GRAPE 



themore easily grown and cosmopolitan native varieties. 

 Under glass, however, the vinit'era varieties thrive ; below 

 a special discussion is given to this branch of the subject. 

 The greatest development of tlic native ("Irape indus- 

 try has taken place in New York and LUiin, bordering 

 lakes and large streams. These areas are the lower 

 Hudson river valley ; the region of the central-western 

 New York lakes ; the Lake Erie region of New York, 

 Pennsylvania and Ohio. There are also important 

 Grape interests in Ontario, Michigan, and other northern 

 parts. There is considerable interest in Grajie culture 

 in the cooler parts of Georgia and Alabama, and thrre 

 are enlarging areas in the country extending from the 

 Ozark region southward. Nearly all the country, e-x- 

 eepting the northernmost parts, raises Grapes, but in 

 most cases the growing of them cannot be said to be 

 extensive eno\igh to be called an industry. Although 

 the Grape sections of the North hug the water areas 

 and the land, therefore, is often steep, all Gr.ape growers 

 prefer nearly level laiul. The Old World plantations 

 are largely on very steep lands ; such lands, by virtue 

 of their warmth and drainage, are thought to give an 

 extra quality of wine. These ideas were brought to this 

 country, and many of our early vineyards were planteil 

 on terraced slopes. But we grow Grapes for a different 

 purpose from the Europeans, and land is cheap and 

 labor is dear. Old World methods cannot lie followed 

 in the American commercial lUantatious. 



The ideal bunch of Grapes is one which is of medium 

 size for the variety, ccimpact. unil'ormly develciped and 

 ripened throughout, containing nu small or diseased 

 berries, and with the bloom intact. A very dense or 

 crowded cluster is not the most desirable, for all the 

 berries cannot develop fully, and the cluster is not easily 

 handled when the fruit is eaten. Fig. 9ri."> slmws a clu.s- 

 ter of good shape and com|iactness ; Fig. '.iriU is too 

 broad and irregular ; Figs. ',i."i7 :ind 'J'lH are rather too 

 dense and compact. 



The American Grape is essentially a dessert fruit. It 

 is eaten from the hand. There are several manufactured 

 products, but, with the ex- 

 ception of wine, they are 

 yet of minor importance. 

 Americans are net a wine- 

 drinking people, and wine 

 is a secondary output of 

 the Grap^e in the eastern 

 states, although there are 

 many large wine-cellars in 

 New York an<l Ohio, and 

 tile product is of excellent 

 quality. Unfermented 

 grape juice is a product 

 which deservedly is grow- 

 ing in popidarity. The 

 lack of secondary domestic 

 uses of the Grape is one 

 reason for the very serious 

 gluts in the markets. 

 However, one year with 

 an<ither, the protit on a 

 good vineyard may be ex- 

 pected to exceed that on 

 the staple farm crops. 



The American book liter- 

 ature of the Grape is near- 

 ly as large as that of all 

 tile tree fruits combined. 

 Probably 100 books, counting the various editions, have 

 been published in North America since Adlum's volume 

 in 1823 (see "Evolution of Our Native Fruits." pp. 117- 

 126). The earlier books were^founded lai-gely on Euro- 

 pean practices. The leading current works are: 'Bush- 

 berg Descriptive Catalogue and Grape (irowers' Blan- 

 ual;" Mitzky's "Our Native Grape;" Fuller's "Grape 

 Culturist:" Husmann's "American Grape Growing and 

 Wine Making." For the Pacific slope. Husmann's 

 "Grape Culture and Wine Making in California," Wick- 

 son's"California Fruits," and Eisen's "Raisin Industry" 

 are current guides. Detailed discussions of pruning 

 and methods of training are contained in "The Prun- 

 ing-Book." A standard European monograph is Fot-x's 

 "Cours Coniplet de Viticulture." 



GRAPE 



667 



Priming and Trahiing.~A Grape vine is pnmed io 

 order to reduce the amount of wood (that is, to thin or 

 to limit the amount of fruit), and to kc-ep the plnnt 

 \Yithin raanaffeable shajie and lidniid.^. A vine is traintd 



951, Champion, one of the 

 early - season Labruscas, 

 but of poor quaUty (X '^.i). 



952. Horticultural product of Vitis aesCivalis— Ondtrdonk, 

 seedline: of Herbemont i-\''K). 



in order to keep it off the ground, out of the way of thn 

 workmen, and to so arrange tht fruit that it will' be well 

 exposed to light and air. In order to understand the 

 pruning of Grapes, the operator must fully grasp this 

 princi})le: Fruit is home ot icnod of tlie present sea- 

 sou, wlilcJi arisiS from wood of the previous season. To 

 illustrate : A growing shoot, or cane of 1809, makes 

 buds. In 1900 a shoot arises from each bud; and near 

 the base uf this shoot the Grapes are borne (1 to 4 clus- 

 ters on each). This is shown in Fig. 959. The 1899 

 shoot is shown at the top. The 1900 shoot bears 4 clus- 

 ters of Grapes. While ever}' Vtud on the 1899 shoot may 

 produce shoots or canes in 1900, only the strongest of 

 these new shoot.s will bear fruit. The skilled Grape 

 grower can tell by the looks of his cane (as he prunes 

 it, in winter) which buds will give rise to the Grape- 

 producing wood the following srason. The larger and 

 stronger buds usually give best results; but if the cane 

 itself is very big and stout, or if it is very weak and 

 slender, he does not expect good results from any of its 

 buds. A hard, well-ripened cane the diameter of a man's 

 little finger is the ideal size. 



The second principle to be mastered is this: A vine 

 should bear only a limited number of clusters, — say 

 from 30 to 80. A shoot bears clusters near its base; be- 

 yond these clusters the shoot grows into a long, leafy 

 cane. An average of two clusters may l>e reckoned to a 

 shoot. If the vine is strong enough to bear 00 clusters, 

 30 good buds must be Itft at the annual pruning. How 

 much a vine should be allowed to bear will depend on 

 the variety, distance apart of the vines, strength of the 

 soil, age of the vine, system of pruning, and the ideals 



