MARKETING EASTERN GEAPES. 3l 
as they are to-day. But this speculative enterprise was ill consid- 
ered, many vines were planted in heavy clay soils, and few survived 
to come into bearing, as this variety is especially tender. Generally 
grapes do not do well in this district at an altitude beyond 200 feet 
above the lake level. 
The particular development around Keuka Lake, where Catawbas 
are grown to greater perfection than anywhere else in the North, 
and in the Naples Valley, was toward wine production. The wine 
industry was begun in this section in the sixties, and by 1915 there 
were over 25 factories engaged in this process, Keuka Lake was the 
center of the American champagne industry, and important wine 
factories were in operation in Naples. 
Acreage and Varieties. 
As in the other leading grape-producing sections, the acreage is on 
the decrease and the* reduction has been particularly marked in 
Seneca County. The commercial acreage of the district is variously 
and unofficially estimated at from 12,000 to 15,000 acres. No official 
statistics as to the average production are available, but it is the 
consensus among those in close touch with the industry that the 
average yield per acre for the whole district was formerly about a 
ton, the low figure being due to the many uncared-for vineyards and 
the numerous varieties of low productivity. 
The Central Lake district is notable for the lack of standardization 
upon a leading variety," nearly all the well-known varieties being 
grown in commercial quantities. No official data are available as to 
the relative acreage of the different varieties, but it is roughly esti- 
mated by leading factors that the Concord comprises 60 per cent of 
the acreage, the Catawba 20 per cent, Delaware 8 per cent, Niagara 
7 per cent, and others, such as the Elvira, Worden, Moore, Ives, Dia- 
mond, Agawam, and the Brighton the remaining 5 per cent. 
There is probably no commercial district where insect pests cause 
so little damage as around the Central Lakes of New York, but 
fungus diseases are troublesome ; black rot, downy mildew, powdery 
mildew, anthracnose, and chlorosis often attack the fruit and vines. 
These fungus diseases necessitate repeated sprayings, and in recent 
years they have seemed to be under better control. On account of 
the frequent and extensive damage to the bunches, many of the best 
vineyardists use packing houses, but much stock, especially in the 
outlying sections, is picked directly into shipping baskets. A fairly 
good pack is usually shipped, particularly from the Penn Yan sec- 
tion, where there is one factor whose shipments command a consid- 
erable premium. 
