped in 

 refrigerator cars in 10-pound baskets to different north- 

 ern points. Later shipments take a southerly direction 

 to Atlantic and Gulf seaports. Sometimes the regula- 

 tion 6- or 9-carrier peach crates are used for shipping 

 Grapes, but are not as satisfactory as the lO-pcund sepa- 

 rate baskets. Delawares are generally shipped in 5- 

 pomid baskets. Kfturns are uncertain. They vary from 



ton per acre of Grapes is the yield, the gross return (and 

 also the net return) per acre would thus be from $10 to 

 $15. This is more than cotton ordinarily nets. With two 

 tons per acre of Grapes, which is not an enormous yield, 

 the return would be $30 per acre delivered at the still. 

 To those who have no scruples in regard to so disposing 

 of theircrop, this is probably the most profltablemethod. 

 There are local stills in almost every county. 



" There is not much encouragement now for Grape rais- 

 ing in Georgia, and vineyards are annually being de- 

 stroyed by hundreds of acres. Some planting, however, 

 is still going on in southern Georgia, in the "wire 

 grass " country, where the industry is still found profit- 

 able by reason of the fact that the northern market may 

 be entered ahead of competition, and also that insects 

 and fungous pests have not yet put in an appearance in 

 that region." See Georgia. 



Plnnting, Training, etc. — The vines of the true 

 southern Grapes, such as Herbemont and the Post-oak 

 G rape hybrids, are planted 12 to 14 feet apart, in rows 9 ft. 

 apart, while such northern varieties as are planted are 

 set 8 feet apart in row. The Muscadines, such as Scup- 

 pernong, are mostly grown upon arbors about 7 feet 

 high and rarely or never pruned, although trained on 

 trellis, as are other Grapes, and, pruned early in fall, 

 after leaf-fall, succeed excellently. The culture is 

 mostly with the plow, turning first away and then to the 

 rows, hoeing the space along the row not reached by the 

 plow. The trellis mostly used is the 3-wire tn'llis ; 

 first wire at 18 to 24 inches from tin _- ..i:im1. hhI fhfi 

 otlicrs successively 1 foot apart, ab.\ ■ ■ t • Tho 

 training is generally an indifferent alt' i ■ !■ K;i.it"- 



tin system, and no system is geii>i\. .. • .'n ut. 



Some pincli back the leading shouts oucl. iVw i v. icc 

 Some use single posts and spur-prune. A few have 

 made the Munson canopy trough trellis of 3 wires, and 

 report most favorably of it. 



Fungicides are used successfully l.y some. Others 

 plant only such as Ives, Nort..!i \ ir^ini, Moore Early, 

 l'<-rkins, and some other vai)' i ■ t to rot and 



mildew, so as to avoid s].; _ i : also avoid, 



thereliy, having Grapes of tin in^ r i(U iliti.s, and get 

 only tlie lowest prices. From sui-ii mostly come the re- 

 port that Grape culture with them is unprofitable. So 

 it should be, as such Grapes in the market have the 

 effect to depress prices on all kinds of Grapes, as any 

 grower knows. In the moister parts of the South, black 

 rot, downy mildew and ripe Grape rot are very preva- 

 lent, but, excepting the ripe rot, are readily overcome 

 by the Bordeaux mixture spray properly applied. 



Few growers in the South use fertilizers in their 

 vineyards. Some use barnyard manure, but the more 

 intelligent use cotton seed or cotton-seed meal in con- 

 nection with ground bone, kainit and soluble phos 

 phates. 



