FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
123 
ure of these grape plantings that caused 
the first investigations of Florida grape 
growing by the U. S. Department of Ag¬ 
riculture. The investigator sent into the 
field then, was none other than Dr. Wm. 
A. Taylor, now chief of the Bureau of 
Plant Industry. This was approximately 
thirty years ago and since that time the 
Department has kept a continuous eye on 
the grape situation in Florida. In addi¬ 
tion to the work of the offices of Fruit 
Transportation and Storage Investiga¬ 
tions, Insect and Disease Investigations, 
etc., it has maintained a grape specialist 
rather continuously in the field. In order 
to test the different types of grape grow¬ 
ing for Florida the Department undertook 
the establishment of an experimental vine¬ 
yard at Earldon, Fla., (near Waldo) on 
the estate of Baron von Lutischaw. Here 
a large collection of European, native 
bunch grapes and Muscadines were tested. 
The results certainly did not warrant the 
recommendation of either the European 
or bunch grape type as a reliable basis for 
extensive commercial industry. The De¬ 
partment then turned its attention to the 
development of the Muscadine grape as 
the basis of profitable grape growing not 
only for Florida, but for the entire South¬ 
east. This work of developing the native 
Muscadine grape began in a vineyard at 
the Ronnoc grove, New Smyrna, Florida, 
and has continued steadily for about 18 
years. That we are working on the right 
line we have no doubt. The developing of 
the native species has in the case of the 
grape proven advisable and the only 
means of success in the Northeast, in 
Missouri, in Texas, in the Southeast, in 
Europe and in the tropics. The Depart¬ 
ment’s efforts have brought results of im¬ 
portance already. 
In Florida today it is generally recog¬ 
nized, I believe, that the European grape 
has a place only in the gardens of plant 
collectors, where vines may be maintained 
as botanical specimens by giving them spe¬ 
cial care. 
With the so-called bunch grapes, on the 
other hand, although the records of the 
State for the past three decades is one of 
failure due to the vines not being able to 
thrive under the climatic and other condi¬ 
tions, there has been a great deal of inter¬ 
est manifest in the last few years. I feel 
it my duty, therefore, as the Department’s 
representative, to sound a word of caution 
before this society and to point out the 
probable limitations of bunch grape grow¬ 
ing in the State. 
It is my opinion that under Florida con¬ 
ditions the making of extensive plantings 
of the bunch grapes as a class or the too 
extensive encouragement of small plant¬ 
ings with a view to securing commercial 
profits will result in disappointment. On 
the other hand let me say that if produc¬ 
tion is kept limited to relatively few indi¬ 
viduals serving respectively the various 
cities of the State, these individuals may 
secure profit from their undertaking. To 
do so, however, the individual must first 
know how to grow grapes, he must then 
enter the business on a basis of renewing 
or replacing his vineyard approximately 
every five to six bearing years. During 
the entire life of the vineyard he must 
fight to control insect and disease ene¬ 
mies. If he prunes severely to produce 
