260 ECONOMIC PLANTS 



The Grape. Grapes require plenty of heat and 

 sunlight, good drainage and a light soil for their devel- 

 opment. Terraced, sunny hillsides are frequently 

 utilized as vineyards in this country as well as in 

 Italy. Our best varieties, the Concord, Worden, 

 Catawba, Isabella, and Delaware, were developed 

 by cross-pollination, but all are of American origin. 

 Varieties grown in California when dried furnish the 

 raisins of the market. European varieties such as the 

 Tokay and Muscat thrive in California only. Layer- 

 ing, root grafting, and cuttings are commonly practiced 

 as a means of propagation of grapes. The soil should 

 be well prepared for the new plants, which are usually 

 set 7 to 10 feet apart, in rows 7 or 8 feet apart, the dis- 

 tance being determined by the size of the variety. 

 Three years later the vine will begin to bear fruit, 

 always on the year-old stems, usually two clusters on 

 each shoot. It follows that the ripened shoots, or 

 canes, must be pruned each year in order that the 

 strength of the vines may be conserved in the year-old 

 fruit-bearing stems. 



The pruning is done in the fall in cold regions, in the 

 spring in warm regions. The remaining stems are 

 supported upon trellises in this country, but in many 

 European countries the vines are allowed to trail on 

 the ground. Winter covering is necessary in the 

 colder latitudes. 



The Tomato. -- Though commonly thought of as a 

 vegetable and served on the table as such, the tomato is 

 really a fruit. It may be planted in the open with 

 considerable certainty of a crop, but north of the latitude 

 of Washington the seed is sown in boxes or hotbeds 

 soon after the first of March. The young plants are 



