OCR Text |
Show MAKE SUCCESS WITH GRAPES Ground Must Be Ready and Plants on Hand for Early Setting True of All Fruit Trees. (By H. H. SHEPARD.) Last spring wo set out a new vineyard. vine-yard. This young vineyard consisted con-sisted of 250 vines, and is now, the first year after planting, in th best of condition. The vines this spring produced an average of about a dozen blossom clusters to the vine. They were allowed to develop for a few weeks, and then all but two clusters to the vine were removed, to prevent early fruiting from dwarfing the plants. The clusters of grapes allowed to remain on the vines are now nearly mature and are large and perfect in every way. Our young vineyard was set out late In March of last year. Holes about 18 Inches deep by 30 inches In diameter diam-eter were dug and the young plants set in them before the buds had begun to swell. The spring of the year is as good a time as any, for setting out grapes, but the ground must be ready and the -plants on hand for early setting, as . some are apt to die with late setting. This is true of all small and largo fruits as well as ornamentals. The disadvantage of spring planting Is that something may come in the Moore's Early. way of getting the plants set early when they are in a perfectly dormant condition. It is not a safe plan to set out any vines, bushes or trees, after the buds have begun to swell or the leaves out. Wherever possible, set In the fall and be sure of a good stand. As a rule grapes and other small fruits are set too close together. Rows five or six feet apart is the average, but this is too close. Grapes must be cultivated, fertilized, fer-tilized, cared for in general, and the fruit picked. Wfith narrow rows, cultivation cul-tivation and fertilization are difficult and unsatisfactory. If the vines must be hoed and the earth among the vines dug up with a spade or mattock, there is little prof-It prof-It in the crop. The roots of the vines after a third or fourth year, reach down and out in the soil for many feet, and with vines close together and rows only five or six feet apart, the roots must struggle with each other oth-er for moisture and plant food. We set out our young vineyard with plants eight feet apart in the row and rows eight feet apart. The distance dis-tance apart for the rows allows for the use of two-horse tools, and hence makes cultivation easier. Last spring and summer we cultivated culti-vated the young grapes with two-horse two-horse cultivator, with three shovels to the gang. Between the rows potatoes pota-toes were grown. This year melons are grown between the grape rows, as they extract small amounts of moisture mois-ture and foods from the soil. This spring before new vinlng began be-gan we cultivated the grapes three times with the two-horse cultivator. As soon as heavy growth began, the vines were staked, the ground between be-tween rows heavily disked with two-horse two-horse disk, and melons planted late. Subsequent cultivation of the melons mel-ons and grapes has been given with a one-horse double-shoveled cultivator, smoothing with a 14-toothed one-horsa harrow. By frequent cultivation with small shoveled cultivators, we have been able to conserve sufficient soli moisture mois-ture for good growth during very dry conditions and intense heat of Juno and the first half of July. We are now firmly convinced that eight feet apart for grape rows is none too much. All fruits are apt to suffer for moisture at maturity of the fruit, just when th;y need it most. By having the rows wide apart ono can go through them with team and harrow or disk in dry times and stir the soil for creating a surface mulch for holding moisture. Where the rows are close together, the best cultivation is not possible, as there is danger of Injuring the vines ain fruit. Wide ro--! admit of team cultivation for saving time, it makey the hauling of manure for the vine yard easy, and a wagon can he hauled between rows for distributing posts or for gathering the fruit. As with all crops, we believe that frequent cultivation and stirring and mixing the foil during the growing season are the essentials for success. We expect to cultivate ours every year up to the time the fruit Is ripe, and never allow the soil to beuima bard ajid dry. |