1898 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
On the Wing. 
AMONG THE GRAPE GROWERS. 
SIDEHILL VINEYARDS ON THE LAKES. 
[editorial correspondence.] 
The Grade Region. —City fruit buyers 
are familiar with the well-packed and 
carefully-selected grapes—red, white and 
black—which bear upon their packages 
the name of some town in the lake 
region of western New York : few, how¬ 
ever, have any idea of the extent of this 
crop. The main grape regions of west¬ 
ern New York are in the vicinity of the 
four lakes—Cayuga, Seneca, Keuka (for¬ 
merly Crooked Lake) and Canandaigua. 
The vicinity of the water tempers the 
climate, and it is observed that some of 
the later varieties, which ripen perfectly 
on the sideliills sloping down to the 
lake, are likely to be caught by frost, 
but a few miles inland. The scenery of 
these lakes suggests the beauty of the 
Rhine to traveled folk, and there is some¬ 
thing quaintly foreign in those sloping 
vineyards, reaching to the water’s edge. 
When the grape industry began, it was 
thought that the fruit could be grown 
only on hillsides, doubtless a reminis¬ 
cence of foreign vineyards. To one ac¬ 
customed to more level country, the first 
thought, on looking at these hillsides, is 
one of wonder that they can be tilled 
without the cultivator falling off into 
the landscape ! The Chautauqua region 
and portions of the Hudson River Valley, 
also contribute to the New York State 
grape crop. 
Extent of the Business. —It is esti¬ 
mated that there are now 30,000 acres in 
this lake district devoted to grapes. Dur¬ 
ing the grape “boom”, it is said that 
vineyard land was held as high as $500 
an acre, in some cases even more ; but it 
is sadly depreciated now. The grape 
area does not grow less, but it does not 
increase. There appears to be but little 
profit in grapes now, but the men who 
have large vineyards are inclined to do 
their best with grapes, rather than at¬ 
tempt untried lines. The first outdoor 
grapes marketed in this country were 
shipped from the Keuka Lake district 
more than 50 years ago, being sent to 
New York by the Erie Canal, this first 
shipment being 50 pounds of Isabella. 
In 1890, according to the United States 
census, New York State shipped 49,000 
tons of grapes, while the crop of 1894 
was still larger. During the harvesting 
season, every boat landing is piled with 
fruit, and the whole district is busy with 
the work, abundant occupation being 
found for both men and women. While 
the larger proportion of New York State 
grapes are sold for table use, a great 
deal of wine is made, and this business 
is, apparently, increasing. Canandaigua 
Lake makes a specialty of still wines 
and brandies, while sparkling wines are 
the great feature of the Keuka cellars. 
Culture and Training. —New York 
vineyardists usually set their grapes in 
rows eight feet apart, the plants 8 to 12 
feet apart in the row; sometimes the 
distance is increased in both directions. 
The system of training varies with in¬ 
dividual taste, but may be divided into 
three types, the Knifiin, the renewal, 
and the Brocton, the last being a 
modification of the Kniffin. In the true 
Knifiin system, the trellis has only two 
wires, the upper wire being 5% to 6 feet 
above the ground. A sing'le stem is car¬ 
ried up to the top wire, and two canes 
taken out from side spurs at each wire. 
The bearing shoots are allowed to hang 
at will, no tying being necessary. This 
is a distinct economy of labor during the 
busiest period. The pruning of a vine 
grown in this way consists in cutting off 
all the wood except a single cane from 
each spur. The renewal or upright and 
the Brocton systems require three wires. 
Wire is very little used for ying, wil¬ 
low twigs being used on the ripened 
wood, and straw on the tender canes. 
Women are often employed in tying. 
Tying follows “breaking out”, which is 
the removal of weak canes and suckers. 
This work is usually done in June, and 
needs not only some moral courage in 
removing the growth, but also fore¬ 
thought as to the future growth of the 
vine. The grower must carry before 
him an ideal of the vine’s future ; care¬ 
less work may ruin a future crop. 
Clean Culture.— Though one would 
wonder how horses could keep their 
footing in those steep vineyards, thor¬ 
ough culture is given, the first process 
in Spring being plowing away from the 
vines, the soil being afterwards plowed 
back again. In the old vineyards, one 
would imagine that a good deal of fer¬ 
tility would be washed away during the 
Winter, but some cover crops are used, 
and Crimson clover has given good satis¬ 
faction. There seems little fear of a 
catch and, apparently, the clover comes 
through the Winter well. In some old 
vineyards, where there was at first diffi¬ 
culty in getting a stand of Crimson 
clover, the difficulty was obviated by a 
dressing of potash, or potash and bone. 
Moderate fertility and constant cultiva¬ 
tion appear to be strong points in grape 
growing. 
Spraying. —Good grape growers, like 
good apple growers, are now firmly con¬ 
vinced of the efficacy and necessity of 
spraying. Credit must be given to H. O. 
Fairchild, one of the large Keuka Lake 
growers, for continued efforts in the 
introduction of spraying. Mr. Fairchild 
grows from 150 to 175 tons of grapes 
yearly, his crop including 50 tons of Con¬ 
cords and 00 tons of Catawbas. His prac¬ 
tice is to give a spray of Bordeaux Mix¬ 
ture with Paris-green before the buds 
are open (the Paris-green being added 
for the Steely beetle), a second spraying 
of Bordeaux alone after the fruit sets, 
and then a spraying with ammoniacal 
solution of carbonate of copper three 
weeks later. A great many vineyardists 
do not use the Paris-green at all. Opin¬ 
ions regarding the Steely beetle vary 
greatly. Some say that it is really caus¬ 
ing a great deal of damage, while others 
declare that its depredations amount to 
very little, most seasons. Some counsel 
the practice of swabbing the canes with 
corrosive sublimate, applied by passing 
a flat paint brush along the canes, and 
over the buds. Another grower stated 
that, while the beetles occasionally ap¬ 
peared in large quantities, they were 
generally bunched together in a restrict¬ 
ed area and, by taking a wide, shallow 
pan containing a little kerosene, and 
shaking the beetles into this, he could 
destroy them, so that they never seemed 
to gain a foothold on his vines. Mr. 
Slingerland states, on page 449, that the 
Steely beetle is rather a local insect, and 
it J s also observed by practical grape 
growers that it is least prevalent in 
isolated vineyards. Where there are a 
great many vineyards close together, 
the Steely beetle seems most likely to 
occur. 
Some Other Enemies. —Thrips at times 
cause much damage to the vines, espec¬ 
ially those varieties with light, thin foli¬ 
age. This insect can be destroyed only 
by contact poisons, and so far, attempts 
to control it have not been very satisfac¬ 
tory. It is advised that fallen foliage be 
destroyed in the Autumn, so that this 
will not give the insects a refuge for 
hibernation. Mildew, rot, and anthrac- 
nose all visit the vineyards ; yet there is 
less disease in these northern graperies 
than in those farther south, while every 
precaution is taken to minimize them. 
While the destructive phylloxera has 
appeared, it is not dreaded, because the 
climate is so much against it. 
Varieties. —There is not a very ex¬ 
tensive list of varieties grown. The 
largest area is in Concord, Catawba aud 
Delaware, which are the leading table 
MOTHERS.—Be sure to use “Mrs. Wins¬ 
low’s Soothing Syrup” for your children 
while Teething. It i« the Beat.— Adv. 
grapes, as well as being used in wine¬ 
making. Elvira is a leading white-wine 
grape, but the skin cracks too easily for 
it to be a satisfactory shipping grape. 
Niagara is regarded as the best general- 
purpose white. Vergennes appears to 
be little grown, though on the shores 
of Cayuga Lake, it was seen in fine con¬ 
dition, being grown for a fastidious 
trade. Diamond, while of high quality, 
is regarded as a little tender for long 
shipping. On Cayuga Lake, a large 
vineyard was noted, containing nothing 
but Diamond, but the product is now 
being made into wine only. Worden, 
while esteemed for its fine quality, is 
considered too tender for long shipping. 
Campbells Early has not yet been 
tested, but it was tbougTit that this 
variety would be valuable for early 
trade, just before Concords came in. 
Concord is still the grape for the mil¬ 
lion, and is marketed in greater quantity 
than any other variety. 
Harvesting the Grapes. —The grape 
harvest is a very active season along 
the lakes, giving employment to every 
one who is willing to work. The pick¬ 
ers are usually men, though occasionally 
women are employed in this way ; but it 
is heavy work, lifting and carrying the 
trays of fruit. In the grape-house, 
women and girls are busy sorting and 
packing the fruit. Sometimes the same 
person does both sorting and packing, 
but often, the sorter works first, short¬ 
ening the stem anc cutting out green or 
defective berries. The packer acquires 
a knack by practice, which enables her 
to fit the fruit in with dexterous neatness, 
while working very rapidly. They are all 
four and eight-pound baskets now com¬ 
ing from this lake district. The fruit is 
not weighed or measured in any way 
before being packed. Sorting and pack¬ 
ing grapes appears to be very whole¬ 
some work ; the women thus employed 
say that they usually gain in flesh while 
doing it. In addition to the packing, 
women are also employed in some of the 
basket factories, nailing the baskets 
together. 
After the Harvest. —When the 
grapes are held in storage, refrigerating 
apparatus is not used, as this appears to 
injure the keeping qualities. While 
wines of all kinds are extensively made 
where the grapes are grown, a large 
quantity of the fruit is shipped in trays 
to the market centers for wine-making. 
These trays vary in weight from 35 
pounds or under to 45 or 50 pounds. A 
great many of the grapes thus shipped 
go to cities having a large foreign popu¬ 
lation ; the grapes are crushed, and the 
wine used while new, just like drinking 
sweet cider. Many of the foreigners are 
accustomed to vintage festivals at home, 
and they carry out the same custom here, 
regarding the new wine as a very whole¬ 
some drink. A good many Elviras are 
sold for this purpose. 
471 
The Business Outlook. —The grape 
business does not appear to have been a 
remunerative one of late years. Prices 
have been very low ; yet it is necessary 
to cultivate carefully, to spray, and to 
train the vines diligently, no matter 
how low the price may be. The depres¬ 
sion in prices of table grapes has appar¬ 
ently encouraged wine-making. This 
business is increasing enormously. Un¬ 
fermented wine or grape juice, while 
still a small industry, gives promise of 
future development. The shortage in 
the peach crop this year may be advan¬ 
tageous to grape growers, but as a rule, 
they are more affected by variations in 
apples than peaches. In spite of the 
damage worked in some localities by the 
Steely beetle, we are likely to have 
plenty of grapes this year. k. t. r. 
ODD OCCUPATIONS AND OPPOR¬ 
TUNITIES. 
Fish for Fowls. —Along the shores of 
Delaware Bay, and we presume, in other 
similar localities, shell fish are used ex¬ 
tensively in feeding poultry. The com¬ 
mon horseshoe crab is quite largely used 
for this purpose, as it is easily caught 
and contains a good deal of meat. Hens 
will soon clean out the shell if the top is 
crushed with an ax or hatchet. 
An Expert Budder. —A California 
reader describes himself as an expert 
budder by profession. His business is 
conducted on the principle of waiting 
until his buds start before he gets his 
pay. Generally, he has to take care of 
the trees until the buds are well hard¬ 
ened off, which means three or four 
months. In this business, as in others, 
competitors manage to keep prices pretty 
low, and compel an expert to guarantee 
his w'ork. Among the large orchards of 
California, a budder may be able to make 
a good living, but probably, there are 
few other sections of the country where 
profitable work of this kind can be done. 
Use for Condemned Animals. — A 
reader in Maine makes a practice of col¬ 
lecting condemned horses, killing them 
and using the meat to feed fish. All over 
the country, we observe that farmers 
are learning the value of meat and bone 
in condemned animals, and they are 
turning them to good account as fer¬ 
tilizer and food, instead of hauling them 
off to the swamp, for the dogs to fight 
over. 
THIS AUTOGRAPH IS NEVER ON 
A POOR SHADE-ROLLER 
AND 
FROM A GOOD 
ONE. 
1898 
High 
Grade 
BICYCLES 
for Men, Women, Girls 
Boys. Complete 11 ne. 
All brand new models. 
$75 ‘O.kwood* for $32.50 
_ _ $60‘Arlington* « $24.50 
No Money In Advance. Others nt $15. $17and $20 
WRIT* TODAY for SPECIAL OFFER. 
Shipped anywhere C.O.D.with privilege to examine. Buy 
direct from manufacturers,save agents & dealers profits 
iargeniiUaCaUlognerre®. CASH BUYERS’ UNION, 
168 W. Van Karen Street, B«g46, Chlc&c*, Ills, 
Frank B. Barkley Mfg, Co., SfiSJMiSi 
you.a Bicycle or sewing Mac bine direct from factory 
$9.50 BUYS A OU\DK VICTOR Yearns 
Adapt '-<1 to Light and Heavy Work, Reliable and Finely 
Fin tubed; Guaranteed for 10 Yeara Write for 40 Page Cata¬ 
logue Attachment* Free. 30 DAYS FRKE TRIAL. Address 
Dept.309 VICTOR MFG. CO., 90-98 Market St.,Chicago. 
$50 Sewing Machine for $19.50. 
WITH ONE YEAR’S SUBSCRIPTION TO THE R. N.-Y., $20. 
We should he sorry if any reader of The R. N.-Y. in any part of the country 
should pay $40 or $50, or even $25 or $30 for a sewing machine. We would be sorry 
because we can send him just as good a machine as is made for $19.50. The finish 
and appearance and attachments are in 
every way equal to the best machines 
made. We will send it ON TRIAL, freight 
paid, and you may return it at our ex¬ 
pense, if you are not satisfied ; you shall 
be the judge yourself. We shall sell them 
at this price only to subscribers. We have 
sold thousands of these machines to sub¬ 
scribers, and we have never had one re¬ 
turned. Several families in connection 
with The R. N.-Y. have them ; that is why 
we can praise them so highly. 
For $19.50, we will send the machine to 
any subscriber, freight paid to any address 
east of the Rocky Mountains. For $20, we 
include a yeai’s subscription. After a fair 
trial, we will return the money and pay 
freight both ways, if you are not satisfied. 
We will send it for a club of 10 subscriptions at $1 each, and $15 extra. 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER, New York. 
