April, 1889. 
80 
ORGHRRDtel GARDEN 
Grape Talk for April. 
This is usually the month in which grape 
vines are set out, and the manner of plant- 
ing has no little influence on the welfare of 
the vines thereafter. If two pieces of land 
are planted with the same varieties of like 
growth, one on soil deeply worked, say 18 
or 20 inches, and well fertilized w ith stable 
manure, bone dust and ashes, and the other 
plowed only to the ordinary depth, which 
is seldom more than 8 or 10 inches, with no 
fertilizer of any kind put on, and although 
the land may be in such a condition that it 
would grow eighty bushels of corn or thirty 
bushels of wheat to the acre, and both vine- 
yards receive the same care afterwards, the 
first one will grew as large a growth of vines 
in three years as the other will in five, and 
this will not be the only gain, for the yield 
of fruit will be so much increased as to, m 
less than five yeais,pay all the extra expense 
of preparing the ground. 
In preparing the ground to receive the 
vines, lay it off 10 feet by 7, the rows to be 
seven feet apart. Set the strong growing- 
varieties 10 feet apart and the slower grow- 
ers 8 feet apart in the rows. Some may 
consider this a waste of ground, and it may 
appear so for the first few years; but later 
on it will tell. 
Who that has passed through an old vine- 
yard could have failed to notice that the 
end vines or the vines next to a wide pas- 
sage through the vineyard, were the most 
thrifty and bore the best fruit? It is simply 
because these vines have more room and 
more air. 
In setting the vines I make the holes large 
enough to admit of spreading out the roots, 
all of which should be cut back to within 
six or ten inches of the main stem. Slant 
the hole at an angle of 45°, put in the vine 
so deeply that about six inches of the young 
wood is under ground. The vine should be 
cut back to that length. After spreading 
out the roots carefully throw in some mel- 
low soil, press firmly on them, but let the 
soil on the surface be loosely thrown in: 
plant at each vine a stake a few feet long, 
or better yet, set the stake before planting 
the vine. Let but one cane grow the first 
year, which should be tied up to the stake. 
Cultivate well, and if the season is favora- 
ble most of them will grow four to eight 
feet the first season. 
If people only knew how easily they might 
have plenty of choice grapes trained against 
their buildings, particularly under the eaves 
or where there is a little projection, I think 
there would be many more planted. 
Who has ever seen vines mildew, or their 
gTapes rot, where the vines were trained 
against the wall, or up under the eaves of 
the roof? I have not; but have often seen 
them in perfection, when all on the 
trellis and on stakes in the immediate vicin- 
ity were destroyed by rot. 
Whether it is the protection from rain, or 
the radiation of heat during the night from 
the buildings has not been deteemined, but 
in my opinion it is both. 
I have nearly a quarter of a mile of 
cliff upon my land, where in many places 
is a ledge of rocks protruding, just such as 
seems to me to be the proper protection for 
vines. Already quite a number of wild vines 
have been pruned up so as to bring them 
nearly under these protecting ledges, which 
will be grafted, and a long row of vines 
planted as an experiment. I mention this 
because there are many such in the coun- 
try and some others may try it. Here t he 
cliffs face the south but east will do as well. 
It has been urged that vines around the 
house or against it will make it damp, but 
contrary is the case, unless it happens that 
the surroundings are dense with the shade 
of trees. 
In towns and cities people might have 
grapes with but little trouble if they would 
just plant a vine or two. No matter if the 
surroundings are paved with brick, the 
vines may be carried to the second or third 
story and trained in front of a balcony, 
where grapes enough for a family might be 
grown. I saw in Philadelphia, a vine cov- 
ering a space 20 by 12 feet at least thirty 
feet from the ground on the west side of a 
house. It shaded a balcony and the vine 
was one mass of purple, with Isabella grapes 
quite free from rot. As fine Catawbas as I 
ever ate, grew sixty feet from the ground, 
on a cherry tree. 
Regarding varieties, there is no use in my 
speaking here of the well known old sorts, 
but of the newer grapes of which some of 
mv r aders may not be fully informed. My 
experience has been chiefly with white ones, 
and I name them in the order of their quali- 
ty .beginning with the highest. Moore’s Dia- 
mond, Empire State, Niagara, Pocklington. 
All these are hardy, productive, large in 
bunch and berry, and very handsome, and 
the poorest of them is about good. But 
they will rot, and must be bagged to make 
sure of a crop. Of the red grapes, Wood- 
ruff’s Red, Brighton, Vergennes and Jeffer- 
son, as they have fruited with me, are among 
the best, but all will rot more or less, and 
Brighton as well as Jefferson, should be laid 
down in winter and receive a slight protec- 
tion. Both Woodruff and Vergennes are 
much better than I expected, while Brighton 
is, to my taste, perfection in quality, and 
very beautiful. Jefferson, if well ripened, 
is equal to Black Hamburg. 
There are some black grapes of much 
value. Jewel, the earliest, promises to be 
a prize; quality of the best. Early Victor, a 
fine grape and the next early. Gartner 
ripens at the same time, has a juice as dark 
as Norton, and of good quality. Worden is 
too well known to comment upon, and so 
fully supercedes Concord that it is a matter 
of surprise to me that the latter is cultivated 
any more. Black Eagle is a superior, early 
grape with long bunches. Defiance has a 
large bunch and berry, and is the best late 
grape we have. All are liable to rot some 
seasons. — Samuel Miller. 
Good Grape Vines. 
Penn Tan Vineyardist. 
We have ordered grape vines this spring for oth- 
ers and lor our own planting, from several differen, 
propagators, and while they have been good generally, 
with one exception, those received from A. S. Watson- 
VVestfleld, Chautauqua county, N. Y.. six different va- 
rieties, were exceptionally fine, and at lower prices than 
some others have charged. 
In a letter, enclosed with a bill of the vines sent. Mr. 
Watson says that while nearly sold out, he has still on 
hand for this spring’s set ting, a large quantity of Dela- 
ware and Brighton vines, as line as were ever grown in 
this country, that he will sell at unprecedently low 
prices, which our friends in want of these varieties 
would do well to send for. 
We feel this morning like taking a little further liber- 
ty with Mr. Watson, in the way of saying something 
about his vast business as a propagator and dissemina- 
tor of choice grape vines, of which he sends out maDV 
thousands every spring, to hundreds of different points 
in the United States and Canada. It is, we believe, 
about twelve years ago since Mr. Watson first engaged in 
this business, his only capital being a large stock of 
that energy, practical application and strict integrity, 
that has since crowned his labors with abundant suc- 
cess— and as the saying now goes, “the best way to suc- 
cess is to succeed.” But the very best endorsement any 
man can have is the success that attends his business 
enterprises. 
But with this feeble beginning, Mr. Watson's busi- 
ness has grown into a great industry, now covering 
about two hundred acres of land, (all his own) with one 
hundred acres of first-class vineyard, besides his large 
cutting beds, where he puts out from one to two millions 
ot cuttings annually. Besides this, he now rents an ex- 
tensive property, containing large and expensive build- 
ings, adapted to his business, and employs a large 
force of workmen, his pay-roll alone amounting to over 
$11,000 a year. 
This much we say gratuitously, as it always gives us 
pleasure to recognize and applaud true merit in bus- 
iness, not only as it is developed in the case of Mr. Wat- 
son, but in that of any other person in the line of our 
profession, as it may be presented to us.— From the 
Penn Yan Vineyardist May 1st, 1888. Adv. 
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