GRAPES AND GRAPE CULTURE 99 



of American Euvitis are grown for table grape, wine and unfermented 

 grape juice purposes. This is scattered over the entire United States 

 east of the Rockies and west of the Alleghany Mountains, but carried 

 on extensively in the States from the Hudson River west and north of the 

 Ohio River and that border on the Great Lakes and in the more centrally 

 located States of the Mississippi Valley. The great bulk of American 

 champagnes and dry wines and unfermented juices come from this region. 



(3) The Muscadine region, in which unproved varieties of Rotunde- 

 folia and Munsoniana are grown for commercial purposes. This region 

 is found in the South Atlantic and Gulf States and along the lower Mis- 

 sissippi Valley, extending from Maryland, south to Texas on the west, 

 thence north along the Mississippi River to Southeast Missouri and 

 Tennessee. 



There are more native grape species in this country than in all the 

 other countries of the world combined, and America in her native grapes 

 has not only given to the world new fruits, but by judicious use of such 

 species will make it possible to successfully grow varieties of some of them 

 in all parts of the United States. 



Soil. Soil, location and site will differ greatly with the object in 

 view. Some varieties of grapes may be grown on almost any soil. Usually 

 those lands are selected that can be prepared and planted with the least 

 labor, that are the easiest to cultivate and which produce the largest 

 crops. Quality and quantity, however, in most cases do not go hand 

 in hand. The best soils for Vinifera and American Euvitis is a gently 

 sloping, well-drained, calcareous loam, of sufficient depth, with porous 

 subsoil; gravel or small stones in a so^l are not a detriment. Some prefer 

 a sandy soil with a gravelly substratum. The best soils for Muscadine 

 grapes are the well-drained, siliceous soils found bordering the coast and 

 river banks throughout the Atlantic tidewater section, known as sandy 

 ridges, as hammock and trucking soils. It should be open and well drained, 

 but not necessarily very deep, provided the subsoil is not too heavy, as 

 Muscadines have a shallow spreading root system. 



Whether it be intended to grow Vinifera, American Euvitis or Mus- 

 cadines, the place should have a good water supply, be of easy access to 

 market, and free from late spring frosts. The cellar, pasteurizing or 

 packing house should be centrally located on the place, preferably so that 

 the grapes can be hauled down grade, or at least on a level. 



Preparation of the Soil. The soil should be well prepared, cleared of 

 large stones, stumps and other obstructions. When a thin hardpan occurs 

 closer than 3}/ feet from the surface, it should be broken by blasting. 

 Any wet spots should be carefully drained. If it be a virgin soil, raising 

 a crop of grain on it the season previous to planting helps materially to 

 put it in good shape. The soil should not only be thoroughly and deeply 

 plowed, but subsoiled as well, then thoroughly harrowed and the clools 

 crushed with a drag or roller. 



