Vermont farmer. [volume] (Newport, Orleans County, Vt.) 1870-1877, 1876-09-29
The Concord Grape.


IL ~ gong HHck
notice this query, Mr.. Editor, in an ag.
ricutural paper lately sent to me, and as
many inquiries of the same tenor have been
made Of me, L will, with your permission
reply to them all through the columns of the
widely disseminated Ploughman.
When the Concord was introduced il
proved to be so hardy, prolific and generally
acceptable, that its cultivation extended rap.
idly through all those parts Of New Eng.
land which were adapted to grape culture
and so constant and abundant were the har.
vests that every season witnessed the plant.
ing Of new vineyards; but for the last three
or four years the crop has been less certain,
and the grapes have not come up to their
usual good quality.
1t IS an interesting matter of inquiry
whether this failure was owing to any ma.
tive defect in the vine, tho culture which it
received, or unlavorabe seasons, and
whether wo can find remedy.
do not think it probable that the failure
was owing to any native defect in the vine /;
it had for twenty years shown surprising
vigor, and held its own among the most
hardy and prolific vines in cultivation but
the most hardy vines may be debilitated by
bad seasons when the wood, failing to attain
its proper ripeness and properly prepare
its fruit buds for the ensuing crop,
will be unable to stand severe winter,
and either perish outright or bring its fruit
to late harvest when of course it will
be Of inferior quality.
The severe winter Of 1923 will be long
remembered by horticulturists for the wide
spread destruction Of vines and fruit trees.
The furious gales of March were accompau-
led by constant low temperature which
froze the ground to an unusual depth (sx
feet in some instances), destroying a large
share Of the feeding roots, aud in many in
stances splitting the trunks and killing the
vines to the ground.
Most Of those which survived grew from
the bottom again, but the loss of roots led to
feeble growth, aud the frosts Of autumn fell
upon unripe wood with immature buds,
much Of which persisted in the following
winter.
This has been the case, more or less, for
the past three years, during which time
most of the hybrid and half hardy vines have
died this, at least, has been my experience !;
this season, however, is more promising and
the vine shows something Of its ancient
vigor.
Most grape growers let the vine carry too
heavy crops, which tasks the vine to its
utmost capacity, and as it does not, like the
apple, for instance take rest in alternate
seasons, but continues to bear until exhausted,
it becomes unable to ripen its crop properly
and sometimes dies outright. The remedy
will be found in taking off from onc-third to
one-half the fruit which sets Qeaving of
course the largest; pinchiug the growing
wood from time to time to secure the ripen.
ing OF that which remains, and manuring the
vine with those composts which experience
has shown to be best adapted to it.
A grape grower in thei department Of
Herault, in France, recovered an acre of
vineyard which has long failed to give crop,
by treating it literally to compost of sui.
phate Of ammonia, suporphosphate Of lime
and potash the remainder of the vineyard
not manured, failed as usual
The result corresponds with some expe-
riences in this country. The dressing should
be liberal, as the shorter the season the fas-
ter the wine must work, and the farther
north you are the richer must be the soil.
The latter part of August all growing wood
should be pinched and all further growth pre-
vented in order to ripen the wood and ma
ture the fruit buds for the next crop. As
to covering the vines in winter, if the wood
is well ripened it will not be necessary if
it is unrpe, though covering will save it, it
will not ripen its fruit so early nor so good
quality; still, if your wood is unrpe, it is
better to cover it and save what you can.
Muching the roots is useful in preventing
severe cold from freezing the roots when
the ground is bare of snow. One grape
grower who had part of his vineyard
mulched with hogs bristles in the severe
winter of 1913, found the mulched vines
went through safely, while part not null
ched persisted; but mulching on the large
scale is too troublesome to be generally
adopted, and is Objectionable in summer as
intercepting the heat, which you want at
the roots of the vine. Hogs bristes, how
ever, would not be liable to this objection,
as the mulch would be so thin-about one
inch-the heat would go through it, and the
bristles are also fertilizer
To conclude. do not think the Concord is
"going back " the seasons vary and the diff
ference in the time of ripening due to that
cause alone, will be fully two weeks. but
with average seasons and careful culture |
believe the Concord will be found equal to
its early promise.