The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-01-17

more stiffness though not too stin.
Good soil VIII produce better results
h o o soil. though and sandy soil
In Eastern North Carolina can be
made very profitable. in Scuppernons
Grapes.
A word as 10 the profit. An acre viii
set Ito vines. At three years % with
proper care. they should produce from
a peck to a half bushel each. At four
years old they should produce not less
than one TO two bushels each. At this
time you can stil cultivate one-haif
the land. At seven years old you
should be getting from four hundred TO
eight hundred bushels per acre TAX
ing the lowest estimate. say four hum
ered bushels NJ IS cents per bushel.
= which We propose To pay for choice
grapes. you ave an income OF sseS per
acre. as low estimate for each year.
Vines live 10 be over . hundred year,
old. The Old Mother vine Is still living
On Roanoke Island. and IL over three
hundred years old. and bore fruit last
year though utterly neglected. and it's
roots are bare. No crop YOU car grow
viii give such sure returns. Ten acres
n grapes vii Insure any man a steady
income after seven years; which beats
any life insurance policy. While it pro-
1cces some times larger crops than
| others. IL never falls utterly.
| To land owners who will set out vines
| we propose to give contracts guarantee
ing a market at n regular and fair scale
Of prices. for FIVE years ~orflonger. they
| to guarantee To sell us the crop each
| year. We to take ali the crop that Is
| gathered and offered properly at the
nearest railroad station. or AT our
| winery.
North Carolina has. in the Eastern
part OF the state. more than a million
| acres OF land adapted to the growth OF
| this grape. Granting that only one
| acre in each one hundred were planted
and that the minimum crop OF 400 bush
els per acre were produced. and thar
each hushel produced three gallons OF
wine. va have twelve million gallons
Of the finest wine in the world when
properly made. This Is nearly half as
much as California makes. France
which is not So very mush larger h
our state. produces over a billion gai-
Ions OF wine. North Carolina COULD.
IL her people only WOULD, be in this
respect the SOUTHERN FRANCE OF
AMERICA. and could make as much
wine as France, the greatest wine pro-
ducing country in the world. We hope
to see the work started. II the farmers
will make the grapes, we will try to
make the wine and sell IL.
There is no publisher treaties Oh
grape growing hat is worth n cent as
| applied to Scuppernong. Plant IL prop
, erly. give it h~alf-a-chance, and II VIII
make you rich in spite OF yourself-in-
dependent. at least. 1t takes a Eth"
time. DO not prune 1t ever. except
when necessary to keep ii in shape while
| young. If cut it bleeds and dies. or
does not thrive. Give 1t arbnrage. anu
| nice rich soil protected from the sun
and rains by rich oam, or wocds-monld.
and it will grow so fast you forget you
| planted 1t five years before. Don't be
deferred by the five years-you have
the use of nearly all your land while IT
is growing. and once in full bearing,
you don't want, at most over fifty acres
to take care OF a large family in COM
| ort-eve a%ffluence. Even IL II Melted
| you only 800 per acre. you had only.
twenty-five acres, il beats cotton or
tobacco as a money crop. Don't go In
! too big at first: plant five TO ten acres
| each year; then the posting and wiring
| don't come all at once and break you.
| and you begin to get some income by the
time expenses of wiring becomes heavy.
We advise il you purpose to have a
| vineyard OF twenty-five acres. to set
| out five acres each year. II you want
fifty acres set out ten acres each year.
In five years you will be on easy street.
in ten years you will be perfectly In
dependent. To any man who Will set
out vineyard we will give a contract
to take his entire product. Get near a
shipping point so o won't have 80 far
to haul your grapes. They are heavy
aad must be shipped promptly after
being gathered. We v and will have
facilities to handle them as fast as the
farmers can ship them.
Yours very truly,
SOL BEAR & co.