89 



We are fortunate in our locality not to have many grape dis- 

 eases, so I can't give you very much information along that line. 

 I remember though as a small boy that it was about the time that 

 the black rot of the grape manifested itself in the country and 

 wrought such havoc, and we knew no method of controlling it for 

 several years. As a youth, I had to go out to pick off the rotten 

 grapes. We would put them in a bag, empty them in a basket at 

 the end, and take them off and burn them. We took every precau- 

 tion we knew how to take without avail. We now know that black 

 rot can be controlled by Bordeaux mixture. Bordeaux mixture 

 will control it absolutely. We cannot use the commercial lime-sul- 

 phur spray in the vineyard as the grape is more susceptible to 

 injury than peach foliage. I have not tried self-boiled lime-sulphur. 

 Do not know with what success it has been tried. I am of the 

 opinion it has never been very successful. 



There are certain other diseases that occasionally get into the 

 vineyards and are very serious. We do not have them in our lo- 

 cality. I cannot tell you definitely how to control them from my 

 practical experience. 



Marketing. — If you begin to harvest your York Imperial 

 apples about the first of October, Concord and Niagara would begin 

 to ripen about the first of September. However, the summer 

 weather very materially affects the ripening of the grape. 



We continue to harvest all through September till frost comes. 

 It is not uncommon for a vineyard with fruit still on to be caught 

 with an early frost. Late spring frosts, in some localities, do a great 

 deal of damage. If the little buds are killed in the spring, you are 

 killing in a large measure, the crop for that season. The grape is 

 not so delicate, however, as the peach, with regard to spring frost. 



You do not pick the grapes all at one time, you pick over the 

 vineyard several times. You pick as to ripeness, and that means 

 when the color has reached the standard for that variety. The 

 grape will not ripen any at all after it is severed from the vine. 

 You must allow it to ripen on the vine in order to produce good 

 quality. It is like the peach in that respect, probably more so. 



Your method of picking will almost entirely depend upon your 

 marketing facilities. Now, with us, our fruit goes direct on wagons 

 to the Rochester market, consequently we do not do any packing at 

 all. We pick in i8 or 20 lb. market baskets without any grading 

 only as we grade when we pick. Our pickers know that the very 

 poor clusters are to be left on the vine. The clusters are simply 

 laid in the market basket, until it is rounding full. That is a 

 simple and cheap method. Some people pack in smaller baskets. 

 Some in two or three pound splint baskets. They take them into 

 ^market and sell to grocerymen in a basket that is retailed to the 

 consumer. The fruit in the larger baskets is sold to the consumer by 

 the pound. If, on the other hand, you ship by railroad, you must 

 use the Climax basket with a wooden cover. Load it in the car in 



