The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1893-04-28
THE lola REGISTER.
FRIDAY, APRIL IS, 1893.
The Crane

A paper read before the Allen County II orti
cultural Society by A L. Dibble ]
The Grape is one of the first fruits
of which we. have any record in An.
cient history. And during all these
ages its merits have never been lost
sight of, and as healthful appetite
ing fruit it ranks among the best
which a beneficient Creator has pro-
vided for the use of mankind. 1t is
one of the very few kinds of fruit
which can be safely partaken of both
in sickness and in health. Think the
cases are very rare where any injury
has ever arisen from the moderate
use of the grape in a well ripened
state, and as a remedial agent its vir-
tues are too well known to need COM
menting upon at this time. Besides
its many excellent qualities as a fruit
it is one of the easiest to propagate
and the quickest to bear of any of our
standard fruits. The grape requires
a deep moderately rich soil, well
drained and thoroughly pulverized,
for l consider that cultivation is large
ly the secret of success in a paying
vineyard. Almost any soil that can
be cultivated is good for raising
grapes. But it must be remembered
that no one grape is suited to all soils
or localities. Nor is there any one
soil or locality that is suited to all kinds
Of grapes. Therefore each one must
begoverned by circumstances in chOOs-
ing what kind of grapes is adapted to
the locality in which he resides. The
manner of training the grape is large
ly matter of taste with each individ-
ual grower, some prefering the arbor.
others the trellis, while some, am
sorry to say, suffer their vines to trail
on the ground to contend with the
grass and weeds as best they can,
and always proving TO their owner a
source of loss and disappointment,
and an eye-sere to every passer by.
From such as these you hear the
discouraging statements shat fruit
growing doesn't pay. My preference
in training the vine is the renewal, or
fan shape system, as being the most
convenient way of changing the bear
ing wood as often as the grower thinks
advisable 1t also gives more air and
sunshine with less liability to mildew
and rot than there is on vines that
are left so compact together as to pre-
vent free circulation of air. In re-
gard to pruning the grape 1 will not
try to give any definite rules as each
different manner of training requires
a different mode of pruning, there
fore / would say use the knife freely
for there is more danger of leaving
too much wood than otherwise. AS I
have mentioned before one must be
governed largely by circumstances as
to what kinds to plant. but will men
tiOn few kinds that do fairly well in
this locality. Among. the black varie-
ties there is the Old Concord, which
is the standby of everybody, also the
WOrden, Early Victor and MOore's
Early. Among the white varieties the
Niagara, Martha, Elvira and Empire
State. Among the red the Delaware,
Brighton and the Dracut Amber.
There are other varieties that have
many excellent qualities that under
favorable circumstances, do very well,
In closing let me say that / do not
think any home however small or
humble, complete without at least one
grape vine, and that the owner there
of is guilty of gross neglect in failure
TO supply his sanity with this most
excellent fruit. And to parents |
would say if you would keep your
boys at home, make your homes at /
tractive for them by giving them a
tree or vine or better both to care for |
as their own thereby cultivating in
them an interest for the growing of
those fruits they so much prize.