GRAPE EXPERIENCES IN SOUTHWESTERN MICHIGAN. 



337 



Nearly every variety of grape requires difterent treat- 

 ment, either in pruning, distance apart, or in richness of 

 soil. Moore's Early requires a rich soil, and as yet, I 

 have not been able to make it produce paying crops. 

 The cut-worm, steel beetle, thrip and rose chafer prefer 

 Moore's to Concord, and I have sometimes thought that 

 this might be the trouble ; but aside from this they make 

 a poor growth. Delawares need plenty of room, not- 

 withstanding they are slow growers. The past season, 

 vines set 6x8 feet produced 8 pounds per vine, 8x8, 

 9 pounds per vine, while a row of 40 vines, 8 feet apart 

 and 20 feet from the next row, produced 19 pounds per 

 vine. Concords at the latter distance produced a less 



in 1889, cents ; in i8go, aj^f, cents ; in 1885, 2y% 

 cents ; in 1882, cents ; in 1884, 3 cents ; in 1883, },{'^ 

 cents per pound. 



The net price received for Delawares was, in 1882, 7 

 cents ; in 1883, 6 cents ; in 1884, 6J cents ; in 1885, 5j',j- 

 cents ; i885, i\\ cents ; in 1887, 4 cents ; in 1888, 5 cents ; 

 in i88g, 4 cents ; in 1890, 4Jg- cents per pound. 



On account of the scarcity of other fruit this season, 

 grapes have sold well, considering the enormous crop all 

 over the country. At Lawton, local buyers came in and 

 the bidding was sharp, resulting in very little fruit going 

 to Chicago on commission. Grapes shipped to Chicago 

 Sept. loth and nth netted 17 cents per basket ; 12th, 18 



Fig. 10. Dai-D,\i-Maru. 



number of pounds, but ripened their crop so the vines 

 were cleaned at the first picking. This would indicate 

 a proper way of planting where even ripening was de- 

 sirable. Of the Niagara I have had but little experience ; 

 100 vines set two years ago bore only 15 pounds of grapes 

 this year. I have been unable to keep them in good 

 condition, while Empire State, picked at the same time, 

 kept in good condition for several months after being 

 gathered. 



It is often stated that grapes pay at 2 cents per pound. 

 The average net price received for Concords in 1886 and 

 1887 was only i/j cents per pound, picking and packing 

 to come out of this. In 1888 it was i cents per pound ; 



cents ; 13th, 20 cents. Sept. 15th I received a telegram 

 from Chicago : " Grapes selling for 26 cents : ship all you 

 can," 26 cents in Chicago would net 20 cents at Lawton ; 

 but I sold for 23 cents at Lawton, and the price held at 

 22 to 24 cents to the end of the season. At the same 

 time Chicago quotations were all the way from 20 to 27 

 cents. 



What the future of grape growing will be, with its 

 rapidly increasing acreage, no one can tell. Competition 

 will be strong, and only those localities having favorable 

 soil and good shipping facilities can make it profitable. — 

 A. H. Smith, before Western Michigan Fruit Growers'' 

 Society. 



