Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1872-11-22
Cultivation of the Grape.

a prevailing ides exists among many
persons that soft too poor to produce a
crop Of corn is sufficiently good for the
culture of the Grape. 1t is true that such
is Lha case to certain point; the vine may
find natritiye elements in a soil which is
devoid of those necessary to produce a
cereal lit may thrive in ii for q few. years,
and yield some good crops until these ele-
ments have been exhausted, when failure
Of crops inevitably results. This may be
called poverty stricken. Vines need ferti-
lizing as well as any other vegetable which
is expected to produce annual crops Of
fruit; the fertillting material must consist
Of lime, potash, and other ingredients
having salitiable base. Vegetable and
Asnmonioted manures are lot advisable;
oar native varieties are naturally very
rampant growers, they must therefore not
be stimulated in their wood growth.
When a sufficient quantity of nutrition is
annually given to the soil comparatively
good return of fruit can be expected; all
Fertilizers intended for the whey ard should
be applied in s soluble form, easily abb
sorbed by the plant
The best v growing districts of Europe
ere those Of a calcareous formation; in
Spain it is universally admitted by wine
growers that no grape can flourish where
lime does not exist in the soil.
Our great error here is to follow too much
the European method Of training. We have
not only different climate, out different
families of vines from those found in Ger
man and French vineyards. There the Or
dinGrY varieties OF wine-grape seldom at
tain an annual growth of over two or three
feet; mere many of our native varieties I'M
der favorable circumstances perfect canes of
from ten to forty feet. If We follow the
French and German method Of vineyard
culture, planting vines four feet by four or
four feet By six, we must necessarily follow
their system Of close pruning; this, our
rampant growing varieties cannot long
Withstand Close pruning forces our vines
10 form more wood tbaH1s consistent with
its economy; if this is repeated annually
for q series of years our vines be-
come exhausted and fail. The
aim Of the Southern viDeyardist
is 70 study somewhat the natural habits of
orr vines, aud not to follow implicitly the
advice Of European Vin4dressers in all
their teachings. Our native grape vines re-
Quire to be planted at distances not less
than ten feet in the rows; in rich soils still
further apart.
10 pruning, the bearing canes must be
left from four to six feet, and trained in
such a manner as to afford as much shade
as possible. Here again we have to work
for different result from that which the
European vintner expects; he must advance
the maturity Of his grapes by giving them
Sunshine, we must retard it by shading the
fruit. All of our native varieties have 8
dense and luxuriant foliage, which is pro-
vision intended by nature for certain OBJ
ject, that of shading the fruit from the
scorching heat of our summer sun. The
European varieties of Wits ViniferG differ
from ours in that respect by their light
generally deeply fascinated leaves, which
afford lutte protection against the sun
showing in this case that light is essential
TO the psrfecting of this fruit.-Fdrmer and
Gardener