The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1916-11-25
TO Grow Grapes
For Shipping
In Florida
New Field Of Endeavor for the Florida
Fruit Grower

Fruit Grower
willis B. PowelI)
All OF US have seen, ana many OF us
have bought, Malaga grapes at 20
to rs cents pound. They come from
California packed in cork dust, tied
with pink ribbons, and those who buy
them think they are worth all they
cost
For years Florida growers have
been experimenting with Northern
grape stock, successful only in small
way-just about as successful as ap-
pie growing in Florida, or lemon
growing in Northern states.
But grape has been developed
which is adaptable to Florida's eli
mate and soil. 1t is a northern grape
combined with the native grape of
the south, and is commercially known
as the Carmen Grape.
1t is no experiment along the Gulf
Coast. as it has cen successfully
grown in Texas for seventeen years.
I, S. Hubbard, the grapevine special
list, who has been prize winner at all
our great eXpositions says of the Car
men: 1T is Seeding bunch grape
of the South, black, bunch large, con-
ical, compact; berry large; skin thin,
but tough; pulp meaty, of fine quail
ty; vine vigorous" They further say
the vine does equally well in gravelly,
sandy or clayey soils, or combina-
ton of these. Any soil suitable for
citrus culture is suitable for the Car
men grape.
Under date of Nov IA, 1916, Mr..
Chas. bearing, scientific assistant
United States Department of Agri-
culture, Bureau of Plant Industry,
writes to the New Port Richey Board
of Trade: Il remember the Carmen
grape as q profuse bearer at the Mis-
souri, Experiment Station. 1t Is va
riety apparently not adapted to the
North but we'll adapted to the South. "
The New Port Richey Board OF
Trade has collected considerable data
on the Carmen grape and thinks so
we'll of it that ten-acre tract of fine
citrus land has been leased to 1t for
a period of ten years and work Will
begin Immediately on preparing the
land for experimental purposes on
large scale. The work will be
watched by the U. S. Department OF
Agriculture with interest as 1t be-
lieves that new field is oepn for the
Florida grower The New Port Rich
ey Board of Trade will be glad to give
any inquiry full knowledge of what
it knows about the grape. Tony De
Vries. a successful orange grower OF
the same place. has faith in the grape
and has purchased plants to set out
ten acres to the vine.
1t takes 45O to $50 vines to the acre
Each vine within three years will pro
duce a bushel of grapes, or 60 pounds
(grape vines have been known to pro
duce a ton of grapes, according II
| Green's Fruit Grower) and basing 5O'
vines to the acre the yield will b.
80 900 pounds at conservative esti
mate. These grapes will bring in tn
open market not less than cent
a pound, net, or $1,000 an acre. 81!
cents is low figure, you will admit
for these grapes which sell from q
to 25 cents in the open market
The success of the New Port Richie
Carmen grape industry will b.
| watched with interest throughout tn
state. 1t is an entirely new field TO
the Florida grower and its possible
/ ties are unlimited. Like the orange
4 California will be our only formidabl
/ competitor, and that state will b.
placed at a disadvantage on accoun
|, of it's distance from the center of poI
ulation.