New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1898-10-02
GRAPES FOR NEW YORK.
WHERE THEY COME FROM AND HOW
THEY ARE RAISED AND SENT
TO MARKET.
TO MARKET.

A familiar sight to the passerby on his way
to any Of the ferries along the North River,
from Cortlandt to Franklin St. the region
where the greater part Of all the fruit sent to
the NeW-York market is received and sold. Is
the numerous piles Of small. stout. wooden
baskets heaped on the sidewalks. and usually
surmounted by a handmade placard announc-
ing Sweet Grapes" for sale. These baskets
vary from five to ten pounds in weight. and the
grapes come to market from early August until
the heavy frosts kill the vines
good sunny exposure. plenty Of rich fertil-
izing and almost constant attention are the
requisites for a successful grape crop. as tn"
vines are beset by many injurious insects and
suffer much damage from climatic changes.
The grapevine grows rapidly after getting
started and is long lived If properly cared for.
The usual means employed to propagate the
various kinds is by cuttings and layers; run
ner" or sprig OF vine near the root, is fastened
into the ground where it readily takes root.
after which il is cut from the parent stem and
transpanted TO grow on it's own account Fancy
varieties are however, often obtained by graft
ing and budding. The vines are trained on trel-
lis-work. or wires strung from post to post along
the entire length Of the field. and so placed that
extra shoots are constantly pruned away and
every precaution taken to force the strength of
the vine for frut-bearing. No great accumula-
ton of leaves is permitted, and as the grape
like all other fruit. bears from the shoots of the
current year, all other branches are kept well
cut: also all the small and irreguar-shaped
punches are cut away in order that the large
full clusters may receive all the benefit of the
-, s,fth +ir1
The beginnings of the cultivation of the grape
for food and wine lost in obscurity, but II
was well-established industry in the time OF
Moses, the pagan Marches of Bacchus re-
lated to the cultivation of the grape by these
early nations. Later it was introduced into Eu-
rope, the Romans taking it to Marseilles
France, about 600 B. c. Throughout many
European countries the grapevnes have at
tanned luxuriant growth, often climbing to the
top Of tall trees. and in many sections the grape
has been cultivated to the exclusion of corn and
other grains. that the people are dependent
upon outside sources for their food supplies.
The wild grape is common in all parts OF
America. the sweet heavy odor Of both the bios
som and the fruit being one of the pleasing
features of the country roadsides as the vines
climb clngngly over the stone walls and up the
wayside trees Historians tell us that it was the
perfume Of the wild grape which so agreeably
greeted Hendrix Hudson and his crew On the
Half Moon as they sailed up New-York Bay and
the Hudson River, and which the discoverei
chroniclad in his record as pleasant and very
sweet smell" The most common Of all the wild
grapes is the fox grape. and small supply OF
them is sent each year to the Philadelphia mar
ket but the grape has been 50 highly culti'
waited these late years and is produced SC
cheaply that the many new kinds grown. each
having the sweet taste Of the wild fruit without
the acid skin, supply the demand so that little
Of the natural fruit is now sent TO the large
centres of commerce.
THE FIRST CULTIVATION.
The first known attempt to cultivate the grape
in America was In Florida in lo64, and later
the colonists In Virginia. in 1920 gave attention
to its culture wine producer. And to-day
some Of the most favored varieties are de-
scendants from the early wild kinds. as the
Catawba, one Of the sweetest grapes to come &c
market native of North Carolina; also the
popular Isabella. as well as the Scuppernong
In California the grape first raised by the
Franciscan monks. who found the soil partcu-
larly adapted to it's cultivation 50 rapidly and
luxuriantly does the vine grow in that part oil
the country that in recent report II was
stated that a vine planted in lS2' had in lS9t
reached dimensions sufficient TO cover over L.
900 feet OF space. and to produce each year
from 10000 to 10000 pounds Of grapes. Inc
largest vineyards in the world are in THIS state
one being over four thousand acres ana many
others comprising from 1000 to 1000 acres
The greater quantity Of these grapes are used
for wine raisins and currants. and but small