The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-03-17
THE
OF THE
S~CUPPERNONG A

to the best methods OF cultivating the
Scuppernong Grape. that we give
few Of b more important details In
circular letter. We wish TO state. In the
beginning. that we are better posted
as to wine making than grape growing
and did not suppose there were any
land owners in Eastern North Carolina
who did not now as much about grape
growing as we do. As there does not
seem to be a full knowledge. however.
We give what we know for what IL Is
worth.
The Scuppernong will grow n pro-
duce grapes on any Of the sandy lands
Couth Of Norfolk. Va. While certain
We think We may safely say that any
land which grows cotton OF corn nicely
viii produce Scuppernong grapes. They
do not seem TO bear well West OF Middle
North Carolina. THE HOME OF THE
GRAPE Is IN THE EASTERN PART
OF THE STATE"
| Cuttings may be secured in great
quantity by taking any Scuppernong
vine and letting 1t fall on the ground In
June and throwing a few shovelsfull Of
dirt on 1t at from two TO three feet from
the outer end of the limbs. These take
root quickly in the fresh earth. and can
be taken up and cut off any time from
November list to March LIST. and set out.
Care should be used in selecting thrift
~ vines with nice grape as the vine
reproduces the kind. Seeding wines
from the seed) are not worth planting,
as you do not know what kind OF grapes
they vii produce.
The land should be aid off nicely, in
rows Of twenty feet apart, the vines
being set out ten feet apart in the rows.
and planted out of the ground not less
than seven feet hould be set 10 each
vine. These should be where practical
bic, of cedar, oak, or lightwood, as the
setting Of new posts cuts the roots off
the vines. A good cutting will reach
almost to the top of the post when set
out, or grow to the top in one yeai ii
properly cared for. The best method
is to wire the vines. When this done,
rows of posts, well braced, have TO be
set out around the edge of the vine
yard, to which are attached the larger
wires. Down each row a No.. 10 galvan-
lied wire is run as a governor wire,
and stapled to the top OF ach post.
Across these governor wires you stretch
at first, one No. Il wire. If we'll braced
at the ends, this gives all the posts
secure bracing. AS the vines grow and
spread out yeu add one each side of the
No. IA wire, other wires, always keep
ing good arbors for the vines to II on.
If you let the branches fall down n
have to support their own weight, they
do not grow so rapidly. The vine should
not be allowed to bunch UP in knots,
but be kept spread out and growing
uniformly in all directions. 1t takes
about 10 vines to set an acre properly
laid off. These "a De bought through
US at 5 cents each. If you cannot get
them from a nearby vine.
The land should be cultivated with
crops that do not grow too high, and
the vines kept free ON trash around
the roots, which grow close to the top
Of the ground, do not cultivate under
the branches, as the roots extend n
draw s~ustenance as far as the branches
run. Hence if you pillow close to the
vines you tear up the roots. The best
method We know is to keep the roots ali
around the body of the vine and as
far as the branches extend, mulched
with a heavy coat of wood-mold and
straw. The home of the vines is in the
plIiy "tOOS, "llIiCs III AtS ~ ~'o
soil, it spreads hundreds of feet. The
best vines we have ever seen were IN
old garden plots where they were never
plowed, but the weeds kept down. A
good plan is, perhaps to have Sleeps
Craze under the vines, but the best plan
is to keep in cultivation the land not
shaded, and to keep the weeds down on
the rest by having a heavy mulch
While fertilizers may produce unusual
ly heavy crops, we advise using coarse
barn manure in connection with heavy
coatings of wood-mould and straw, SO
as to keep the soil light and productive
While the vine will grow and produc
on light sandy land that will hardly
grow COW peas, yet it should not be ex-
pected to get good crops from poor land
The soil should be fortified as described
above. Arbors can be made of WOOL
as are frequently seen, on a small scale,
but the pense of wooden arbors on a
large scale is considerable. Galvanized
wire on good posts is the cheapest IN
the long run, and makes much less work
once the vineyard is we'll wired. 1t
means only a few posts each year, n
a little wiring to take up the slack
places, and the hauling in OF coars'
We do not believe in plowingI
close to the vines. It breaks the roofs
and inevitably damages the vines.
AS to gathering, the preferable PLAN
is to gather by hand, and in small vine
yards this can be one We pay spe-
cial prices for selected, mand-gatheredI
grapes. But in a large vineyard this
is not practicable. Poles are attached
to strong sheets made Of canvass, each
about ten feet square and with leatnerI
handles and a man TO each side Of tcei
sheet, it is easily carried around BEL
tween the posts, which are set in even
rows. Another man or boy, with 81
forked stick, shakes the i gently
Just above the sheet, and the ripe
grapes fall and are caught. Children
pick up the few grapes which fall out
side the sheet. The vines should not
be eaten hard, as not only do yoaI
thus get green fruit, but damage the
vines by breaking the tender nes
growth which produces the crop next