60 THE GRAPE IN KANSAS. 



nate a large white Concord, better in quality and very productive. Moore's 

 Early a large, early, market grape. Ideal the finest large red grape known. 

 Paragon the finest black grape of its season. Osage the largest black grape 

 we have, better and earlier than Concord. Ozark the wonder among native 

 grapes. Supreme earliest black grape grown, and fine. Herman the best 

 late grape for white wine. Worden about like Concord but a few days earlier. 

 White Beauty the finest white grape grown. White Imperial an improve- 

 ment in quality over the above, but not so large in berry. Marsala the besq. 

 jelly grape except Crisholm's No. 9. 



This list has been thoroughly tested experimentally, and found to be the best 

 and most valuable, and is adapted to the various purposes grapes are grown for. 

 I plant good, strong one- or two-year-old vines, shorten in the top and roots, and 

 set not over eight- inches deep, either in the fall or early spring. Set all strong 

 growers, like the Concord, 8x8 feet, but those like Delaware, four feet apart 

 in the row and the rows six feet apart. We plow the vineyard in the spring, 

 with a one-horse turning plow, throwing the soil from the vines, and in a short 

 time return this soil, and afterwards cultivate with a Planet Jr. cultivator 

 throughout the season. Hoe under the vines to keep the ground clear of weeds. 

 The vines can be pruned from November until they begin to bleed in the spring, 

 about the 1st or 15th of March, owing to the season. We prefer February and 

 up to the time the vines do not bleed as the best ; if it is done in the fall or before 

 hard freezing weather, the vines will be more or less injured and the work will 

 have to be practically done over. If vines are pruned after severe winter weather 

 is over, we can leave just the number of canes and length needed without going 

 over them the second time, while if done very early we will have to allow for 

 what might be injured by the cold weather. We prune on the renewal system, 

 starting the canes about a foot or so from the ground from a spur left there from 

 renewal canes each season and train up two or more canes each season for bear- 

 ing the next. These bearing canes should never start from the ground as suck- 

 ers. In other words the suckers should be removed from the vines as soon as- 

 possible and. kept off. A full-bearing vine, like Concord, may be pruned with 

 four canes, twenty inches long, trained on a trellis, and four other canes to be 

 grown from spurs to fill their places the season after, and so continue the prun- 

 ing year after year. No exact rule can be given, for upon the strength of the 

 vines depends the amount of wood that should be left on a vine in pruning. 



I have a three-wire trellis ; train the bearing wood on the lower two wires and 

 the new wood for bearing the following season on the top wire. 1 never summe-r 

 prune, unless it is to prepare a bunch for exhibition. It is an injury to pinch or 

 summer prune. A very rampant cane may be pinched; so may suckers be 

 pruned off; but otherwise the less the better. I cut the bunches of grapes from 

 the vines with a knife and pack in about eight-pound baskets. Market in Leav- 

 enworth, generally receiving one and one-half to two cents per pound. Some 

 seasons they are a paying crop, but others they realize little on account of rot. 

 They are, however, as good a paying crop as any other fruit, but they require 

 care to keep in paying condition. It requires care, labor and study to keep a 

 vineyard as it should be; and it also requires experience to know what to plant 

 for profit. We put up more or less unfermented grape juice every year. To 

 properly do this, the grapes should be fully ripe and at their best, all imperfect 

 and diseased berries picked off ; then run them through a mill to crush the ber- 

 ries and thus press out the juice at once. Place the juice in a vessel and let 

 stand about eight or ten hours to settle. It is best to do this work on a rather 

 cold day, as there is danger of the grapes starting to ferment while settling. 



