The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1878-07-03
THE SCUPPEUNONG GRAPE.


the scuppernong grape. will first
give the several points, from one to
six, and then present a general view
Of the subject.
1. The vines should be planted
torty-five feet apart, or twenty-one
vines to the acre.
.. The vines should be planted in
December or January.
8. We have the white and black
scuppemong, and the flower, the
mish, and the bullace
4. One hand is required for each
ten acres under cultivation, and IN
the gathering season one hand to the
acre.
5. The yield this year has been
equal, in quantity and quality, to the
crops of the proceeding ten years
This variety is the only grape en-
tirely free from disease, and the
vines are not troubled by insects.
They sprout very late i'll the spring,
and are therefore never injured by
frost, and their hardy wood and
the thick, Ieathery skin of the grape
exempt them from injury from hail
storms, etc, rendering the scupper
nong the surest crop of grapes l have
ever found or heard Of in anv vine
growing country. At my old home
on the Rhine, we had in each five
years two entire failures, two seasons
of inferior wine, and only one perfect
crop; and l found nearly the same
results in Austria, Hungary, France
and Italy, and in the northern and
western parts of the United States.
We have not in this country a single
variety, except the scuppernong,
which is not liable to injury from
frost, or in danger Of not ripening
through unfavorable seasons or the
various grape diseases. With this
variety, however, we may calculate
with certainty each year, in both
quantity and quality, and with fifth
part of the labor and expense attend
ing the cultivation of other varieties (;
the average yield for three-year-old
vine is one peck five years old, two
bushels; full grown, ten year vine,
twenty-five bushels. i o6f
6. Expenses per acre the first year
are as follows: 2l plants of good
size and we'll rooted, IS; planting
and stalking, SO. Third year, 81
arbor posts, and 81 dozen fence rails,
SIS. Fifth year, 235 posts and 1000
rails, $50. Tenth year, 500 posts and
1900 rails, about 500. From the
fifth year it takes one hand for cult
walton and the extension of arbors,
and from the first to the fifth about
two years labor of one hand is requi-
site. After the tenth year it costs
very little to manure the vines every
two years, and gathering expenses
and REPAIRS of arbors may reach $40
wear. When Is years old, and
kept in the highest state OF cultiva-
ton, the vine will yield thirty-five OF
forty bushels of grapes. We have a
good many single vines that bear SO
to Is bushels. A full ripe bushel OF
scuppernong grapes weighs G0pounds,
and will yield 4 to 4! gallons of
Juice, after which the pumace will
make five gallons of vinegar. To
four gallons of juice add four pounds
Of crushed sugar, and at the end Of
six months you will have 81 gallons
of good marketable wine, worth, on
an average, $3.50 per gallon. The
five gallons of vinegar will yield at
the end of three months Il gallons
OF first quality, worth SO cents per
gallon, thus realizing from one bushel
of grapes, 81; from one vine in full
bearing, 1915 and from one acre,
$7,775. The expenses attending the
production of this wine foot up
nearly $500, and for the vinegar, $3.50,
leaving profit of about $4,S50 on
the product of the acre of vineyard.
The scuppemong is the most prot
table grape in the world, but is
known only in the South, especially
in the Carolinas, as the summer sea-
sons of the North are not long
enough for its successful cultivation
In the Carolinas it grows on the
poorest sand hills, on the lowest
swamp lands and stiff, clay, gravel
land, the last named being the best
for it. This grape has grown wild,
without care or effort to improve it,
but last year gave this subject
special attention, and found the vines
highly susceptible of improved cult