The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1919-03-15
GRAPE INDUSTRY
IN TRANSITION
Wine-Grape Vineyards May
Be Transformed Into
Raisin P Production
CAN BE EASILY DONE
BY GRATING VINES
Cost Estimated From $50 to $50 an
Acre-Would Lose About One and
one-Half crcp-Not Sure Grating
Would Be Profitable.


FRESNO, Cal, March 15.-One of
the methods that viii be used by own
ers of winc-grape vineyards to trans
form their property to other uses than
winegrape growing, will. be the graft
ing of other varieties of grapes ON the
winegrapc vines. The College of Agri-
culture of the University of California.
has just issued a bulletin showing in
detail how this grating process may
be performed, and Prof. Frederick I.
Bioletti Of the department of vitieul-
ture of the university, win hold dem
onstrations of vine grating in the
Wine grape growing section.
As to the economic phases of the vine
grating, that is, whether the vineyard
list viii find in this process a way ont
of the situation in which he finds him
self by reason of the federal prohi
bition, which situation the anti-prohi-
bitionist has painted as one of almost
total loss of invested capital. the bull
letin issued by the University Of Cali
fornia says very little. What it does
say on this point, however, is not very
encouraging to the vineyardist Still.
the fact that the university went to the
trouble of issuing the bulletin and of
sending 4 representative to the grape
growing districts 10 demonstrate the
process of grating. would seem to give
the layman ground for believing thai
The winegrape grower may, after all.
find in the grating process sore slight
measure of relief in the transitional
stage with which he IS confronted.
In fact, somewhat more cheerful
view Of the situation is taken by tho
Fresno County Farm Bureau, which
says: aa
:" Any vineyard OF wine grapes can
he changed 10, vineyard of raisin OF
table grapes BY grating. The expense
| is usually TOO great if the vines aver
| age more than four inches in diameter
at six inches below the surface Of tho
Isoil. Vines Of from three to six years
/ of age are the best The cost viii
vary from $50 to $50 an acre. accord
ling to the size of the vines and tbs
wages paid. There win be loss OF
about one and half crops; that is K
say, there should be about a half croI
MT the end of the second year, and ;
full crop ut the end Of the third"
/ Concerning the economic phases OF
the situation. the circular issued by
| the Universis.s3 Of California, which j
entitled. Grating Ninifcra Vine
Yards, and which Is written by Pro
fessor Bioletti says:
For various reasons. growers Otter
wish to change the variety of grape
which they arr growing. There ar
two ways Of doing this. One j. to dii
up the old vines and plant new. TIL
other is to graft over the old vine
with desired variety.
AS a rule il is mistake to folloy
either of these courses. IL the prfc
of one kind of grape is low now, by I'll
time the change Is made, the new KIM
may have fallen in price and the oil
one be moro profitable. In any cast
there il considerable expense and los
of time aud material, which only yer
considerable improvement IN crop an
price will compensate. There are, how
ever. sonic eases where a change OF thu
kind is advisable. and at all event
there is always somebody ready 20 tax
the risk aud it is desirable 10 make TIN
risk as small as possible by doing Il
work properly.
S .Vinifera vines may be grated 2
any age. but there is seldom anythln
to be gained by grating vines les
: than two or three years old For young
: or vines, it is usually cheaper and be
: ter to dig up and replant, = chang
d is necessary. Very old vines tl2 yeas
. or over). if they are sound anu stralgi
Y below the SOIL may be grated success
: fully.