The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1879-06-11
80
Cultivation of the ScuppernOng
and Manufacture of Wine.
SOIL AND LOCATION.

prefer a light, sandy loam-not
too rich-with clay subsoil. Our
high, pine ridges, with good, natural
drainage, is as good as is required.
A southern exposure or side hill is
not necessary. My vineyards are on
the highest point in the State, being
$50 feet above the level of the sea !;
and 1 find the grapes larger, ripen
earlier and make better wine than
any have seen elsewhere. Gentle
men of large experience say that
Mount Pleasant is better location
for the growth of the scuppernong
than any they ever saw.
The late Judge Bowers, of Geor-
gia, gentleman of extended expert
ence in the cultivation of the soup
pergong, selected location here for
vineyard. His sons are now cult
waiting $40 acres of these grapes.
PLANTING AND CCLTIvATING.
The land should be cleared of all
trees and the grass and trash burned
off before any vines are planted. 1
planted my vines thirty-five feet apart
each way, but l am now satisfied that
the better way is TO plant forty feet
apart, and then plant another row
between, 6redki,'g jOints-that is, not
in line with the others, but half way
between. By this means double the
amount Of grapes are had on the
same ground, When the vines begin
to lock, this last row should be cut
out, giving all the space to the ones
first planted.
Assuming that wire arbor is to
be used, the posts should be set up
before the vines are planted, as IN
digging the holes for them when the
arbor is being put up the roots are
liable to be injured. Having set the
posts in their places, about two feet
in the ground and seven above, the
vines should be planted on the south
side of the posts as follows: Dig a
hole about four feet square and two
feet deep, throwing the surface soil
on one side and the bottom soil on
the other; then fill up the hole
about one foot with good surface soil;
on top of this put six inches of good
compost Il used swamp muck, bones,
well.rotted oak leaves and oak ashes);
on top Of this put couple OF inches
OF rich surface soil then plant the
vine, leaving the surface over it lit.
tie lower than the surrounding
ground.
If wooden arbor is to be used,
the posts need not be set up until the
vines are ready to arbor, but stake
is set close to the vine, so as to have
something to train it to. When it is
ready to arbor, set up four posts ten
feet apart at equal distances from the
vines, and on those put the rails OF
Stats.
AS the vine grows add more posts
and extend the arbor. | used wire
for my arbor, believing it to be bet
ter and cheaper in the end-better,
because it requires less posts, gives
more room in gathering the grapes,
allows a much better circulation of
air through the vines, does not col
lect so much dead leaves and trash
and the grapes ripen more uniformly;
cheaper, because when once done it is
done for lifetime, and it costs but
very little more than rails at a dol
lar a hundred. or Stats when thew
have to be purchased and transport
ed. l used No. 9 wire one way,
thirty-five feet apart, and No. Is the
other way 3 feet apart. The wire is
galvanized. No. 9 is about the size
Of telegraph wire, and No Is one
third the size of that. No. 9 weighs
1886 lbs. to the 100 yards; its break
ing weight is 1860 lbs, and costs 9
cents at the factory in Worcester,
Mass, or in New York City. No. Is
weighs 7.05 lbs. to the hundred
yards; its breaking weight is SOS lbs.
and costs II cents at the manutac-
tory or in New York. mention
this by way of parenthesis, so that
persons wishing to erect q wire arbor
can calculate the cost.
In putting up the wire 1 made one
end fast to the top of post at the
end of a row, then stretched the
wire on the ground to the other end
of the row with a small hand-vice.
I attached a pair of small double
blocks and hauled it taut when
found it near its breaking weight
made fast and then raisedit to the posts,
one after another to the end. used
wire staples to make it fast to the posts,