December, 1907 



AMERICAN HOMES AND GARDENS 



451 



Raising Grapes for the Suburban Home 



By E. P. Powell 



^^^^^^:^^^HATEVER other fruit is overlooked in our 

 ^l^^l^^m^ cozy country homesteads, the grape should 

 ^^tmfmm^M^§ never be. It can always find a place, and is 

 ^^B/i wl^^ not at all particular about ground room. 

 '^W^^^^^^ You can set a vine into a rockery or into a 

 ^^^^^^^^^ crevice among rocks. A fine lot of Con- 

 cords or of Niagaras can be grown on an 

 elm tree or over a hen house. Every barn should be covered 

 with grape vines, and it is an extra good place for them. 

 They will do no harm on the house, although that is what 

 some people suppose. Fasten wires on your buildings with 

 staples or around nails, and tie the grape vines to these wires 

 as they clamber up. The foliage will not only do no damage, 

 but will preserve the paint. As for creating dampness in- 

 doors, that is all humbug. An ivy clinging to the boards of 

 a wooden house may work mischief, but a grape vine fastened 

 to wires is in all ways a benefit. 



The grape is one of the oldest fruits mentioned in history. 

 The Bible ranks it with milk and honey as essentials of a 

 perfect home life. That is about the truth of it; for one may 

 live on these three foods, especially when other fruits can 

 be added and garden vegetables. Like the peach and the 

 pear, the grape seems to have originated somewhere in east- 

 ern or central Asia, and to have moved westward; while 

 other varieties were native to this continent. It is one of the 

 few things that has never learned how to create a trunk, but 

 always has climbed upon other vegetation. Where the 

 superb grapes of our hothouse culture started is hard to de- 

 termine ; but we can grow these delicious sorts out doors in 

 Florida. They like the warm dry soil, and thrive wonder- 

 fully. Scions inserted in the Scuppernong grow ten feet in 

 a season, while cuttings start quickly, as well as seedlings. 

 Before long we shall have originated a new and wonderful 

 race of grapes, possibly hardy as far north as the Ohio River. 



Our native grapes are of a half dozen general classifica- 

 tions. The Concord, and grapes of that sort, have come 

 from Vitis labrusca, which is common all over New Eng- 

 land. Worden and Moore's Early are two of the very best 

 for general culture, and are both brothers of the Concord. 

 The very best grapes for general culture are crosses of our 

 native sorts with European. There are half a hundred of 

 the Rogers hybrids, and a lot more of the Rickets seedlings, 

 only the most of the latter are not hardy north of New 

 York. The grandest work done lately is by Mr. Munson, of 

 Texas. There is a presumption abroad that grapes originat- 

 ing in the Southern States will not prove hardy in the North- 

 ern. This is not true, for I find Brilliant, Headlight, Wapa- 

 nuka, and several more of Mr. Munson's superb produc- 

 tions are all right when growing In the same vineyard with 

 Mr. Moore's Diamond and Mr. Hoag's Niagara. 



While the suburban home may grow bushels and bushels 

 of grapes all over its buildings, its fences, and its stone 

 heaps, if there be room enough it will still pay to have a 

 small vineyard, because a very small family can use up profit- 

 ably at least a ton of grapes each year. I would place the 

 vineyard right along side the orchard or the small fruit 

 garden, and run the trellises north and south, if possible. 

 These trellises may profitably be about half as far apart as 

 the apple rows. Then between the trellises you may grow 

 rows of gooseberries or currants. These will not mind a 

 modicum of shatle. At all events have the little vineyard so 

 arranged that you can work it with a horse — only be sure 

 that you do not use tools that rip up the grape roots. Good 



stout feeding will keep these roots pretty well in line with 

 the trellises, and the spreading roots can stand a little abra- 

 sion. I prefer to only cultivate among the currants and 

 gooseberries, and have a heavy mulch for the grape vines. 

 A man can very rapidly turn this mulch over and work out 

 the weeds once or twice in the year. 



I grow over a hundred varieties of grapes, but I do not 

 recommend anything of the sort to one who is planting a 

 country home. If you have room for a dozen varieties, take 

 Herbert, Worden, and Moore's Early for black; Agawam, 

 Brighton, Lindley, and Goertner for red; Niagara, Dia- 

 mond, Hayes for white. Then I find it difl^icult to omit 

 from my own list Barry and Mills for black; lona, a most 

 perfect grape, that must be covered winters ; Duchess, an- 

 other delicious white variety, which also needs covering, and 

 Goethe, one of Rogers' hybrids that needs petting. Lady I 

 should place almost at the head of the list, as ideal in quality, 

 only that with me it will not give satisfactory crops. In this 

 list of select varieties we have to bear in mind that some 

 of them will not self-pollenize, that is, they must be planted 

 alternately with other sorts. Brighton, if grown by itself, 

 is absolutely barren ; Lindley and Herbert are not much 

 better. Moore's Early is one of the most admirable home 

 grapes that I have yet discovered. It does not bear heavily 

 when young, but is as hardy as a fence post, and gives splen- 

 did crops later. Hayes is another ideal home grape. Not 

 much known, it is delicious in quality, bears very heavily, in 

 color is white, and is not very seedy. Massasoit should go in 

 the list only that it is very subject to black rot. 



If you must limit your planting to about four or five 

 varieties, take Hayes for early, followed by Brighton, fol- 

 lowed by Niagara and Worden, while Herbert and Goert- 

 ner will fill up later autumn. If you must come still closer 

 to a single variety, take Moore, Niagara, Worden, and Her- 

 bert. You will notice that I have left out Mr. Munson's 

 new cross-breds. I recommend, however, that every one 

 write for his catalogue, and test a few of his hardier sorts. 

 I am myself particularly fond of Duchess, because It Is so 

 near seedless, but it is very tender, and will prove unsatis- 

 factory. A first rate table grape is Eumelan; and Pockllng- 

 ton, a seedling of the Concord, is one of the hardiest, most 

 vigorous, and productive grapes in the whole list, and should 

 be planted by everybody who lives south of the New York 

 line. Campbell's Early Is a fine thing, but not In my judg- 

 ment equal to Moore's Early. Delaware is a frail grower, 

 and not suitable for people who are liable in any way to 

 neglect their vines. I have just planted McKInley, and It 

 bids fair to be one of the best. 



Grapes will do fairly well under neglect, but it is far bet- 

 ter to trim them back to two or three eyes, each fall, and lay 

 them down for the winter. The best trellis "for a common 

 garden is a row of posts, about twenty-five or thirty feet 

 apart, to which you hitch wires, three in number, by staples. 

 Tie the vines to these Avires In as home-like a way as you 

 please. If you are willing to pay some special attention to 

 your grape crop, I advise you to learn some method of sys- 

 tematic trimming and training. You can find out more about 

 this in my book on "The Orchard and Fruit Garden," or in 

 the "CycloDedla of Horticulture." Mr. Munson's method Is 

 original with him, and exceedingly good. You can learn the 

 gist of it from his catalogue, issued from Dennison, Texas. 

 At any rate plant grapes, even when you find a spot on a 

 steep hillside or among rocks, where nothing else will grow. 



