The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1905-03-17

than poor sofl. though and sandy soil
In Eastern North Carolina can be
made very profitable In Scuppernong
Grapes.
\ word as TO the profit. An acre win
set Ito vines. At three years old with
proper care. they should produce from
= peck to 4 half bushel each. At four
years old they should produce not less
than n TO two bushels each. At this
time you can stil cultivate one-half
the land At seven years old you
should be getting from four hundred TO
eight hundred bushels per acre. Tak-.
Ing the lowest estimate. say four hum
cred bushels at IS cents per eushel.
which we propose to pay for choice
grapes. You have n income Of 500 per
acre. as low estimate for each year.
Vines live to be owe a hundred years
old. The Old Mother Vine Is still living
en- Roanoke Island. and Is over three
hundred years old. and bore fruit Isl
year though utterly neglected. and Its
roots are bare. No crop car gro
VIII give such sure returns Ten acres
IL grapes viii insure n man q steady
income after seven years: which beats
@@< 49, EzA@
ouces some times larger crops than
others. * never fails utterly.
To land owners who will set out vines
we propose 10 give contracts guarantee
ing Il market n a regular and fair scale
OF prices. for five years or longer, they
to guarantee TO sell Us the crop each
year. We to take ali the crop that Is
gathered and offered properly at the
aAa~ar+ <as1xzA9 <t1EkDD ~ nrt~
winery.
North Carolina has. in the Eastern
part Of the state, more than n million
acres of land adapted to the growth O.
this grape. Granting that only n
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 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 than
our state. produces over n billion gal
Ions OF wine. North Carolina COULD
If her people only WOULD. be in his
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 it.
There is NJ publisher treaties on
grape growing that is worth a cent as
applied to Scuppernong. Plant IL prop
erly. give it half-a-chance. n IL Will
make you rich in spite OF yourself-in-
dependent, at least. 1t takes a little
time. Do not prune Ii ever, except
when necessary 10 keep itin shape while
young. If cut 1t bleeds and dies. or
does not thrive. Give Ii arborage, n
nice rich soil protected from the sun
and rains by rich loam. or woods-mould.
and it will grow so fast you forget you
planted it five years before. Don't be
deferred by the five years-you have
the use OF nearly all your land while 1T
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
rt-ev afiuence. Even IL 1t netted
you only 500 per acre. and you had only
twenty-five acres, it beats cotton or
tobacco as a money crop. Don't &c 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 ave a
vineyard of twenty-five acres, TO set
out five acres Zach year. IL o want
fifty acres set out ten acres a 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 you won't have SO far
to 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 az the
farmers can ship them.
Yours very truly.
SOL BEAR e. co.