THE GRAPE. 



There is no more popular fruit than the grape, and, owing- to the rapid in- 

 crease in population during recent years, the demand for grapes is constantly 

 growing. For this reason the planting of grapes, which was in a large measure 

 suspended for a few years, is steadily increasing, many vineyards now being es- 

 tablished annually. 



The grape requires a comparatively dry hot season for the development of 

 good flavor and the perfect ripening of the fruit, and as most of the cultivated 

 varieties will not stand very low temperatures unless protected, the grape suc- 

 ceeds best in the most southern parts of the Province, the commercial vineyards 

 being confined almost entirely to the Niagara Peninsula, and to the district border- 

 ing Lake Erie. The grape can, however, be grown sucessfuclly over a much wider 

 area than this, and where the summer temperature is fairly high and spring and 

 early autumn frosts are rare, large quantities of grapes are grown for home con- 

 sumption. Hence the early varieties of this fruit may be ripened pretty generally 

 over the Province as far north as latitude 45 degrees and probably further. 



A southern or south-eastern slope, if it can be procured, is preferable for the 

 grape, as this fruit will ripen quicker with this exposure, but the site is not so 

 important in the best grape districts as it is further north. A site should, how- 

 ever, be chosen which will not be subject to local frosts. In the north a sandy 

 loam is much to be preferred, as if well drained it will be the warmest, and all 

 the heat that can be obtained is needed. In the warmer portions of the Province 

 grapes succeed admirably on the clay loams, and if well drained these are consid- 

 ered the best. The soil should be thoroughly prepared as for other fruits. The 

 best vines for planting are two years old, but some strong growing varieties make 

 good plants in one year. Strong growing varieties require more space in a vine- 

 yard than those less vigorous, but an average distance of ten feet apart each way 

 is perhaps the most satisfactory. The plants should be set a little deeper than 

 thev were in the nursery. With grapes it is better to err on the side of deep than 

 shallow planting. The young vine should be cut back to within one or two buds 

 when set. To encourage strong growth, cultivation should be thorough in the vine- 

 yard until the vine begins to bear well. At the close of the first season and before 

 the growth begins the following spring, the vine should be again pruned back to 

 one or two strong buds. During the second season, only two canes are permitted 

 to grow in order that these may become as strong as possible. Before growth 

 begins in the third year it will be necessary to put down the trellis. If the 

 Kniffen system is adopted two wires will be sufficient, but if other methods are 

 followed, three are usually necessary. The Kniffen system of training is more 

 general in the grape districts than any other, mainly for the reason that by this 

 method the least labor is involved. If two canes were left during the second sea- 

 son 's growth, the weaker is removed, the other is tied upright to the two wires, 

 the lower one being about 3 feet 6 inches from the ground, and the upper about 

 2 feet higher. Shoots will be thrown out along this main trunk, all of which 

 are allowed to grow throughout the season. 



Before growth begins in the spring of the fourth season all the canes are 

 cut away except four. Two of these are extended one on each side of the main 

 trunk along the upper wire and tied to it, and two on each side of the main trunk 

 along the lower wire, at the sime time heading back the upper canes to eight or 

 nine buds and the lower to six or seven. No summer pruning is usually practised 



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13a F.o. 



