MAKING THE GRAPE VINE 

 PRODUCTIVE 



JOHN L. DOAN 



^ The Different Methods and Systems of Pruning Simply Explained and ^Bf 

 Compared — General Adaptability of the Grape to Different Soil Conditions 



Editors' Note: Herein is a truly masterful and concise account of Grape growing for the home garden. It is one of a series of 

 articles on the growing of fruit for. personal use that began in February with a general discussion of the home fruit garden and its scope. 

 Individual fruits are taken up in succession, viz.: March, Strawberries; April, Currants and Gooseberries; and next month, Apples. 



i§s» 



'HE development of the New World Grape is a remark- 

 able triumph of American horticulture. The colonists 

 brought the Old World varieties with them, which 

 for nearly two hundred years our people tried in vain 

 to grow. They then turned their attention to our native 

 Grapes that abounded everywhere, and, in a century and a 

 quarter, countless varieties of all sizes and colors, grown by the 

 thousands of acres from the Rocky Mountains east, have been 

 developed, chiefly from native ancestry, but with some admix- 

 ture of Old World blood. 



One fortunate quality of American Grapes is their ability to 

 thrive and bear well in many soils, ranging from light sandy 

 loam to heavy clay loam. More important than the kind of 

 soil is its fertility, drainage, and organic content. Light soils 

 usually produce larger crops; but, as a rule, the fruits from heavy 

 soils are of higher quality and keep better. For a home supply 

 use what soil you have, draining it if too wet and correcting its 

 faults as far as you can; then plant adaptable varieties and your 

 chances for success will be good. 



As Grapes do not bloom until June in the latitude of Philadel- 

 phia, there is no great danger from late spring frost; but a site 

 with good air drainage is desirable. 



Stir the soil deeply and thoroughly, preferably in autumn, 

 and use strong, healthy, one-year vines. Plant in the fall if you 

 can from latitude 41 ° south, mounding the vines with a few 

 inches of earth. Farther north spring planting is preferred. 

 Set the vines amply deep, with good surface soil well packed 

 about the roots. 



Varieties vary in their size and appetites as much as men. 

 Such strong growers as the Concord need much more room 

 than the weak-growing Delaware. Soil, climate, and pruning 

 also influence planting distances. For our standard varieties 

 in the East 8 x 8 ft. and 8 x 9 or 10 ft. are common planting 

 distances. 



Cover Crops to Keep Up Fertility 



CULTIVATE the vines every ten days until midsummer, 

 and with the last cultivation sow a cover crop broadcast 

 and work it in. For land in need of nitrogen, Rye and Winter 

 Vetch, in equal parts, work finely together; in other soils Buck- 

 wheat and Rye form an equally good combination. In each case 

 use one quart of the mixture per square rod and spade the 

 crop under in early spring. Grow vegetables, if you wish, 

 among the Grapes for two years; but, after that, the vines will 

 need all the room. 



Grapes bear best in a soil that is neither thin nor over rich. 

 For many years our experiment stations have tried hard to 

 determine how Grapes should be fed. But they now admit that 

 the contrary vines do not take to balanced rations. They must 

 be fed as the local impulse moves them, and this must be learned 

 by repeated trials. One hundred to one hundred and twenty-five 

 pounds of manure, two pounds of bonemeal and two pounds of 

 high grade sulphate of potash per square rod will usually give 

 good results. If the vines grow too rankly cut down the quan- 

 tity of manure. You want fruit, not wood. 



Supporting the Vines 



THE support for the vines may be a trellis, arbor, or south 

 wall. The common trellis is a row of posts 25 feet apart, 

 well braced at the ends and carrying two or three galvanized 

 wires. The wire that bears the greatest strain should be No. 10. 

 The others may be No. 12. Have the top wire about 5I feet 

 above the ground and if two wires are used, the second should 

 be about 24 to 30 inches lower. If three be used, space them 

 18 inches apart. Be sure to staple the wires on the sides of the 

 posts toward the prevailing winds (the west side for rows run- 

 ning north and south) and train the vines upon the windward 

 side of the wires. A grape arbor of wood or of iron pipes or 

 the back lawn is equally welcome for its fruit, its shade, and its- 

 homelike beauty. 



Vines on trellises or arbors are tied with strong twine that 

 does not decay quickly. The loops of twine around the canes- 

 should allow for ample growth. The growing shoots usually 

 hang free. If they are to be tied, raffia is good. For vines, 

 trained upon walls the best fastening is strips of leather about 

 4 inches long, loosely doubled about the branches and secured 

 to the wall by large-headed nails through their ends. 



Pruning and Training 



WHEN our Grapes grew wild, they had to produce several 

 times as much growth as would otherwise be needed, to 

 make sure that some of it would get the sunshine. This habit 

 is so fixed that in cultivation we must cut away most of the new 

 growth every year, to adjust the crop properly to the root 

 system. The fruit is borne near the bases of the new shoots. 

 These have, on an average, two bunches each, and they nearly 

 all grow from the last year's wood. A vigorous Concord in full 

 bearing may produce sixty clusters; so last year's wood should' 

 be pruned to about thirty buds. Weaker growers should be 

 pruned to fewer buds. 



Except in severe climates pruning may be done whenever the 

 vine is dormant. Vines pruned after the buds begin to swell 

 bleed badly. The ideal time to prune is soon after all very cold 

 weather is over, say about St. Patrick's day at New York City. 



The training of Grape vines is a large subject and is admir- 

 ably handled in the " Pruning Manual" by L. H. Bailey. Here 

 we can only summarize the chief points at issue. Prune newly 

 planted vines to two buds early in the spring. Keep the 

 stronger of the two shoots that will start and remove the other. 

 A year later prune to two buds again, and keep the stronger 

 shoot. If the cane should become half an inch or more thick 

 the second year, carry it to the trellis the third spring. If not,, 

 repeat the second year's treatment. 



In the Spur method of pruning, old arms are kept for many- 

 years. The young canes that grow from them are cut back to 

 one or a few buds each year, until thickets of decaying stubs 

 are formed, harboring insects and diseases, therefore the best 

 growers have discarded this system for the renewal method. 



In the Renewal method but little old wood besides the 

 trunk is kept. Each year a few strong canes are pruned to 



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