392 
THE NATIONAL NURSERYMAN 
A CAREFUL REVIEW OF THE GRAPE SITUATION, 
PAST AND PRESENT. 
In reply will say that the grape season just about coming 
to a close has been an unusually hard one for the grower, for 
two reasons, viz.: a short crop and low prices. The poor 
crop in my opinion was entirely owing to unfavorable con¬ 
ditions the year before. Many years ago when grape grow¬ 
ing in this section was yet in its infancy and long before we 
had any seriously injurious diseases and insect pests on the 
vines the rule was to plant vines eight by eight feet apart 
and tie up four or less canes some three to four feet long, 
according to the size and vigor of the vine. In those days 
we used to grow so much wood that the new canes of one 
row would grow over and interlock with those on the one 
adjoining. No doubt mere wood and less fruit was dften 
grown than was for the best interests of the grower. Since 
then vineyardists have learned to grow.grapes to the limit, 
often putting up five to ten and more canes to the vine, 
causing overbearing, especially in unfavorable growing sea¬ 
sons or, when exposed to the ravages of insects and disease. 
Such a season we had last year. 
Grapes like corn and 
tomatoes love hot weather 
but the season of 1907 was 
cool throughout, with sev¬ 
eral hail storms; and as if 
this was not enough the 
grape root worm which had 
been operating and increas¬ 
ing for several seasons put 
in his deadliest work. 
Owing to the cool weather 
and in some cases heavy 
crops, grapes ripened very late, some not at all. On or about 
Oct. 20th, there came a killing frost to cap the climax. The 
condition now was this: Owing to the cool season the growth 
of wood was very short and owing to the early frost only a 
part got ripe and even that not in good condition. In places 
hail had also done much damage. The prospect for another 
crop was bad. Most growers realized that they were up 
against something serious. I verily believe that had the 
winter of ’07 to ’08 been dry and severe it would have used 
up a large part of our vineyards. However, it was wet and 
not too cold so that vines sustained no further injury. Upon 
taking inventory of the situation it was apparent that rais¬ 
ing even an average crop of grapes another season was out of 
the question, but that instead he had to hustle to save his 
vineyard. He made all sorts of resolutions. He who had 
been bragging that he could grow grapes with less fertilizers 
than any other crop, together with him who remembered 
that he never fertilized at all, solemnly resolved to do so 
this time. He pruned them, not with a view of growing the 
largest possible crop but with the idea of saving the vines 
and to grow wood. Then he cultivated thoroughly and 
sprayed with poison and bordeaux mixture both aghinst the 
root worm and disease. All this effort, together with a good 
warm season revived the vineyards to a large extent. Not 
as good as ever, but very much improved over last year and 
there is at present prospects for a very fair crop of fruit 
another season. Not but that there are 'still worthless 
vineyards here and there that had better be pulled up and 
planted to something else, but the majority are in pretty 
fair shape. If they are as free from the root worm next 
season as they have been this, together with better fertiliz¬ 
ing, cultivation and spraying as practiced this season, it will 
soon put them in condition for maximum crops again. 
The poor price received this- season is also laid to a com¬ 
bination of several causes. The main one being, but little 
demand for wine grapes. I think it is estimated that 
usually about one-half of our grape crop is used in making 
wine and unfermented grape juice. Last year the grapes 
ripened but poorly as above stated and froze about Oct. 
20th. Still the demand for manufacturing was as brisk, and 
they brought as good prices as though they had ripened up 
thoroughly and were of good quality. However, the result¬ 
ing product was not very popular and is at this time, to a 
great extent, stiff in “original packages.” Another reason 
for the poor price is the extreme earliness and heat of the 
season. They came in competition with-a large crop of all 
sorts of fruit as peaches, plums, pears and apples. Hot 
weather also is unfavorable 
to the shipping and keep¬ 
ing of grapes, as well as 
other fruit. Another rea¬ 
son is the poor quality of 
last reason’s crop. Con¬ 
sumers remembered that 
they were poor and sour 
and did not want any more 
grapes, especially when 
there was a great assort¬ 
ment of other choice fruits 
to select from. In fact all the blame for bad results this 
season is to be laid to the unfavorable summer and faff 
of 1907. 
How will this condition of things effect the planting of 
new vineyards? Well, in the case of people who are guided 
by temporary conditions only; who buy sheep when wool and 
mutton are high and sell them again when cheap to buy high 
priced cattle; who only plant potatoes when the seed is high; 
such people will not plant many while the vines are good and 
cheap, they wait until they are .high again. But there is 
another class who look over these temporary conditions 
into the future; who see an ever increasing demand for 
grapes and grape products beyond that of mere increase of 
population and who also see that the poor and neglected 
old vineyards must be replaced. On business people of this 
stamp the present temporary depression will have no effect 
whatever, except that good cheap vines will cause them to 
plant all the more. 
We have had a remarkable season for the production of 
nursery vines. In all of my 33 years experience as a propa¬ 
gator I never had so large and fine a crop of vines. On cut¬ 
tings, tops of 12 to 18 inches are the rule while those of two 
to three feet are not uncommon and the roots are on propor¬ 
tion to the top. 
Very truly yours, 
Fredonia, N. Y. Lewis Roesch. 
