THE GRAPE IN KANSAS. 79 



a large quantity ; have averaged for the last two years abqut thirty dollars in 

 cash per year. They are a big-paying crop, both in money and satisfaction. We 

 intend putting up some unfermented grape juice this year. My crop of 1898 was 

 fully 5000 pounds; 1899 was 3000 pounds; and this year [1900] I think it will be 

 3500 pounds. 



A. G. AXELTON, Randolph, Riley county: Have 200 grape-vines growing on 

 black loam mixed with gravel, sloping to the northwest. My varieties are Con- 

 cord, Elvira, and twenty others; would recommend the two named. I plant one- 

 year-old vines, 7x8 feet; till with acorn cultivator and five-hoe cultivator; prune 

 in the spring ; never summer prune have n't time. My trellis is made of posts, 

 set sixteen feet apart, and four wires. Do not bag my grapes. Cut them with 

 shears. Sell in home market. 



W. R. NEWMAN, Hargrave, Rush county: Grapes are not a success here yet; 

 but the climate is becoming more humid. We tried grapes a number of years 

 ago, and, by mulching and good cultivation, kept the vines alive a few years. 

 Wild grapes do fairly well along the creeks, where they are protected by high 

 banks. I believe, with good protection and plenty of water, grapes would suc- 

 ceed here. 



B. E. MIRICK, La Crosse, Rush county : Have twenty-five grape-vines, planted 

 on good, dry, upland soil. Set one-year-old vines, six feet apart; prune early in 

 the spring, with a knife ; pinch the green shoots in the summer if they are mak- 

 ing too rank a growth, and to season and mature the vines. My trellis is smooth 

 wires, on posts fourteen feet apart. Till with a cultivator and hoe ; do not mulch. 

 Have tried Concord and Niagara ; discarded the latter, because it is too tender 

 to stand the climate ; would recommend only Concord for this locality. My vines 

 have been set but one year ; therefore are not yet in bearing. I consider them a 

 paying crop for home use, but would not advise extensive planting of them. 



JOHN H. MANNERS, Luray, Russell county: I grow only a few grapes for 

 family use, planted on a northeast sloping depression, which I think best, as they 

 are little exposed to the sun and wind. Plant two-year-old roots. Prune close 

 in the spring, before the sap starts. I trellis the vines near the ground, so as to 

 protect them from the wind. Cultivate with a spade and hoe, if you have only a 

 few. I do not mulch, but keep a dirt blanket around the vines. Have tried 

 only Concord, which I would recommend for this locality. They are a paying 

 crop here, and I would advise planting them for family use, at least. Have never 

 sacked the fruit. Comparatively little effort has been made here to grow the 

 grape. The wild grapes cling to our hillsides, particularly northern exposures ; 

 they have never been known to summer- or winter-kill. We have but little diffi- 

 culty in getting the tame varieties to grow here ; they bear good crops as soon as 

 old enough. Hail-storms and grasshoppers sometimes destroy the vines. It has 

 been demonstrated that they will bear and do well in this valley, and that for 

 quality and quantity we have no reason to complain. The trouble lies largely 

 with ourselves. Some have natural barriers against these vine destroyers ; others 

 could soon prepare them ; these are hillsides, slopes, walls, and hedges. The 

 day is not far distant when everybody here will have all the grapes and small 

 fruits they need for family use. 



B. F. HAINES, Russell, Russell county: Would plant yearling vines, eight 

 feet apart, on land sloping to the northeast. Prune during the latter part of 

 March and in the summer. Stone posts and wire make the best trellis. Culti- 

 vate with a hoe or plow, which I think best for the work. Mulch the second 



