San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1878-08-17
FARM TOPICS.
Grape Culture.

condensed rules for the management OF
grapes were given by DR.. Whiting at
the Farmers Institute, recently held at
Saginaw, Mich: .-.p.y .y.ga,y .,- ;.
The soil best suited for the grape is
decomposing shale, but any good clay
soil thoroughly drained will do. .a
The ground should be carefully pre-
pared, and only well rotted manure
used.
Decomposing turf is one of the best
fertilizers; when it can be obtained, no
other will be required. -,
The vines selected for planting should
be good one-year-old layers or cuttings.
They may look small, but will make the
best vines.
Good culture is as necessary to the
vine as to corn or cabbage.
Mulching and watering the first year
should not be neglected if droughtis ex-
cessive. One good soaking is better
than many sprinklings. More water
can be saved with hoe than can be put
on with sprinkler.
In planting cut the vine back to two
buds, whatever its strength or age.
Summer pruning consists in pinching
off weak and struggling shoots in order
to confine the sap to the main branches.
The first summer allow but one main
shoot to grow. In the fall, after the
first frost, cut all the summer growth
back to within two buds of the ground.
The. second year confine the sap to
two branches, and in the fall cut back
Ito three buds each.
The third year, if your vine has made
vigorous growth, few stems OF grapes
may be allowed to mature, but better
take off I'LL the fruit than to suffer too
much to grow. -,
Too heavy bearing while young will
weaken the vine for all future time. The
trimming now depends on what kind OF
trellis you wish to cover.
After YOU have obtained good vigor-
GUS root, you can make it grow in al
most any place or shape you wish, by
keeping the branches desired tied up,
and all the others pinched back.
Each year few of the strongest
branches should be allowed to grow as
bearers of fruit the following year.
In trimming cut away as much OF the
old wood as possible and save the new,
as all the fruit buds are on the new
wood.
You can easily tell how much to cut
away by holding your new wood up to
the trellis, and imagine a branch with
three stems of grapes for each bud.
/. If you do not cut off enough in the
fall, and you find that the vine is going
to be LOO thick, do not fail to attend to it
when the shoots are from three to six
inches long, in the spring, or while in
blossom. As soon as the fruit is set ex-
anime the vine; spread out the new
wood so that each bunch OF grapes will
hang free and clear; pick off all the
small stems of fruit, and fasten the vines
securely, so that the wind will not de-
stroy your crop by breaking the young
and tender branches.
When the wood has grown so that
there are three leaves beyond the last
bunch of grapes examine the vine, Sc
lect the branches you wish to save for
fruit-bearing the coming year, and keep
them tied up until they have grown as
long as you wish to make use of. The
ends of the other bearing branches
should be pinched off as soon as they
reach this point, "three leaves beyond
the last stem of grapes"
Break off all shoots and laterals as
they make their appearance, out on no
account injure the leaves on their bear
ing canes. Il
The fruit will color but not ripen if
the leaves are destroyed.
Grapes for fall and winter use should
be picked as soon as ripe, and when
perfectly dry, packed in fine dry saw
dust. Select your box or jar, cover the
bottom with sawdust, then layers of
grapes and sawdust alternately until
full. Keep them in the coolest place
you can find free from frost, until want
ed for use.