276 CULTURE OF THE G n A P E. 



of ground this season was at the vineyard of Mr. Rentz, 

 about four miles from town. Two acres yielded thirteen 

 hundred gallons. This is as large a yield as I have known, 

 taking two acres together. To select particular spots, I 

 have raised at the rate of fourteen hundred and seventy 

 gallons to the acre." Such enormous productiveness 

 must have been at a great sacrifice of quality. Probably 

 the grapes were very watery; so that a bushel would 

 produce considerably more than three and a half gal- 

 lons of juice. At that rate, the " particular spots " men- 

 tioned by Mr. Longworth would have produced at the 

 rate of four hundred and twenty bushels per acre. Of 

 course, this must be regarded as quite exceptional. In 

 the vineyards on Kelly's Island, it is said that the aver- 

 age annual product is not less than six thousand pounds 

 per acre. No doubt, there are many instances where 

 this amount is very much exceeded; but, taking the coun- 

 try at large, this is decidedly above the average. Judg- 

 ing from my own experience, I think there is great liabili- 

 ty to overestimate. I should say, that, with the excep- 

 tion of some specially favored spots, it would not be 

 prudent to estimate the average annual yield above four 

 thousand pounds per acre of good marketable grapes. 

 Of course, there will be some shrinkage, and many infe- 



