Daily Los Angeles herald., 1883-11-28
IMPROVEMENT IN sIrIculruRf.
hall We Plant with Greater space
and Trail Our Vines. or Follow in
:he OLD Order CT cnltlvationP


There is at present much interest man
ifested ia the system OF eultivating the
grapevine. 1t has been question wheth.
er vines should be pruned low and short,
or trailed on posts aud frames. 1t has
been asserted by some that twenty
grapevines on an acre. trailed up. will
yield more than one Thousand vines cul-
tivated in the old fashion of six feet
apart, and that the care and cultivation
OF these twenty vines is hundred per
cent. less than that of the one thousand
vines Of the olden custom.
The matter is one of great seriousness,
and it is the part of wisdom to decide
which is the best. There is no use in
taking care of 500 or 1000 vines If the
same profit can be secured from twenty
vines. This is the day for experiment,
and no old theory should be clung to II
experience shows more profit in differ
ent way.
The cultivation of the grape now
amounts to millions of dollars, and is in
creasing in an enormous manner. Our
grape growers do not want to spend ten
dollars per acre year in raising crop
of grapes when the same can be done for
Ave dollars with the same profit.
If the Sultana grape will bear earlier
than the Muscat, and more heavily, and
dry into raisins in half the time of the
Muscat, and be ready for market before
the rains, it would seem to be better
grape to cultivate in this part of the
country. The question OF profit is the
one to be considered.
II trailing vines pay better than the
old style of cultivation, then let us trail.
There should be no worship Of the past.
We should not do things because others
did them century ago. but do them in
the way most profitable to the cultivator.
The standard of profit is the guide for
us to 60 by, and that standard seems to
be yet undetermined. Whether Muscat
or Sultana shall furnish our raisins is an
undemonstrated proposition. with the
elements largely in favor of the Sultana.
After that question is settled, then the
question as to the best manner of culti-
walton comes in. This question is al
ready very prominently before the peo-
pie.
Mr.. Leonard Coates. very enlight-
ened viticulturist of Napa county, in a
communication to the San Francisco
Merchant, uses the following language
on this subjeot:
The thought has often occurred to me
that grapevines might be trained on
buildings in this country as in others,
butit has been generally supposed that
the sun would burn them. II trained on
the north, east and southeast sides, there
is no danger of this, at least in Napa,
Sonoma and similar counties. / have on.
my barn some Eastern grapes, as Uhl.
and, Missouri Riesling, Norton's Vir-
ginia, etc., which are perfect success.
Mr.. Groezinger, of Yountville, has on
his large brick wine.c cellar several varie-
ties of Vinifera, as Sweetwater, Gutedel
and some black grapes, which are now O
sight wonderful to behold. OF course
no frost touches them, and the fruit will
hang on till Christmas He has the
aait ofar 40 &.,-o1 IL
and then trains the canes horizontally.
Much otherwise useless space may in
this manner be made profitable and the
buildings beautifed. This leads to the
subject of stalking in vineyards, and /
firmly believe that the finest vineyards
in California will yet be those that are
planted wider apart, with more wood
left in the vines, the canes being trained
on wires in horizontal position. The
idea Of tying up bnnch of canes to a
perpendicular pole four or five feet high
is crude, unnatural and untheoretical,
according to the accepted axioms in
horticulture.
With these views before our grape
growers, and the sight of ton of grapes
on a single vine in this city, is it not well
to revise our opinions about grape cul-
ture, and see il there is not more profit
able way than our present system? sEx-
pertinent must determine the matter.
If ten cuttings can be made 10 produce
the same amount of grapes as ten hun
dred, most certainly the ten will be the
chosen number.
In all branches of. business, improve.
ments are the order OF the day. The
cradle took the place of the sickle, the
reaper took the place of the cradle, and
the header took the place of the reaper.
Electricity has taken the place of the
pony express, and the palace car the
place of the stage coach. With these
and other advances being made in all
branches of industry, it is but reasona.
BILE to suppose that great improvements
can yet be made in horticulture, and
in grape culture. 1t is no
time 10 stop and think We have reached
the bounds of perfection. We have
done no such thing. Ii farmer with
& glng-plow, header and portable
can increase his grain one hun
dred fold over the old sickle and fail
era, which has been done, why cannot
the vineyardist make further and pro.
portionate advance in the production of
the fruit of the yines Because our
fathers planted 1000 vines to the acre
and got phylloxera, it is no reason why
their descendants should do the same.
The best cultivation is what we want
that which involves the least labor with
the best fruit and the least exhaustion
Of the soil. Experiments are in order.
By planting at greater distances apart
and sustaining the vines so they can get