The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1890-06-04


on grape culture, and who visits the whey ards
occasionally and at proper times, in order to see
the various operations, especially of pruning.
ought to make at the very beginning
and by subsequent procedure very
close approximation to what has been done by
the firm to which we alude-this, of course, in
proportion to the acreage planted.
Let fill up some of the intermediate
spaces, to show the steady
PROGRESS OF THE WORK
in it's different stages. Three years ago. with but
200 vines fruting they had at the close of the fol-
lowing 1000 vines loaded with fruit and 1900
growing in whey ard forms.
A talented writer, under the de plume of
Sigma in one of the able weeklies of Orlando,
in describing this vineyard and writing under
date of June %, 1885, says
''The vineyard itself is sight well worth seeing.
In the new care the vines have climbed to the
second wire, four feet from the ground and their
tops are bristling with new sprouts which ap-
pear to be growing several inches daily. On the
first wire the vines branch considerably, and here
the finest grapes to be seen. They hang in
long, cylindrical punches, ranging from one-half
to one and one-half pounds. Where the sun
touches them they slightly yellowed, but
where they hang back in the shade they are of a
clear, greenish white with a heavy bloom, each
berry as perfect as though nodded, and so thickly
set that the inner stem is invisible. The
proprietors have sent away about 200 pounds of
grapes, but as the fruit rippens the shipments will
increase. The firm think 800 pounds per day from
the new vineyard when at it's BEST
standing in the new five-acre vineyard, look
ing down the leafy rows and noting the rich
clusters of fruit hanging everywhere it is hard to
realize that these splendid vines set outn the
spring of 1883, yet such is true. They plant
ed in April and May of that year and went to
growing right at once. They did not let up at
all, but kept on making wood, and by the follow
ing January some of them had made ninety feet
of growth. They were cut back to the proper
length, and all their strength thrown into
the young fruit. The vines were two years
old when planted, which makes them now three
years old from the cutting And yet many of
them have ten and fifteen pounds of grapes to
the vine, that will sell from 35 to 40 cents per
pound. Can a stronger argument be given for
extending the cultivation of this valuable fruit
here? In the vineyard are vines of the Flame
Tokay, White Muscat, Mission and other well
known varieties, but none OF them grow equal to
the Niagara White
Inc ola vineyard OF ZOO vines, winch was hrSt
to bear, is the finest sight on the place. They
now reach along the wire as high as your head,
and hang their punches along almost thick as
beads a string. THERE'S prodigality of fruit
that surprises and delights one. It's symmetry
and beauty only equaled by it's profusion and
excellence. Some of the punches are eleven inches
long with shoulders that measure fourteen
inches around the top, Weighing over one and q
half pounds. These finest punches have been en-
closed in paper sacks and finally placed in glass
jars when they will be sent North to show what
can be done in Florida in midsummer. The old
vineyard, as intimated above has been set out
two years, or in 1887 and the vines. twoyears
old when set out A large number of them have
twenty pounds apiece, and give promise of still
heavier yield in the future"
The above is rather enthusiastic but it is our
conviction that it is true to fact. Now, let us see
how such results were produced-thatis the main
point.
PROCESS OF PLANTING.
The ground is prepared the ordinary way as
for corn, and where each vine s.to go a hole three
feet square and fifteen inches deep is dug Then,
with the top soil, is mixed one pound of bone
meal, which mixture is then filed into the hole
for the vine But, first of ALL it has been found to
be advantage to throw in a couple of large