Culture of the Grape

Culture of the Grape

iv CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. BY W. C. STRONG. BOSTON: J. E. TILTON AND COMPANY. 1867. . See UE TOR. 866,5 ° ~~ _ HARVARD COLLEGE LIBRARY GIFT OF JAMES STURGIS PRAY ar IS) (TAe N 4 : . Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1866, Br W. .C. STRONG, . In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the District of Massachusetts. , STEREOTYPED BY C. J. PETERS & SON. PRESS OF GEO. C. RAND & AVERY. -~ PREFACE. ITHIN a few years, the cultivation of the Grape has become a subject of extraordinary interest in the United States. New varieties have been so multiplied, and the expectation is so strong ” that some of these will prove to be of superior value, that almost every landholder is induced to grow this favorite fruit. The success of its culture has indeed ‘ proved so encouraging, that multitudes are planting extensive vineyards in all parts of the country, both for the purpose of supplying our markets with an abundance of this fruit, unequalled in its health- giving qualities, and also for the more questionable purpose of wine-making. Grape-growing is destined to become a vast inter- est in our land. Our soil and climate, though not 6 6 PREFACE. adapted for the open-air culture of European varie- ties, yet encourage the most luxuriant growth of native kinds almost throughout the length and breadth of our vast domain. Bountiful Nature has done for us all that we can reasonably ask. The work left’ for us is to seek for good varieties, and give them generous culture. Difficulties there are and will be; yet these are such as ought to stimulate rather than discourage. — The general principles of grape-culture are well understood ; and yet there are differences of opin- ion, different modes of pruning and training, which, however slight they may seem to be in themselves, become of great importance when applied to so vast an interest. It is with a desire to contribute my mite from my own experience that I have prepared this treatise. In order that the work may embrace the combined experience of practical and scientific minds, I have availed myself of such helps as were at hand, especially relying upon Prof. Harris for de- scriptions of injurious insects, and upon numerous writers in our horticultural Monthlies for practical suggestions. In order that it may be a guide to the inexperi- enced, it has been my aim to give plain, simple, con- cise rules, not novel, but practical and approved. PREFACE. vi Recent authors have done good service in this direc- tion; yet it has appeared that further suggestions might be made. Especially is it hoped that the col- lected experience in regard to rot and mildew, and the modified methods of training, may prove to be of general value. In this hope, I submit the book to the public. W. C. STRONG. NoONANTUM HILL, BRIGHTON, MASs., , January, 1866. CONTENTS. CHAPTER L HISTORY AND CHARACTERISTICS OF The Vine indigenous to Asin... 2.2220. Large size of the Vine and Fruit . Cultivated in the earliest ages. . Hampton-Court Vine...... Largest American Vines Longevity of the Vine. ..... Variety of forms and conditions . Value of the Wine Interest... . Table of European Wine Product . Price of Wines .... 2. eee Price of Vineyards .......0- . . eee ee . . . . . . . . . . . . e © © © ow ew ew ee e © © te ew ew ew . . . . . . . . . First attempts at culture in the United States Culture in Ohio... wee eee eee eee Culture in California... 2-2. ee eeee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER IL BOTANY AND HYBRIDIZATION. Botanic Name. ........2-e20- European and American Species. . Subdivision of Species. ..... Inflorescence .....2...20- Hybridization .. 1... Letter from E.8. Rogers. ..... Rules for hybridizing .......- eo ee oe ee ee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER [. PROPAGATION OF By Seed. we eee ee te eee Sowing the Seed... .....6. Treatment of the Seedlings .... Propagation by Single Eyes... . . . . . . . . THE . . eee oe oe we we ww CD Cr ey er) Cy Cr ey eo 0 ee we ww . . . . . . . eo © © © we we GRAPE. . . Ix: Cy . . . . . . . ey ee eo we ew ew ey ee oe we we ow THE VINE. rr er ey Cr ey oe ee ey 28 rd BRESUNR “ESSER x CONTENTS. Preparing the Eyes... 2.2 eee seesesscecne Pruping-knife . 0... eee eee reer src ceces Form of Eyes... cee ccc cece res cesnecwe Cuttings in Hot-beds.... 02sec cceerscvecses Propagating-house . 2.22622 ee eee ce recs Water-tanks. 2... 2c cee cere ee reer cece Slate-tanks 2... 2c eee creer esr cre cene Plan of Propagating-house ..... 222s eeeeee Succession-houses . 2... eee eee eee eee os Ridge and Furrow Houses. ... 2.2 eeeeceeee Eyes for the Propagating-house ......eseeee0% Potting the Eyes 2... ee ee eee eee wee ene Planting in Inside Borders. 2.6... 20 eee ceees Planting in Frames... 2. eee eee eee ec cne Winter Protection. .. 0... eee ee eee seen Soft-wood Cuttings . 0.7... 2... ee wee ee eee Cuttings inthe Open Air. . ...6 22 ee ec ee vene The Mallet Form. ....... we tc ewe ewe A Primitive Method... 2... 2c eee eee ccces Cutting with several joints... 0... 222 cece Soil of the Cutting-bed. 2.1... eee ere v ons Planting the Cuttings in the Bed. .....20 2. 2eee Other Forms of Cuttings ........0000 cee CHAPTER IV. LAYERING AND GRAFTING. Form of Layer .... Layering Stool «2... ee cee eee cree cen Grafting, an ancient art... 2.0.2.0 0 0c e see Rapid growth of Grafts... 0... 02 ceeeccece Bleeding of the Vine... 2.2.2... eee ee eeeese Directions by Chaptal. .. 2.2... 0. ee ee eeee Form of Scion. 6. 6 ee ee ee ee eee ween ene Grafting after growth has started... ......020. Grafting inthe Fall... eee eee we cr rca Winter protection. .. . ee eee rec reverses Whip-grafting. ... 2... cece eee v eserves Grafting-wax .....0 ccc eee cessevece a | Ce rr a eS ee ? oe we ew we ed eo 6 8 © ee ew we ew ww re a Od D ee ee ww te we CY eo 8 © ew we ew se ee ew ee ee we ee ww re er ee er ? oe we ee Ce ee ey Ce ey SRANISSRSPEKSSELESSSSESSLSES SSSRFGREBSASSIN 3 CONTENTS. CHAPTER V. SOIL AND SITUATION. Price of Choice Lands... .....2500.6 Characteristics of European Soils .........+. Characteristics of Hungarion Soils. ......2.. Analysis of Chateau Margaux. .....-.e006 Different conditions for Table-fruit or for Wine . . . Advantage of deep valleys... 2. eee eee eee Aspect of hill-slopes. . 26 6s eee eee eee ee Aridexposures 2.0... eee cece en sene Effect of the removal of Forests. ....-...00. Uniformity of Temperature and Humidity. ..... Mechanical texture of the soll. ......-2-2006. Preparation of the soil .. 2. 2s eee ee eee Compost manures. ...-..eeeececevrecs Trenching and ploughing .......+ceeeee Terracing . 2... eee reece eee wre er eee Vine-border8 . 1... se eeeecervcrccvee Carcasses and slaughter-offal . 2... 256.5000 Bones of large size. . 2. 2. eee eee ee wns CHAPTER VI. PLANTING. Comparative value of Large and Small Vines . . . . Tender Fibres of little value. . 2... 2.2.2 eee Extra No.1 Vines. 2... eee eee rcccvee Management of No. 2 Vines. 2... + eee eevee Fall and Spring Planting .......--.-+-2ee- Rules for Planting. «2... 2.2 es ec ecceee Training the young shoot .. 2... es eeeee CHAPTER VIL MODES OF TRAINING. Habit of wild Vines ......+..-. Vines in tree-tops 2. 0 eee cee eee eens Advantage of the Horizontal Position. ..... Advantage of nearness to the ground ...... Form under Glass... 6. eee ee ee eee ay ee ee wp ew i ey oe eo we ew wo = 8 ew we ew eo © © & © © © we ww ew ew oo ee ew we ee we ee [i ee we ee eo 8 © 2 ew wo Cr a ee ew we a se ew we Cr oe ee Cr rr ry Cr a oe © © © ew a ee we ew ew ew se ew ew - 100 . 1 . 112 . 112 . 113 . 2114 - 214 . 7 - 118 - ID + 119 « +120 » +120 xm Ohfo Bow System ...... Tree Form of Training . . . Spiral or Cork-screw Form . The Thomery Form ..... . . . . . The Thomery Form for High Walls Advantages of the Thomery Form. _ Disadvantages of the Thomery Form The Single-arm Form .°......% The Horizontal-branch System .. . Prof. Lindley’s Opinion ....... Advantages of the Horizontal Form . Modified Forms of the Horizontal System . Comparative Value of Various Forms. . . . . . ° . . . . . ° . . ° . . . eee © & © ww ww Pr ee er rr ed ee © © ee & © ow ew ew ew “CONTENTS. Cr ee © © ee ee ew we ew ° CHAPTER VIII. DISTANCES AND TRELLISES. Distances for the Spiral Form . Laying out the Vineyard. . . Distances for Trellises... . Form of Trellis ....... Material for the Trellis ... Construction and Painting. . The Horizontal Trellis... . . . . . . . Points of Compass for the Rows . Training for Family Use. .... Form for Double Cordons ... . Form for vacant spots in the Garden . . . . . . . . . . Cr Training upon Arbors. ......-. High Trellises... 2.2. c ee eee Horizontal Training in Front of Buildings . . . . . . . . . . . . . eo 8 f © © we oe ew ew ee ee & © © oe oe we ew ew ee rr . . . . . ° . . . . . . . . . . . . . ° . . . . . . . . . CHAPTER IX. SUBSEQUENT MANAGEMENT AND PRUNING. Description of the different parts of the Vine Second Year of the Vineyard Growth of Cane....... Checking the Growth .... Formation of Arms... . Fall Pruning and Covering . Third Year... . eee eee Tying the Branches ..... . . . . . . . . . ° . . eeceee ee ee . . . . ee © . . . . . . . ° . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ° . . . . . . . . er es eo © © © © we ew we ow wo ee ee ew ow Cr er ee ey re ry 7 © © © & © © ow ew ee ee oe © ee ee Ce ee ee ee ec we we ww oe 2 ee ew te ew ew ww Cr 7 8 © © we ew ow oe ee we ew ow ee © © © © &e © we we 7 © © © & © © ow ew ew ee lew eo © ee © ee & we ew ew ew oe © © ew ew ew ee © © © © © © we ew ew ow ce 0 © © & © © © ee ew ew ee ee © © © © © © ew ew Ce oe © © © eo Cr Y ee © © & © © we ow ew ew ew o - 221 + 124 - 141 « © 142 - 148 oo 1% «616 o 6 146 - 147 - 148 - - 150 161 - 182 - 158 o 14 - 155 - 156 oe ee we - 157 - 150 - 160 - 161 - 162 - 168 ". 164 - 16 oe © © © ee CONTENTS. Summer checking .... 2.22250. Nature’s Method of checking growth .. Severe checking at Thomery ...... Undue vigor at the top of upright shoots Uniform development of the horizontal branch Short-spur Pruning ...... Annual Renewal .... 2. The Alternate or Long Spur . . Objection to the Alternate Spur . Its occasional use. . 2. 2» . . e eee . . . . . ° . . . . . . . . ee ee Cr ee ew eo CHAPTER X. ‘METHODS OF HASTENING MATURITY. Nearness to the ground an advantage The Ringing Process ....... Its introduction into England... Effect upon the Fruit and Vine . Time and mode of performing it Best suited for the Long Spur . Partial protection by Glass. . Sashes for the Vineyard.:. . Colored Walls. ....+66. Close board-fenoes ...... CHAPTER XL Analysis of the Ashes of the Vine ‘Wood and Coal Ashes... . Value of Bones ........ Action of Lime ........ Sulphur. ........20. Gypsum, or Plaster of Paris. . . . ‘eo © © © we . . . . . . . . ° . Cr re Pr ry ry . . . . . . . . . . . MANURES. . . . . . . . ° . . . . . . . . . . ° Coal-ashes contain Sulphate of Lime Specific food for each stage of growth Various kinda of fertilizing matter . Fertilizing effect of Rain. ..... Analysis of Rain-water ....... Rain-fall of various Grape-districts . Effect of excessive Rain eee eee Time of applying top-dressings. . . Mulching . 0.25 0s eu eee ee . . . . . - ° . . . . . . . . . Ce ee Ce ee eo © © © © © © © © we ew ew wl el CY oe 6 © © © wo ew ew ew we ee ew . . . . . . . . ° ° ° Cr ey Cr a Cr er ey a . . . . ° . . . ° . . Cr ee re Cr ey . . . . ° . . . . . . ee & © © © © © ew we ew ew ew Cr ey . . ° . ° ° . ° . . . Ce ee Cr ey . . . ° . ¢ ° . . . . - © @ © © © © © © © © ee ew ow ee ce we we we ew ew ww Cr er a oy Ce ee ee e © © we ew ew ww ee © © oe ew we ew eo 6 @© © © © © ew ee te ew ltl lw Cr eee oe we we ew ew ew wo Cr ee ee ee we ew ew ww ee © © eo ew te we tw ee oe © © © oe ee ee ew ew eee © © ew ew ew wo ‘ ee ee we we we ww ew Cer ee ee ee ee oe © eo we ew wo Ce - 166 166 - 170 -171 178 . 173 174 176 2177 178 - 17 - 180 - 180 181 - 182 - 188 - 185 - 186 - 187 - 190 - 198 19 Different species Dampness favorable to its growth CHAPTER XII. CONTENTS. DISEASES. Mildew in the earliest Ages. ........ Discovery of its nature ...... Cr ey “Three ways to resist Mildew ... Guarding against attack Deficiency of Potash acause . .. Sudden Changes ......2..-. Microscopic appearance of Mildew . . . ee ee . Mildew cannot exist upon healthy foliage Protection of Overhanging Cornice .... Effect of Dew and Rain ........ Uniform Temperature of Kelly’s Island Copings and Projecting Cornices Free Circulation of Air... Destroying the Fungus Salt as a remedy. . Sulphur more certain . Modes of application . M. Newbert’s remedy . . Effect of Sulphurous Gas . A Direct Poison to the Fungus . Sulphur in solution more powerful . Strength of the solution. ...... Sulphur, Preventive of Black Rot. . . . . . . . eee oe ee . . . . . . . . . ee fe ee . . . . . . oe © e ee se ew ee 2 8 ee oe ee oe © © eo eo we we ee he oe ee CHAPTER XII. INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE Importance of guarding against The Rose-chafer. . . The Flee-beetle . . . Thrip or Vine-hopper Remedies for the Thrip Vine-scale...... Mealy-bug...... Red Spider ..... Sphinx Caterpillars . . eo ee we . . . . 4 . . . oe es we ew oe ew we ee ee oe © © we ee ee oe we we eee we ee ee oe we oe eo ee we ee oe 8 © © © 8 oe © © © ew ew eee ee oe ee CY ee ee ew ew . . ee ee ee ee ww . . oe 8 © we VINE. oe we we we ew ew . oe we we oe © oe we ww eo - ee oe eo ww oe © we oe we ee se we ee oe oe eo oe ee eee ee we ee oe oe we we ow ee © eo ew ow ee ec eee ee ee eee oe we eo we ee ee we oe © © eo we 8 ee eo . eo © © we re ee . . . . . . . ee se eo ow ee oe © © © © we wo oe © ee oe 8 eee ee Bl CONTENTS. . . . . . Achemon Sphinx . . Hog Caterpillar... Blue Caterpillar ........ Procris Americana. ..... False Caterpillar ...... Leaf-rollers ....... Sun-scald ... 2.66. . Birds ....- eee ee eee eee eee oe oe eee oe ee ee oe oe we ee ee 3 CHAPTER XIV. VARIOUS ITEMS. Thinning the Fruit . . ee ee oe rd Thinning the Foliage........... Gathering the Fruit. .......6... Yield of Fruit per Acre ..... Yield of Wine. .....-..20. Average Product on Kelly’s Island ..... . oe Preserving the Fruit .........-. Plan for a Fruit-house ..... ; Chloride of Calcium as an absorbent Suspension of the clusters... . Packing in Boxes ...-..... Packing in Earthen Jars .... Branches inserted in Bottles... . Wine-making........... Sparkling Wines......... Stil Wines... 6 ee ee ee ee Addition of Sugar. ....... CHAPTER XV. UNDER CULTURE Effect of a slight protection . . . The Cold Grapery...... Its Construction. ..... Mode of Training ..... Ventilation... ....... Plan for raising the Ventilators . oe ee . . . . . Water-tank «2... 2 ee ee eee Forcing-grapery.....2.s2+. Polmaise-heating ........ Hot-water System. ....... eee ee eee oe . . . eee eee oe occ ee wee see eee se eee see eee one see rr rs » 285 wee ee eww eae + 285 . . . . + 286 oe wee ewes + 287 oe re a ere 2.) oe eee ee we we ew 3 B8 o ewe ww ww ww eo oe oe oe oe o- oe oe we oe . . oy . wee ee oe 6 6 279 we wee see eo 6 2 oe ee eee 6 288 GLASS. ww ee eee we wwe LB eee ee we eww LM wee ee ew we ew LF eee eee we we 6 205 eee ewww e ee + + 296 eee ee ooo 6 297 wee oe ee 2 207 eee ee we we 288 eee ee we 0 oe OI eee ew we LO ” xvi CONTENTS, Retarding-house....... Borders... 2.22200 Inside and Outside Borders . The First Year.......-. The Second Year ....... . Summer Checking. ..... Pruning and starting the Vines Pot Culture. ........-- Diseases under Glass .... . o 8 © © oe ww . . . . . . . . . . a D Cr Y oe ee eee cece eee a rr ee ee oee ec eee ee ee ree ee eee ev eoe ee ‘CHAPTER XVI. DESCRIPTION Their Number and Character .... . Exotic Kinds .........2.0. Sclect List of Exotic Kinds... .. Native Kinds ........2020-8 A Select List of the most prominent . Recent Varieties promising well. . . . A General List ......220.00. OF . . . . . . . . re er er ery VARIETIES. eee erecee ee ee eee re ee ee ewe ee ec eoeeee ee Cr ee ey ee © © eo ow ee oe eo eo ee ew ee oe e ee 8 Cy ry ee ee ee ee ee © ew ew ow eo © © © © we ew ew ew eo 8 © © oe eo "es eo eo ee ee o 6 © © ee oe ee er ee er - 300 - 300 - 303 - 504 - 805 - 306 - 307 - 310 - 812 . 313 - 37 - 828 + 330 - $42 36 CHAPTER I. HISTORY AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE VINE. HE apple tempted our first parents to their fall. So also Noah’s vineyard brought shame to himself, and a curse upon Ham; and untold evil has followed in the train. Yet we cherish these best gifts of Mother Earth, and acquit them of all complicity in guilt. The - vine is indigenous to Asia, and, as we see in the case of Noah, was cultivated in the very infancy of our race. Mention of the vine is constantly made in the Bible. Canaan is called “a land of wheat and barley and vines.” It is a well-authenticated fact, that the vines and the bunches of grapes in Palestine were of an almost in- 11 12 CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. credible size; so that the description of the cluster cut at the Brook Eshcol, and borne “between two upon a staff” by the spies, is not at all improbable. Stephen Schultz relates, “At Beitdjin, a village near Ptolemais, we took our supper under a large vine, the stem of which was-nearly a foot and a half in diameter, the height about thirty feet, and covered with its branches a hut more than fifty feet long and broad. The bunches of these grapes are so large, that they weigh from ten to twelve pounds; and the grapes may be compared to our plums.” Foster, in his Hebrew Dictionary, under the word “Eshcol,” says, “I knew at Nurnburg a monk of the name of Acacius, who had resided eight years in Pal- estine, and had also preached at Hebron, where he had seen bunches of grapes which were as much as -two men could conveniently carry.” Christopher Neitz- schutz, who travelled through Palestine in the year 1634, speaking of his excursions on the Jewish moun- tains, says, “I can say with truth that I saw and ate of bunches of grapes which were each half an ell long, and the grapes two joints of a finger in length.” These accounts are worthy of entire credence, and are indeed surpassed by the grapes of Damascus at the present day, which are often found to weigh twenty-five pounds to the COLTURE OF THE GRAPE. 1d bunch. According to Heutius, the vines in Crete and Chios afforded clusters of from ten to forty pounds weight each. A bunch of Syrian grapes, produced in a vinery at Welbeck in England, weighed nineteen pounds. It was sent as a present from the Duke of Portland to the Mar- quis of Rockingham, and conveyed a distance of twenty niles on a staff by four laborers, two of whom bore it in rotation. That great attention was given to the culture of the vine in the earliest ages is evident from the fact that Homer and Herodotus make frequent mention of it, and that Theo- phrastus and Dioscorides treat of it in several chapters. Yet it was known to the Egyptians long before these times; representations of the careful culture of the vine, of the treading-out of the juice, and of the storing of the wine in jars, being all discovered in the paintings within their tombs. A still stronger implication is found in the dream of the chief butler, in Gen. xl. 9: “In my dream, behold, a vine was before me, and in the vine were three branches; and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot forth; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe grapes. And Pharaoh’s cup was in my hand; and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.” Probably, however, the vine was 14 CULTURE OF THE GRAPR. not native to Egypt. The most ancient writers mention it as a native of the hilly region on the southern shore of the Caspian, in the Persian province of Ghilan. Strabo says, that “in the Margiana, a country south-west of the Caspian Sea, now called Ghilan, there are vines which two men can scarcely span, the bunches of which are of ex- traordinary length.” Speechly, in his treatise on the vine, page 182, says, “Such another in Margina is spoken of by Strabo, that was twelve feet in circumference.” Probably this is the estimated distance, by Speechly, which two men would be able to span. But it must be regarded as -an over-estimate, as it is scarcely credible that a vine could be twelve feet in circumference. We know, however, that columns in Juno’s temple at Metapont, and also a statue of Jupiter for the city of Apollonium, were made from the wood of the vine. The great doors of the cathedral at Ravenna are made of vine-planks, some of which are twelve feet long and fifteen inches broad. The Hampton-Court vine is the most famous in England. It was planted in 1769, and now covers over twenty-two hundred square feet; having a stem thirty inches in cir- cumference at three feet from the ground, and bearing an annual crop of about a ton of Black Hamburg grapes. It has preduced twenty-five hundred large bunches in 3 CULTURB OF THE GRAPE. 16 single season; but the crop is not as large as formerly. The main cane is a hundred and twenty feet long, and covers the entire roof of the houses, which is seventy feet long and thirty feet wide. . _ In this country, until recently, the largest vine was sup- posed to be at Burlington, N.J. Two feet from the ground, it measured, in 1858, six feet two and a half inches in girth: four feet high, it is about six inches less. On pacing the circumference covered by the branches, it was found to exceed a hundred feet. It has never borne a grape in the memory of a lady now ninety-eight years old, to whom it was a wonder in her youth. In the “ Horticulturist,” vol. i. p. 530, it is described as standing on a farm called West Hill, two miles from Burlington, and measuring six feet one inch round the trunk at three feet from the ground, and at ten feet high it is three feet in cireumference. “Its giant folds run over and cover four trees, one of which is a full-sized oak, and the others are quite large.” But it was reserved for our Golden State to eclipse the world in ‘natural products. The“ Alta Californian” thus describes it: “ At Monticito, four miles from Santa Barbara, there is a grape-vine, probably the largest in the world. Its dimen- sions and yield would be incredible, were it not that my informant is a man of veracity, and speaks from personal 16 CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. observation. It is a single vine, the main stock being ten feet in circumference. It is trained upon a trellis sixty feet in diameter. My informant, with another person, counted seven thousand bunches; and the estimated yield was eighteen thousand pounds of fruit. (Can this be beaten?” It is difficult to estimate the longevity of the vine, the yearly growth not being distinctly marked, as is the case © with many trees. That it, however, attains a great age, is beyond question. Pliny names a vine which was six hundred years old. The vines of Italy bear fruit for three hundred years, and vines a hundred years of age are accounted young. Professor Bosc states. that there are vines in Burgundy upwards of four hundred years old. Doubtless there are vines of much greater age, were we able to ascertain the fact. At least, it is evident that the vine, under favorable circumstances, may be regarded as “a permanent institution.” It is surprising under what variety of conditions the vine exists. The instances of size which are cited above indi- cate that the vine aspires to overtop the mightiest mon- archs of the forest, and overspreads a surface of even two hundred feet in circumference. In contrast, the vines in the most famous vineyards of France and the Rhine are CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 17 the merest bushes, — only from two to three feet in height. By nature, it is evident the vine is a great rambler. We are to study this nature, and control it to our greatest advantage. The paramount object in the culture of the grape has been the obtaining of wine. This has been, and will continue to be, more especially true of some countries than " of others. The extent of this manufacture will be surpris- ing, and almost incredible, to those who are unacquainted with the statistics. The following table, extracted from a recent work by Gustave Rawald, and reduced to Federal currency by A. Maraszthy, gives some idea of the immense value of this interest : — AVERAGE WINE PRODUCTION OF EUROPE. Acres, Gallons. Gal. pr Acre. Austria ........e.0005 sees 2,685,950 714,000,000 265 Greece and islands.......... 41,781 8,160,000 195.8; Jonian Islands (for raisins over 42,000,000 Ibs.)........- 35,812 1,224,000 384} | 2,887,970 1,275,000,000 4414 Switzerland and Belgium. ... 76,490 2,550,000 33g France......eeceeeeeeeeees 5,018,774 884,000,000 176% Spain........2.006- seeeeee 955,004 144,500,000 151,%, Portugal..........0+ sesseee 288,751 25,500,000 106.8, Germany.....- eee e eee eee 350,338 52,105,000 148,48, Total...... ve ceeeeeees 12,285,780 8,107,039,000 250 18 CULTURE OF THE GRAPE, . In round figures, the aggregate number of acres in oulti- vation in Europe for the production of wine is twelve mil- ‘lions. The number of gallons produced is three billions. The value, at an average price to the producer of twenty-five cents per gallon, would give the enormous - gum of $776,759,750. But this estimate of twenty-five cents per gallon is really applicable only to the common wines, which, it is true, are produced in much larger quantity than the choice brands. Though the table indi- cates great inequality in the number of gallons produced per acre, yet the actual profit on each acre may not be go . unequal. For example, Italy is put down in the table as averaging four hundred and forty-one gallons per acre. This must be very light wine, commanding a low price; probably less than twenty-five cents to the producer. On the other hand, the Swiss wines of the Rhine, pro- duced at an average of thirty-three and three-cighths gallons per acre, will probably yield a larger revenue than the same amount of land in Italy. In the exami- nation of a list of sales by auction at Eberach, of wine in barrels, of the vintages of 1857-8 and 9, of which Mumm ‘and other celebrated dealers were purchasers, I find that but little was sold under two dollars per gallon, while the average was between three and four dollars; CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 19 some lots running up to ten dollars, and one lot of a hun- dred and twenty-five gallons being struck off to the King of Hanover at twenty dollars per gallon. It should be borne in -mind that this is the vintner’s price before bot- tling, and previous to any impost duty or trade profit. As a general rule, the quality of the wine is found to be in inverse ratio to the quantity produced. Hence, if we ‘take the average product of European vineyards to be two hundred and fifty gallons per acre, and if we esti- mate the average price to be twenty-five cents per gallon, -we have, as a result, a yield of sixty-two dollars and fifty cents per acre. This is probably not far from a correct estimate. It will be seen that the Rhine acres with ite low product of thirty-three and three-eighths gallons, con- sidering the high price of its wines, will yield a much larger result than the average. In regard to the value of lands in Europe suitable for wine-making, only a very general estimate can be made. In the Burgundy wine-district, clear lands for planting rent at the low rate of about ten dollars per acre per annum for a term of twenty to thirty years. Planted lands rent for about twice this sum. The fee of first-class vineyards is held quite out of proportion to the rental, varying from three to five thousand dollars per acre. 20 CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. Even common second-class vineyards are worth fifteen hundred dollars per acre and upwards. This dispropor tion between the price of the fee and the rental seems strange to an American, but is, to some extent, accounted for by the hereditary dislike to sell real estate, and also by the low rate of interest prevailing in Europe. The following are the prices for which some of the celebrated vineyards of the Bordeaux district have been sold, esti- mating the franc at twenty cents: — Chateau Margaux (200 acres) sold in 1804 for $180,200, equal to $651 per acre. The same was resold in 1836 for $260,000, or $1,300 per acre; an advance of 100 per cent in thirty-two years. Gruaud-Larosse (127 acres) sold in in 1814 for $70,000, about $551 per acre. , Langon, St. Julien (100 acres), sold in 1851 for $180,- 000, or $1,800 per acre. , Mouton (62 acres) sold to M. Rothschild in 1853 for: $225,000, or $3,629 per acre. ; Chateau d’Issan (107 acres) was adjudged to the heirs of the Blanchy estate in 1859 at $95,000, or $887.85 per acre, On the Rhine, the choicest sites are held by wealthy proprietors, and are not for sale at any price. Most of e . CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 21 the lots are small, containing from a quarter of an acre to an acre each: though the celebrated Steinberg, belong- ing to the Duke of Nassau, contains about a hundred acres; and the Johannisberg, belonging to Prince Metter- nich, contains about sixty acres. In this section of the Rhine, there has been no instance of a sale for many years. In case a division takes place among heirs, and the vineyard is too small to divide, it is appraised at eight thousand dollars the morgen, which is somewhat less than an acre; and the retainer pays a due proportion to each of the heirs. It will be observed that the above prices are for lands in the most famous districts. It should also be remembered that the percentage of in- come on these investments, though it may content a — European, would be far from satisfactory to an American. Indeed, it will be found that the European methods and estimates will all require essential modification when ap- . plied to this country. The first attempts to cultivate the vine in the United States were confined to the European varieties. The London Company planted vineyards in Virginia prior to the year 1620, and with such encouraging prospects, that they imported several vignerons from France in the year 1630. Many succeeding atgempts were made by Penn, 22 CULTURE OF THE -GRAPE. and by French, Swiss, and German settlers; but, having depended upon foreign varieties, their efforts have in- variably proved unsuccessful. We are indebted to Mr. John Adlum for the firet really successful efforts, and for — laying a sure foundation for future success. In the early part of this century, Major Adlum planted a vineyard near Georgetown, D.C., consisting principally of native kinds. We shall all agree with him that his obtaining and introducing the Catawba variety into general culti- vation was a new era in our grape history. Major Ad- lum states that.he procured it from Mrs. Schell, at Clarks- burg, Md., and that it was called Catawba by Mr. Schell; but the family knew not whence he procured it. It is said that one exactly similar was found growing wild in Pennsylvania about this time. Major Adlum soon discovered the merits of this va- riety, and pronounced it “the very best wine-grape in the United States;” which opinion has certainly been sus- tained up to the time of the introduction of the Delaware variety, and is still maintained by many vintners up to this date. The Catawba has been planted far more ex- tensively than all other varieties put together, for the exclusive purpose of wine-making. In a letter subse- quently written by Major Adlum to N. Longworth, he CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 23. remarks, “In bringing this grape into publio notice, I have rendered my country 8 greater service than I would have done had I paid the national debt.” Since its first introduction, grape-culture has gradually increased, both for the purposes of fruit and for wine- making. In some States, the last has already become an important interest. Dr. Mosher reports the number of acres devoted to vineyards in the year 1852, within a circle of twenty miles diameter around Cincinnati, O., to be twelve hundred. Of this, the late Nicholas Long- worth owned a hundred and twenty-two and a half acres. The annual product of these twelve hundred acres is esti- mated to be two hundred and forty thousand gallons of wine, or an average of two hundred gallons per acre. Since that time, the interest in the grape has become general throughout the country, and the extent of culture has vastly increased. But it seems to be reserved to our Golden State to eclipse the world in the products of the vine, as well as in other products of the field, the forest, and the mine. In no country does the grape require so little care, and have such entire exemption from disease, and at the same time yield such large and certain returns. The peculiar grape region is said to extend from the southern boundary 24 CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. to a distance of six hundred miles north, with an average breadth of about a hundred miles. In this region, the amount of rain-fall is surprisingly small,—the annual amount at Los Angeles being less than ten inches; and, of this, eight-tenths fall during the winter and spring months. In a work upon “The Resources of California,” Mr. Hittel, the author, says, — “The soil of the vineyards at Los Angeles-and Ana- heim is a deep, light, warm sand. To the inexperienced eye, it looks as though it were too poor to produce any valuable vegetable growth. In Sonoma and Napa Valleys the vineyards are planted in a red, gravelly clay, near the foot of the mountains, or in a light, sandy loam, in the centre of the valley. Of late, the vine-growers of these valleys have done without irrigation. In Santa Clara Valley, most of the vines have been placed in a rich, black loam; but their vineyards are unhealthy. The Sacra- mento vines are planted in sandy loam; those of the Sierra Nevada, in sandy loam or in gravelly clay.” It is worthy of consideration, as exhibiting the nature of rot and mildew, that while California is remarkably exempt from these diseases on account of its dry climate, yet “in Santa Clara, Sonoma, and Alameda Counties, where the vines are planted in a wet, black Joam, or stiff clay,” both of these diseases make their appearance. The CULTURE OF THE GRAPE, 25 statistics of the enterprise of the vineyardiste of that State are unparalleled in the history of the grape. In 1861, we have an account, published in “The Horticultu- rist,” of: the vineyard of William Wolfskill, containing fifty-five acres,‘and ninety thousand vines in bearing, yielding seven hundred thousand pounds of grapes an- nually, and producing fifty thousand gallons of wine. In “The United-States Agricultural Report” for 1862, the estimated number of vines in California in 1861 is placed at 10,592,688, of which Los Angeles County had 2,570,000, and Sonoma 1,701,661. Subsequent to this time, the num- ber has vastly increased. Mr. Speaker Colfax reports, that, during his travels in this State in the summer of 1865, he found one vineyard which alone had upwards of a million of vines. With such rapid increase, the mind staggers | in making estimates for the future. CHAPTER I. BOTANY AND HYBRIDIZATION OF THE GRAPE. 4 he old Latin noun vitis, meaning “vine,” derived from the verb vieo, “to bind with twigs,” was adopt- ed by Tounefort, and accepted by Linnwus, as the botanic name for the grape. Dr. Whittaker expresses thé opinion that it is derived from the noun vis, signifying “strength.” The grape belongs to the natural order Vitacem, and to the class Pentandria and order Monogynia of Linnzus. In the European species, the flowers are generally perfect; but in our native kinds the flowers are frequently imper- fect, the stamens and pistils being separated in different flowers. In common language, the grape is divided into two classes, the European and the American. These two classes are decidedly distinct; and yet there are va- rieties of each family which have so few of these distinc- tions, and approach so nearly to the characteristics of the 28 CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 27 other family, that it is sometimes difficult to determine to which class they belong. The European class, Vitis vini- fera, is but a single species, from which have sprung all the different kinds which have been or now are cultivated in Europe, — probably exceeding two thousand varieties. While these varieties have their own individual habits, more or less distinct, yet they give good evidence of be- longing to the one species vinefera. Which one of these varieties was the parent of all the rest, it is now impossi- ble to determine. Doubtless the number of varieties will go on increasing, the number of seedlings which are likely to be brought forward exceeding the number which will be rejected and lost. Of American grapes, Professor Gray enumerates four distinct species, as follows: 1. V. Labrusca; 2. V. msti- valis; 8. V. cordifolia; 4. V. vulpina. 1. “Leaves woolly beneath; when lobed, having obtuse or rounded sinuses. “Vitis Labrusca, L. (Northern Fox Grape.) Branchlets and young leaves very woolly; leaves continuing rusty and woolly beneath; fertile panicles compact; berries large (one-half to three-fourths inch in diameter); moist thickets common; June; berries ripe in September, dark- purple or amber-color, with a tough, musky pulp. Im- 28 CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. proved by cultivation. It has given rise to the Isabelle Grape, &c. ; “Vitis wstivalis, Michx. (summer grape.) Young leaves ‘downy, with loose, cobwebby hairs beneath, smoothish when old, green above; fertile; panicles compound, long, and slender; berries small (one-third or one-fourth inch in diameter), black, with a bloom; thickets common; climbing high; May, June; berries pleasant; ripe in Octo- ber.” The Delaware is thought by some to be an im- proved variety of this species. . 2 “Leaves smooth, or nearly so, and green on both sides; commonly pubescent on the veins beneath; either incisely lobed or undivided. “V. cordifolia, Michx. (winter or frost grape.) Leaves thin, not shining, heart-shaped, acuminate, sharply and coarsely toothed, often obscurely, three-lobed ; pani- cles compound, large, and loose ; berries small (one-fourth inch broad), blue or black, with a bloom; very acerb, ripening after frost; War. Riparia, with the leaves broader, and somewhat incisely toothed and cut-lobed. Thickets and river-banks; common; May, June. Flow- ers very sweet-scented.” The Clinton is an example of this species. “ V. vulpina, L. (Muscadine or Southern Fox Grape.) CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 29 Leaves shining both sides, small, rounded, with a heart- shaped base, very coarsely toothed, with broad and blunt- ish teeth, seldom lobed ; panicles gmall, densely flowered ; berries large (one-half to three-fourths inch in diameter); musky, purplish, without a bloom; ripe early in autumn. River-banks, Maryland to Kentucky, and southward; May. Branchlets minutely warty; fruit with a thick and tough skin. A variety yields the Scuppernong Grape, &.” Attempts have been made to subdivide into more spe- cies; but it may well be doubted if it can be done with any distinctness. Though we find many distinct varie- ties, which, by careful observation, we can readily clags under one or another of these four species, yet there are many others which are so indistinct, that it is extremely difficult to say to which they belong. This difficulty will go on increasing, and will soon amount to an impossi- bility, as the different species are hybridized, and the seedlings, partaking of the blood of each parent, shall ymingle the characteristics of each. At the present time, the great practical classification is the one first. men- tioned; viz., European