294 MANUAL OF AMERICAN GRAPE-GROWING 



securing the bag in place over the cluster. In using the 

 grocer's bag, before it is put in place the corners of both the 

 top and bottom are cut off by placing several bags on a firm 

 level surface and using a broad-shaped chisel. Cutting off the 

 corners of the top enables the operator to close the bag neatly 

 over the cluster, while cutting off the corners of the bottom fur- 

 nishes a means of escape for any water that gets in the bag. 

 In putting the bag in place, the top is pinned above the lateral 

 from which the bunch hangs, and must not be fastened about 

 the small stem of the cluster, as the wind blowing the bag al- 

 most invariably breaks the cluster from the vine. The largest 

 pins to be purchased in dry-goods stores are used in pinning the 

 bags. The bags remain until the grapes are picked. Wet 

 weather does not injure bags and seemingly they grow stronger 

 with exposure to sun and wind. 



The cost of the bags and the work of putting them on is no 

 small item. To secure the best results, the work must be done 

 at the period between the dropping of the blossoms and the 

 formation of the seeds, when the grapes are about the size of 

 a small pea. This is a busy time for the grape-grower, which 

 adds to the cost. When the work is conducted on a large 

 scale, the cost is about two dollars a thousand bags, this figure 

 covering both the cost of bags and labor. Women do the work 

 more expeditiously than men and soon become very skillful in 

 putting on the bags. Despite the trouble and cost of bagging, 

 growers seeking to produce a fancy product find that the ex- 

 penditure proves profitable. 



WINTER-PROTECTION OF GRAPES 



With a little care as to winter-protection, grapes may be 

 grown profitably in northern regions where, without protection, 

 the vines are killed or injured by low temperatures. Indeed, it is 

 little short of amazing how well grapes can be grown in north- 



