Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1872-02-07
Planting Grape Vines.

From the Journal of Chemistry.
It is surprising that so many families
in the country are willing to live year
after year without cultivating a single
grape vine about their dwellings,. They
are compelled to purchase the delicious
fruit for the table, or not taste it during
the season. There is common impress
sion that to cultivate grapes perfectly
vast amount of knowledge and tact
is required. To many, the simple trim
ming of a vine is mystery, more diff
cult to comprehend than the hardest
problem of Euclid. This is an errone-
Gus view, and ought not to prevail Any
person Of common intelligence can
learn in one hour how to trim and nour-
1sh vines, and if instruction cannot be
obtained of some experienced cIlltiva-
tor, there are books filed with cuts and
illustrations which make everything
plain. Three vines of as many different
varieties, planted In some sandy nook,
or by the side of buildings, so as to
obtain shelter, will, if properly cared
for, furnish many bushel of delicious
grapes every year. Select Concord, a
Delaware, and an Adirondack, make
the ground mellow and rich by the use
of the spade, and by employing old ma
nure, finely ground bones, and ashes,
and set out the plants. In three years
the rich clusters will appear, and in
four years the product will be abundant.
1t is well to have vines planted so that
the waste liquids from the dwelling can
be used in fertilization. If there is any
food the vine specially loves, it is the
soapy liquids which accumulate on
washing days in families. Vines
drenched every week with these liquids
will flourish astonishingly, and extend
themselves SO as to cover large build
ings, every branch bearing fruit. We
say to our readers everywhere, plant
vines.
CULTIVATION, ETC.
For the flst two or three years after
setting the trees should be well Guilt
waited. After they commence bearing
they ought to be MANFRED more or less
every year, according to the strength
OF the soil, and plowed once or twice
for each crop of fruit they bear. This
should be done early in the season, and
when the fruit is on the trees. To
y
ho, or fruit worm, it is absolutely
necessary to pasture the orchard with
hogs sufficient to eat up all the faller
trrl1t, or else to gather up all such fruit
by hand, and in some way destroy the
worms in it.
some persons grow peaches for one
purpose and some for another; I grow
them principally for market. I find il
pays best to have first class fruit.
am also well satisfied, both from obser
vatlon and investigation, that if peach
crop IN this country was divided into
three classes to wit, first. second and
th1rd-rate fruit, the comparative value
per bushel in the market would be about
So for the first class ST for the second.
and SO cents for the third. But for the
purposes of shilling, or feeding hogs.
the difference would not be so great.
Large fruit, if well matured, is the best
class for market. If the fruit on a
peach tree is not to thinly set, it can
be made to yield about as many
bushels of large peaches as of small
Ter ones. A peach tree standing
on thin soil and thickly set with
fruit, and which, without manure. cul-
ture, or thinning of the fruit, VIII Weld
three bushels of third-rate fruit. worth
IN all 81; with manure and cultivation
1T will yield three bushels of second
rate fruit, worth in all SO; and the adj
ditional labor of properly thinning the
fruit, when the size of quaiPs eggs. il
will yield three bushels of first-class
fruit, worth In all &c. It costs as much
to gather and sell a bushel of second o.
third-rate fruit as it does frst-class.
The difference between the prices oil
the second and third-rate fruit will paw
largely for the manure and cultivation.
AS one good hand can thin the
fruit on dozen trees in day.
and, as the Offence between the prices
of the first and second-rate fruit is s.
per bushel, or Sc on the product of one
tree, or $72 on the product of twelve
trees, it shows the enormous profit O
$72 for one days work thinning fruit
Yet but few of our peach growers thin
their fruit This estimate is merely tx
show the great necessity for thinning
fruit Although nine out OF every tel
persons who may try it, may fall shor
of the profits shown by this calcula
ton, yet they will be well rewarded fo1
their labor if they realize 81 per day
for thinning their fruit, which is less
than one-tenth of the amount est
mated.