The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-01-24

more stiffness though not too stin-
Good soil viii produce better results
than oor soil. though and sandy soil
IN Eastern North Carolina can be
made very profitable In Scuppernons
Grapes.
A word as To the profit. IN acre VIII
set lie vines. Al three years old with
proper care. they should produce from
, peck TO a half bushci each. At o
years old they should produce not less
b one to two bushels each. Al this
time you can stiil cultivate one-half
Tire land At seven years old you
should be getting from four hundred To
eight hundred bushels per acre. TAX
ing the lowest estimate. n four hun-
ered bushel II IS cents per bushel.
which We propose to pay for choice
grapes. you nave an income OF Ssse per
acre. a low estimate for each year.
Vines live to be over a hundred years
old. The Old Mother Vine il stiii living
On Roanoke Island. and il over three
hundred years old. and bore fruit last
year though utterly neglected. n its
roots are bare, No crop you can grow
viii give such sure returns. Ten acres
IN grapes vii insure any man a steady
income after seven years. which eat
any life insurance policy. While 10 pro-
cuces some times larger crops than
others. 1t never fails utterly.
To land owners who viii set out vines
we propose TO give contracts guarantee
ing a market at a regular and fair scale
Of prices. for five years or longer. they
10 guarantee 10 sell us the crop n
year. We TO take ali the crop that In
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 n million
acres of Ian adapted TO the growth OK
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 that
each bushel produced three gallons of
wine, We nave twelve million gallons
Of the finest wine in the world when
properly made. This Is nearly half "a
much as California makes. Francs
which Is not SO very mush larger h
our state. produces over a billion gal
Ions Of wine. North Carolina COULD.
If 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. IL the farmers
will make the grapes, We will try To
make the wine and sell ii.
There is no publisher treaties on
| grape growing that is worth a cent as
| applied to Scuppernong. Plant It prop
erly, give IL ha~lf-a-chance. and IL viii
make you rich in spite of yourself-in-
dependent, at least. 1t takes \ ltt."
time. Do not prune 1t ever. except
| when necessary TO keep it In shape while
| young. If cut il bleeds and dies. or
does not thrive. Give IL aroorage, anu
nice rich soil protected from the sun
and rains by rich loan, or woods-mouid.
| and 1t will grow so fast o forget you
planted il five years before. Don't be
deferred by the five years-you have
the use of nearly all your Ian While IL
is growing, and nice in full bearing,
you don't want, at most over fifty acres
to AXE care of a large family In CON-
| fort-even affiuence. Even III II netted
| you only 500 per acre, and you had only
| twenty-five acres, Ii 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 al once and break you.
and you begin TO get some income by the
time expenses of wiring becomes heavy.
We advise If you purpose to have &
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 mar who VIII set
out vineyard we will give a contract
to tax his entire product. Get near a
shipping point so you won't nave 50 far
10 haul your grapes. They are heavy
and must be shipped promptly after
being gathered. We have and will have
facilities to handle them as fast as the
farmers can ship them.
Yours very truly,
SOL BEAR e. co.