The Emporia news. [volume] (Emporia, Kan.) 1859-1881, 1863-05-16
FARMERS DEPARTMENT..
THE VINE.
Manner of Cultivation of
the Crop. d-fss

I
since. As several of our Lyon county far
lners are just commencing. on smalfscale,
1.-The cultivation of the grape, we consider
this good article to publish:
Of the manner in which
it should be cultivated to be successful,
will now speak. To plant out vineyard
successfully, we ought to consider, first,
LOCATION AND SOIL.
! The best exposure, if it is desired to pro-
| duee good aOine, is the southern exposure.
1of bill or hillock. There, the Yinas get
! get the proper sunshine. and are also prop
erly protected against storms, especially the
north and northeast winds. A location
giving an exposure midway between east
and south, is also favorable, because such
an exposure gets the sunshine from morn
ing ull pretty late in the evening.
A due eastern exposure is less favorable,
since it loses the sun too early; it is ever
exposed to eastern winds and frosts. Hills
and hillocks are far better for vine culture
than plains, which latter may produce
greater quantity of wine, but it is invariably
of poorer quality.
Yellow or blue clay soil Is not favorable
for vineyards, because upon such soils nei-
Their the atmosphere, nor the sun, rain or
dew, can operate as they should. and hence
there is danger that the vine will be affected
by the wet rot Since | have been growing
the vine here 1852. have observed vari-
Gus other causes why vineyard should not
be planted out except on due southern ex-
posture, and not at all on ground which has
heavy clay soil; but not wishing to take
up too much space, l have only stated the
most important reasons why vineyard
should not be planted out on any other than
southern exposure, nor on heavy sci,
where sticky, blue or yellow clay predomi-
mates.
If you plant your vineyard on the south
ern hillside, there exists, however, a great
difference between the foot, the middle, and
the crest of the hill The middle gives the
best wine; the foot is more or less subject
to frosts, and does not receive adequately
the suns rays; while the crest is too much
exposed to cold winds, in addition to It's soil
being very seldom good enough. Vine
yards should never be planted along deep
valleys, bottoms or gorges which run east
and west, since such almost invariably pro-
duee, in winter especially, constant drafts
of wind, and they are more or less injuri-
Gus.
The soil most to be preferred in our State
is, think, rich loan, mixed with some
gravel or mari.
PREPARATION OF THE GROUND.
! II. This matter embraces the foundation
of the whole subject of vine culture-and
therein nearly every vineya ard yet planted in
America, as far as l have seen and learned,
| is defective. Labor is so extremely high in
the United States, and especially here, as to
make it seem to US almost impossible to
start vineyard as it should be. Our best
| vineyards in the United States are spaded up
but two feet. The few men, who beside my
self, have undertaken to plant vineyards in
Kansas, have, according to the best inform
alton could get, only sunk holes two feet,
or perhaps 80 inches deep; while vineyard
to do any good and last any length of time,
should be spaded up 80 to 36 inches at
| least. The vineyard | started in 1859 6
to 10 acres) had been dug up-lrenched to
the depth of from 80 to Sc inches; and by
the time l gathered my first grapes in 1861,
the average cost per acre of vineyard lowing
to high wages, &c. was not less than $500
per acre. But even at such high expense,
an acre planted in vines will pay better than
80 or more acres of corn-the average clear
! yield of the former not being less than from
$3.50 to $3.50 per annum, and sometimes
more, in excellent years.
But to the point. To prepare the ground
well, trench A feet wide should be dug,
and to the depth of at least 80 inches. Into
this first trench, say feet wide and 80
inches deep and as long as the vineyard
may be, say 100 yards, is then thrown g
inches of the surface soil of the next trench,
and so on, until the first trench has been
entirely filled up from what has been dug
| out of the second trench. The second
trench, when formed, is again filled up in
the same manner from the soil taken out of
! the third trench, and so on, until all the
! trenches of the vineyard have been formed
| The ground, thus spaded up. should be
| permitted to settle we'll before the vines are
! planted; therefore, the best method is, TO
trench in the fall and plant in the spring.
| The trenches should be FIVE feet apart from
center to center.
There are other plans of preparing the
ground. One is to make large hole, an
other to pillow deep and subsoii; but would
not recommend either of these methods, as
know from European experience, and from
that OF American vine growers, that Elne-
yard planted out in this manner, will only
last from 10 to Is years, while a vineyard
where the ground has been well prepared.
viii last from 30 to loo years, and yield ali
the time better "a
/ III. The propagation and multiplication
/ Of UssaeS. and hot0 to plant them.
/ No plant that / can now think of is capa-
bic of SO varied means of propagation as the
grapevine. A grapevine can be pFopaga-
ted from the seed, from cuttings. by layers,
and By incubation and grazing.