The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-07-04
Agricultural News Notes
GROW YOUR OWN GRAPES

$3.50, pyrox, arsenate of lead, kero-
sene emulsion, fish oil soap and black
leaf forty. A good spraying of the
trunk in the dormant period after cut
ting of the branches, will do much
to prevent diseases later on. The sec
ond spraying is done when the third
leaf is showing, before the leaf gets
TO the size of half dollar. Spray
again before the blossoms open. and
again after the blossoms have fallen.
The fifth application should be made
ten to fourteen days later, and the
sixth about ten days to two weeks
later Every spraying should be thor
oughly done. Vigilance Is the price
of fancy grapes. The vines should be
inspected every few days. 1t sounds
like lot of work, but, remember, the
grape vines are right on level with
the sprayer, and you can do the work
swiftly and cheaply. It is easy COM
pared to citrus grove spraying. First
class extra early grapes should bring
20 TO 80 cents pound to the growers,
so 1t pays to protect the fruit and
vines all the way along
Chickens and birds love grapes.
Keep the chickens locked up in their
own runs most of the time after the
frait has set, and use a shotgun as a
noise-naker to scare away the birds
while the grapes are ripening. Don't
kill the birds, for they are your friends.
They are the champion bug destroyers.
Some growers tie each bunch of grapes
in waterproof paper bag, after the
manner of handling persimmons Birds
have caused me more losses than bugs
and diseases. Ants like to make their
homes at the roots of vines, especially
when the soil is hilled or ridged up
above the surrounding levels on COM
paratively low lands. Ants can easily
kill a vine if left at work undisturbed.
Sprinkle the ant hills and entrances
at night with fenole, carbonbisulphideI
or other ant poisons, then step on the
homes to close the entrances and
smother them.
In prolonged dry hot weather, a dust
mulch or dead grass mulch is good
around the roots. Sometimes the
temperature several inches down inI
the bare soil is just as high as it is
at the surface. Shade reduces the
heat below. A summer cover crop of
sweet potatoes is good in some sec
lions. The orange men have shown
US the way. In preparation for the
fruiting season. clean cultivation is as
important with grapes as with any
other crop. Grass and other growth
can take a lot of moisture and fer
tility away from the grape roots.
1t is impossible in short article
like this, to cover a subject on which
many good books have been written
l,oHo .&1I
in fruit to buy good book on fruit
growing and fruit diseases, and study
1t and apply the information, then
there is not much use going into the
grape or any fruit business at all.
The names of some books on this SUBJ
ject are: principles of Fruit Grow
ing" by L. H. Bailey; Southern
by Earle; Manual Of
Fruit Diseases" by Hesler and Whet- !,
eel All of these are published by
Macmillan and can be ordered at any
good book store.
The Florida Grape Growers Asso-
citation, with headquarters at Oldsmar, |
has adopted a standard shipping pack
age, the style the trade is used to, a !
pony grape basket holding two and
one-half pounds. Nothing but first |
class, sound, clean, mature grapes |
should be sold. Keep the others at
home. l recommend that everyone in 1
terested in growing grapes should join
the association. The fee is only two
dollars year, and you should receive
much more than that amount in valu- |
able information, as well as the salts |
faction of knowing you are helping toi
in Florida on a commercial /
basis one of the oldest branches OF |
husbandry known from the early daysi
of the human race.