The Raisin Industry: A practical treatise on the raisin grapes, their history, culture and curingEisen, Gustavus A.
History
The Raisin Industry: A practical treatise on the raisin grapes, their history, culture and curing
Eisen, Gustavus A.
Raisins; Viticulture -- California
Early planted vines will have a good start.
_Cost of Cuttings and Rooted Vines._--The price of Muscat or
raisin-grape cuttings generally varies from two dollars and fifty cents
to five dollars per thousand, and have been sold as low as one dollar
per thousand cuttings. Rooted vines again vary from ten to twenty
dollars per thousand, according to the demand and supply. The cost of
planting is, of course, different in different localities. In Fresno the
ruling prices for vineyard planting with cuttings is one-half cent per
cutting. The men board and lodge themselves for this sum. For rooted
vines the price is from sixty cents to one dollar per hundred vines. The
ground must be in a perfect condition, but the success of the work is
never guaranteed, as so much depends upon after treatment. While the
actual cost of planting the grapes is insignificant, it will be found
that the many different expenses of a large vineyard of say 160 acres
will be quite considerable, and few of our larger raisin vineyards in
irrigated districts have cost less than fifty dollars per acre during
the first year. This includes labor, buildings, tools, etc., but not the
first cost of land. With experience and constant supervision, this cost
may be reduced somewhat, and under very favorable circumstances from
twenty to forty dollars even per acre may cover the cost of planting and
maintenance during the first season. But estimates in this direction are
not reliable, as one man will spend twice as much as another under
similar circumstances.
PLOWING AND CULTIVATION.
_Winter Plowing._--The plowing and cultivation of a vineyard comprise
different operations, both in the spring, winter and summer. Winter
plowing should begin as soon as the vines are pruned, and should be
finished before the buds begin to swell in the spring. The plowing
should begin with a large plow and two horses, and the soil should be
thrown from the vines towards the center of the land between them. As
such a large plow cannot go too near the vines without breaking branches
and injuring the buds, a smaller single-horse plow is used to follow
after the double team, and to finish up by plowing a furrow nearest to
the vines. The depth of this plowing should, if possible, be from six to
eight inches in the center of the row, and from four to six inches
nearest to the vines.
[Illustration: Vineyard Double Plow.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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