Report of Committee on Grapes, Figs and Persimmons* 
By P* J* Wister* 
Mr. President^ Ladies and Gentlemen: 
Appointed Chairman of the Committee 
on Grapes, Figs and Persimmons, I com¬ 
municated with the two other members 
of the commiittee, Mr. Bacon, of Ormond, 
and Mr. Steele, of Switzerland, for their 
co-operation with reports of the northern 
part of the state where my, experience with 
these fruits has. been none. The require¬ 
ments of these fruits and their culture 
have at a previous meeting of the Society 
been so well and ably discussed that it 
would be only a repetition of what others 
have already said tO' indulge on these 
points ; and I have, therefore, limited my¬ 
self to a report relative to our experience 
with these fruits on the lower east coast. 
The southeast end of the peninsula has 
been settled, as you all well know, at a 
comparatively recent date, and as the set¬ 
tlers were attracted more by the culture 
of citrus fruits and pineapples, the 
grapes, figs and persimmons have been 
practically neglected altogether. As a 
side issue to citrus and pineapple culture, 
the majority O'f settlers seem to havie 
taken tropical fruits, such as mangoes, 
avocadoes, guavas, etc. Only in a few 
isolated instances have I found anyone 
planting the fruits under consideration. 
Very little systematic culture has been 
given these fruits, and the following notes 
have been made from very few plants and 
not large plantings. 
Of grapes, a number of Eastern vari¬ 
eties, as well as vinifera, or California 
grapes, have been tried. The experience 
of all who have tried growing grapes is 
that severe pruning is injurious, causing 
the vine to die back; and this is no more 
practiced by those \Vho are acquainted 
with our local conditions. Most of the 
vines that I have noted of late are train¬ 
ed on a trellis, or overhead, allowing the 
vines to grow, pruning away only dead 
wood, which system is being practiced 
on a trial vineyard at the Subtropical 
Laboratory. Our experience has only 
confirmed that of others, that the vines 
fruit well the first two or three years, and 
after that begin to die back and set very 
little fruit. The vigor and adaptability 
of the difTferent varieties vary greatly. The 
vinifera grape, which has been more un¬ 
der my observation than the eastern 
grapes, is very much subject to attacks 
from blackrot and mildew. Only by fre¬ 
quent sprayings with Bordeaux mixture 
is it possible to obtain good fruit. Again, 
the berries mature very unevenly in the 
bunches, which tends to make the fruit 
less salable, and I consider it very doubt¬ 
ful whether we will ever find a vinifera 
grape that will prove satisfactory. I have 
not noted any insects attacking the grape 
severely enough to be called a pest. Mr. 
Thomas Spence, Buena Vista, Florida, 
who has had more experience with grapes 
in the lower part of the state than any 
other person I know, writes me: ‘‘General¬ 
ly speaking*, I am, as you know, through 
with trying vinifera grapes, as T think 
