144 



PROFITS IN GRAPE-GROWING. 



the main features of the foi'est scene will at least 

 be shown. (See page 135.) 



My brother and I were out surveying, and I said, 

 " Stop there in the path," and lo ! the morning sun 

 painted the scene in black and white. Beyond is 

 the opening to the sky, beneath which the crystal 

 waters lie, although but feebly hinted at by the 

 shining through the trees. All around stand the 

 majestic maples from whose gorged and punctured 

 sides in springtime flows the sap that to my notion 



makes the most delicious of all sweets. One has 

 but to stop and listen for the rich note of the her- 

 mit thrush, or perchance the drumming grouse, or 

 it may be the weird laugh of the loon borne in from 

 the waves upon which he merrily rides. And every- 

 where the stillness and freshness of the great for- 

 est overawe one, even as completely as in the wilds 

 of the tropics. These northern forests, in the 

 Great Lake country, are majestic. 



Mashinglon. H. E. Van Deman. 



PROFITS IN GRAPE-GROWING. 



HOW A VETERAN VINEYARDIST SECURES IT YEAR BY YEAR. 



"jHE SUMMER management of 

 hardy grape vines includes 

 planting, pruning, training and 

 trellising, cultivation, picking 

 packing and marketing, to- 

 gether with several items of 

 occasional work, as fertilizing, 

 destroying injurious insects, 

 warding off fungous diseases, 

 etc., which may be classed 

 under the head of general care. Thirty, forty and 

 fifty years ago, when the Isabella, Catawba and 

 Clinton were our main varieties, the grape business 

 was uncertain, failures frequent and the acreage 

 small. The introduction of the Concord grape, the 

 invention of the Climax basket, the ability to ship 

 to distant markets in full car lots at low rates and 

 with quick time, have changed all this and to-day 

 grapes are our leading, most reliable and by far 

 most remunerative farm crop. With this enlarged 

 planting has been developed new and improved 

 methods of culture. How to grow in large areas 

 with the most economical outlay of labor and 

 money, the largest quantity and best quality of 

 grapes, is what most concerns the producers of this 

 Lake Shore section of New York. 



Will the business be overdone ? is the universal ques- 

 tion. We believe the answer to that question hinges on 

 the one point of quality. We shall not fail for want of 

 consumers. Sixty-five millions of people make a toler- 

 ably large market. We shall not fail because of the 

 black-rot or other fungous diseases. Thanks to the skill 

 of modern science, a remedy is at hand for these. 



Our great danger lies in low quality. There is no city 

 in the Union where Crawford peaches will not sell more 

 readily at one dollar per basket than common stock at 

 fifty cents. A few years ago in the city of Jamestown 

 there was a glut in the strawberry market, caused by 

 excessive shipments from the lake shore. Stocks accu- 



mulated, prices went down, the stores retailing at four 

 to six cents per basket. Right in the midst of this over- 

 stock a local grower brought in his berries — large, hand- 

 some Wilsons and James Vicks. That man could not 

 fill his orders at eight cents to ten cents— about 

 twice what he could buy berries for in the same market. 

 Quality did it. The externals ©f good quality are easily 

 named. When a nine pound basket of Chautauqua 

 Concords reaches St. Louis, Minneapolis or Denver, it 

 should be of full weight, of which one and one-fourth 

 pounds are the weight of the basket and seven and 

 three-fourth pounds the fruit. The basket should be 

 dry, clean and of neat appearance. The covers, pre- 

 ferably of white basswood, should be of sound timber, 

 free from holes, knots or decayed spots. The grapes, 

 neither too green, nor too ripe, should be free from 

 crushed, mouldy or imperfect berries, and the clusters 

 have just enough stems to serve as handles. Plainly 

 stenciled on the cover should be the name of the grower, 

 and the brand or trade-mark of the shipping associa- 

 tion. Accompanying each basket should be a guarantee 

 in about these words : "These grapes are warranted of 

 No. I quality. If not found as represented the consum- 

 er will please report to the dealer from whom bought." 



So much for the externals — the "outside of the cup 

 and platter. " The real quality, however, lies beneath 

 the surface. The best grapes have the clusters full, 

 compact, handsome, highly colored, the berries large, 

 plump, rich and meaty to the taste, with a fresh, 

 sprightly, vinous flavor. Soil, climate and cultivation 

 unite to secure this perfect result. Fine quality is 

 secured in the vineyard or it is never secured. Failure 

 there is failure all the way through. 



The grape vine is the child of the sun. The wild 

 vine climbs to the top of the tallest tree that it may 

 bathe its foliage in the upper sunlight and air. The 

 French have this proverb, "The leaf loves the sun, 

 the fruit the shade." Abundant light, air and cultiva- 

 tion ; in that trio you have the secret of health and 

 vigor for the vine and the highest quality for the fruit. 

 The baneful effects of weeds are two-fold — diminution 

 of quantity and deterioration of quality. Nature, 



