THE VITICULTURE OF NEW YORK
The history of the viticulture of eastern United States shows that the
regions in which grapes have been most largely grown in the past have
come into prominence, had their day, and then suffered a decline. The
reasons for the more or less temporary character of grape regions are
becoming more and more apparent as our knowledge of grape-growing
increases. The grape, more than most other domesticated plants, is
profoundly influenced by climate, soil, cultural treatment, and insect
and fungus pests. In any region in which the grape succeeds at all well,
conditions are more favorable at the start of the industry than later;
this is especially true as regards soils, and the insect and fungus
pests. In a discussion of any phase of grape culture, in a broad sense,
the conditions under which the fruit is grown must receive careful
consideration. We therefore include in this chapter a discussion of the
characters which most strongly influence grapes in vine, fruit and
general adaptability; also a brief discussion of the regions in which
native grapes have been successfully grown in America; and, more
particularly, an account of the viticulture and the grape regions of New
York.
In their wild state the various species of native grapes seem adapted to
a great diversity of soils and conditions. But under successful
cultivation varieties of the several species are confined to somewhat
restricted regions and even localities. Often a grape variety will
succeed on one shore of a lake or river and not on the other; on one
slope of a hill but not another. It is difficult to point out the
determinants of successful grape culture. Adaptability can be known
positively in many cases only by trial; for neither conditions of soil,
nor climate, nor lay of land determines with certainty the adaptability
of a given locality. Oftentimes one variety of a species may not be
successful while another is completely so. Many varieties reach
perfection in one region or locality but not in another though the
conditions may seem very similar. So great is the influence of local
environment, oftentimes, that a variety grown in one locality might not
be recognized as the same grape when produced under other conditions.
The chief natural factors which govern the distribution of varieties of
grapes are: Latitude and altitude; temperature of air and soil; water
supply; the chemical and physical properties of the soil; air currents;
and insects and fungi.
Latitude and altitude very largely determine the annual temperature, the
amount and intensity of sunlight, and the length of the growing
season--all very important factors in growing grapes. Species and
varieties of grapes are usually adapted to regions having about the same
latitude; northern types do not succeed in the South nor the reverse.
Length of season has more to do with the adaptation of grapes than the
degree of heat or cold, for some southern sorts are hardy in vine in the
North but the seasons in the northern latitude are not sufficiently long
for the fruit to mature. On the other hand, northern varieties mature
too quickly in the South and pass through maturity to decay with too
great rapidity. The metes and bounds of latitude are often set aside in
grape-growing by local modifications. Thus it often happens that valleys
in regions not generally adapted to viticulture are so protected from
cold winds, so open to sunshine, or are so free from fogs or frosts as
to furnish ideal conditions for grape-growing.
Probably the chief factor in determining the adaptability of a region to
grape culture is temperature. Each of the different species and
varieties of grapes requires a certain amount of warmth for its best
development and can endure but a certain degree of cold. The temperature
of a region is chiefly determined by latitude, altitude and proximity to
large bodies of water, though variations in the surface of the country
are often important modifying agents of temperature and especially
influence spring and fall frosts.
The grape does best in an equable temperature and does not thrive in
regions where there is a great daily range. Regions and seasons in which
the temperature is comparatively low in the growing months of May, June
and July and high, with much sunshine, in the maturing months of August,
September and October, produce the best grapes in the latitude of New
York. An average of from 55° to 65° for the first named period and of
from 65° to 75° for the second are ideal temperature conditions for the
grape.
This fruit is very sensitive to moisture conditions. Not only must the
total rainfall for the year be taken into consideration but its
distribution throughout the seasons must be considered. The grape does
best with comparatively little rainfall. When the rainfall is the least
possible amount for a good growth of vine the grape crop will be the
largest, of best quality and most free from fungi. Wet seasons, and
especially wetness during the months of maturing, are disastrous to both
quantity and quality of grapes. Thus, in New York it is not possible,
with most varieties, to produce good grapes if the average is above six
inches each for the three growing months and five inches each for the
maturing months. It is far better for the crop that it be as low as four
inches for the first named period and two inches for the second period.
Superfluous moisture in the soil favors too great a growth of vine,
checks and weakens the root system, prevents proper setting of fruit,
and favors fungi, but hinders the multiplication of phylloxera. In
particular, a comparatively dry soil is desirable for grapes because of
its influence on the development of the root system. In dry soils large
root systems are developed in the search for the water that the plant
must have. When intense droughts occur plants that have stood in damp
soils have not sufficient roots to supply the necessary water to the
aerial parts and the vines suffer in consequence. Some species and
varieties are better fitted for withstanding an excess of moisture than
others.
The soil exercises a great influence in determining the suitability of a
region for viticulture. Several factors act as soil determinants: (1)
Fertility; (2) physical characters; (3) soil heat. It is necessary to
study each species, and even their varieties, to discover their powers
of adaptation to different soils and it is possible to indicate here the
good and bad qualities of soils only in the most general way. In the
discussion of species and varieties the soil preferences of the
different botanical and horticultural groups will be stated more fully.
Great fertility, as a natural characteristic, is not necessary in grape
regions. Fertilizers, and especially the use of stable manures and cover
crops, can be made to supply very largely a lack of fertility. Soils
naturally too rich produce an overdevelopment of vine. Some species, as
_Vitis rupestris_, grow naturally in very poor soils, the habitat of the
latter being dry ravines and stony places having comparatively little
organic matter. The varieties of _Vitis rupestris_ promise well for
stocks upon which to grow other varieties in certain soils. In Europe
calcareous or limy soils are not considered well adapted to
grape-growing, but in America we often find very good vineyards on such
soils.
The physical character of a soil has more to do with the welfare of the
grape than fertility. Sand and clay are the two distinct types of soils
usually found in general agricultural regions. As one or the other
predominates soils take their character. So far as growth alone is
concerned these two types of soil do not influence the vines much
differently, but the fruit in quantity and quality is greatly influenced
by them. According as to whether sand or clay is in excess a soil is
loose or compact, retains or gives up water, and is warm or cool. A
compact soil is made so by an excess of clay or of very fine sand.
Grapes require a light friable soil and compactness is often a serious
defect. Usually species and varieties with large, thick roots are better
adapted to compact soils than those with small root systems, probably
because the strong roots have greater penetrating power than the weak
ones. Lightness and permeability of the soil may be influenced by
subsoiling and through the use of stable manure and cover crops, but a
hard soil is generally so ill adapted to grape-growing that this fruit
should not be planted on it.
The heat-retaining properties of a soil must always be taken into
account in growing grapes. The great preference which many varieties of
grapes show for sands, loams, shales and gravels, depends largely upon
the greater amount of heat found in such soils. In northern regions it
is especially needful that the soil furnish an abundance of bottom heat
for the grape. The removal of an excess of moisture is helpful in
regulating soil heat; and, other things being equal, a well-drained soil
is warmest.
Grapes grow more or less well in any soil adapted to fruit-growing. It
is not true, even, that the grape is more particular as to soils than
other fruits. But the necessity of having great quantity and high
quality of fruit in profitable viticulture makes it very necessary to
take their preferences as to soil into strict account.
Air currents are of minor importance compared with the other factors
discussed yet are worthy of attention. They are chiefly of importance in
grape-growing in the suppression of fungi. It has long been noticed
that in regions where there are strong currents of air the dreaded
black-rot and the mildew are not nearly so harmful. Winds may be
beneficial, too, when they bring warm air, when moisture laden, when
they keep frosty air in motion, and possibly they have an effect on some
small insects as the leaf-hopper. On the contrary they may be
detrimental when too dry, strong or cold. Natural or artificial
windbreaks may greatly modify the effects of wind currents though their
value is usually overestimated as their benefits are often offset by the
undesirable conditions caused.
Lastly, the prevalence or lack of insects and fungi in a region may
decide its value for viticulture. In several instances flourishing
viticultural industries have been destroyed in this country by insects
or fungi, or both. In other regions the present supremacy of commercial
grape-growing is almost wholly due to the fact that neither insects nor
fungi are seriously troublesome. The advent of spraying and a better
knowledge of the life histories of insects and fungi are lessening the
importance of the parasite factor in determining the value of a region
for grape-growing, but it is still of high importance.
We are now prepared to take up a discussion of the grape regions of New
York.
The states in which the growing of American grapes takes the rank of an
industry are, according to the census of 1900, in order of production:
New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas,
Missouri, Georgia and Oklahoma. The value of the product in the leading
state was $2,763,711; in the last named state, $128,500. American
viticulture, so far as native grapes are concerned, is almost wholly
confined to twelve states. But viticultural interests are still further
localized. In New York the industry is divided into four great regions,
the Chautauqua district, the Central Lakes district, the Hudson
district, and the Niagara district. In Pennsylvania and Ohio
grape-growing is largely confined to the shores of Lake Erie; in
Michigan to a small district about the towns of Lawton and Paw Paw; in
Missouri, Hermann is the representative point for grape culture.
THE CHAUTAUQUA DISTRICT.
Of the four grape regions of New York the Chautauqua district is by far
the most important though, excepting the Niagara, the most recent in
development. The Chautauqua grape belt lies along the southeastern shore
of Lake Erie. It averages about three miles in width and is about fifty
miles long. Its northeastern boundary is in Erie County but not far from
the line dividing Erie and Chautauqua Counties; its western boundary, in
New York, is the Pennsylvania line, an arbitrary division, for the
district passes into Pennsylvania. This narrow belt passes through the
towns of Hanover, Sheridan, Dunkirk, Pomfret, Portland, Westfield and
Ripley in Chautauqua County. Not all, but much, of the land is suitable
for grape-growing.
The topography, geology, and soils of this grape-belt have been
carefully mapped and studied.[93][94]
The grape land is, as we have seen, a narrow strip of comparatively low
land which borders the shore of Lake Erie. On the southern boundary of
this low plain is a high hill or escarpment parallel to the lake and
surmounting the grape belt throughout its entire length. This
escarpment, the "Hill", ranges from 500 to 700 feet above the plain and
from 500 to 1000 feet above the lake. The plain is gently rolling and
ascends from the bluff of the lake to the escarpment with a grade of
from one to two hundred feet to the mile, forming in some places
well-marked foot-hills to the escarpment proper.
The bed rock, according to Tarr[95] is upper Devonian shales and sand
stones in both plain and escarpment. On the face of the escarpment and
on the table lands of some of the foot-hills the soil is so thin that
the plough frequently touches bed rock. This seldom comes to the surface
on the plain except in stream beds and in shale ridges, but is to be
found in fragments of greater or less size and in more or less abundance
throughout the soils of the entire district. Everywhere on the plain may
be seen ancient beach lines. These rise usually in two well-defined
terraces but not infrequently there are from two to five distinct
terraces between the lake and the escarpment. All conditions point to
the theory that these ridges are wave built and therefore of lake
origin. The plain, the gravel ridges, the foot-hills and the high
escarpment are the chief topographical features of the grape belt.
The grape soils of the district, as mapped by the Bureau of Soils of the
United States Department of Agriculture,[96] are Dunkirk clay, Dunkirk
gravel, Dunkirk gravelly loam, Dunkirk sandy loam and Dunkirk shale
loam. The grapes grown upon the several soils vary somewhat as to
quantity per acre, as to flavor and sugar content and as to shipping
quality.
The largest areas of Dunkirk clay are found running back from the lake
east and west from Barcelona, in the neighborhood of Van Buren Point and
about Dunkirk. In these regions the soil is a clay loam from several
inches to a foot deep resting upon a stiffer and more tenacious clay.
Vineyards located on this soil are very productive but the quality is
not as high as in the fruit grown on the shale loam, though for most
part superior to that produced on the gravel and sandy loams.
Dunkirk gravel soils are found on the ridges at the foot of the
escarpment on the southern boundary of the district from Pennsylvania to
the eastern boundary of the grape district. Throughout most of this
distance there are from one to three parallel ridges varying from a few
rods to a half mile in breadth; at many places the ridges run into each
other or have been brought together by cultivation. It was upon this
gravel that vines were first successfully grown. Grapes upon this soil
ripen a week or more earlier than upon other soils and these lands are
therefore largely planted with vineyards to supply the early market and
they have a larger proportion of early varieties than vineyards on other
soils. The Niagara is thought to do especially well on Dunkirk gravel.
Dunkirk gravelly loam is found running through practically the whole
grape belt at the base or on the top of the gravel ridges; if at the
base, to lakeward of the ridges. It is a sandy loam with much fine
gravel and is underlaid at a depth of three feet with sand and shale
fragments. On the surface it much resembles the gravel soils having had
considerable top gravel brought there by washing and by cultivation. The
grapes grown on these soils are very similar to those produced on the
gravels though there are some minor differences. Some varieties produce
larger berries on this soil, and some sorts, it is claimed, a greater
amount of wood.
The Dunkirk sandy loams occur in large irregular areas bordering the
lake or running from the lake bluff back to the escarpment. By far the
largest of these areas is found about Fredonia and Dunkirk and running
east and west of these towns. A second area is found in the neighborhood
of Brocton and Portland and especially to the north and west. There are
smaller areas east of Barcelona and northwest of Ripley. Nearly all of
the sandy loam soils are found on undulating or rolling land. The soil
is a brownish-yellow loam from a half foot to a foot in depth. There are
some deviations from the type and yet the true sandy loams can be very
easily recognized. The soil is of rather heavy texture making good
farming land and producing large crops of grapes of slightly inferior
quality.
The Dunkirk shale loams are found upon the hill or escarpment. These
form the grape lands farthest removed from the lake. This soil is
comparatively thin, not averaging more than a half-foot in depth and is
hardly ever found a foot deep. It is brown in color with much coarse
fragmentary shale on the surface and underlaid with a considerable body
of heavy clay. Part of the shale loam land lies on slopes too steep and
rough for cultivation but the hillside table lands of this soil are
especially well adapted to grape-growing. The grapes grown here contain
much sugar, therefore keep and ship well, have a high flavor, and are
especially sought for in wine-making; grapes on these soils mature
early, have tough skins, but are only medium-sized berries. The yields
are much more variable on this soil than on the others because of the
great variation in the depth of soil. On deep soils of this loam the
yield is all that could be desired. Because of the lay of the land, and
the nature of the soil, there is much washing and cultivation must be
done judiciously.
The climate is exceptionally favorable for the grape-grower in the
Chautauqua district. It is, if anything, of more importance than the
land; for grape soils are not uncommon, but a grape climate as near
perfection as that of this region is indeed rare. The influence of the
lake in modifying the temperature of the region is the chief climatic
factor. This influence need not be dwelt upon here for it is common
knowledge that large bodies of water temper cold winter weather, hold
back vegetation in spring, equalize night and day temperatures of
summer, lengthen the growing season and ward off autumn frosts. Each of
these influences is highly favorable to the growth of the grape. The
escarpment on the southeastern boundary of the belt has a most decided
influence on the climate chiefly because it confines the influence of
the lake to a narrow belt. When the escarpment becomes low, as at the
two extremities of the belt, grape-growing ceases to be profitable. When
the distance between the lake and the escarpment is great, the climatic
conditions are not so favorable.
The air currents and rainfall of the region are especially favorable.
The in-shore breeze of the day and the off-shore breeze at night keep
the air in constant motion, thus preventing frosts in spring and autumn,
and probably cause in part the great degree of immunity to black-rot and
mildew. Unfortunately, data to determine accurately the rainfall of the
district cannot be had but such as have been taken indicate that the
rainfall is comparatively light for the maturing months of August,
September and October and not heavy for the three preceding growing
months. Residents of the grape belt claim that most of the heavy showers
pass over the hills or down the lake. The whole region is proverbially
free from heavy dews. Rain and dew are favorable to black-rot and other
fungi and the lack of them still further accounts for the immunity to
these pests in the region.
The history of the rise of grape-growing in Chautauqua County forms an
interesting chapter in the economic development of New York. The first
vines in the Chautauqua district were planted by Elijah Fay[97] in 1818,
near the present town of Brocton. These were wild vines of _Vitis
labrusca_ from Deacon Fay's boyhood home in New England. The vines grew
luxuriantly but the fruit was not satisfactory and in 1822 this worthy
pioneer obtained at great trouble roots of Miller's Burgundy,
Sweetwater and Black Hamburg. But the second experiment was even more
disastrous than the first as he got no fruit. The real start was made in
1824 when Mr. Fay obtained vines of Catawba and Isabella from Prince of
Flushing, Long Island. The vines were trained on trellises. The vineyard
covered a plot two by eight rods in extent. From a rise of land near
this spot one now sees grapes everywhere, probably a greater acreage of
them than can be seen from any other spot east of the Rocky Mountains.
In 1830 Deacon Fay made ten gallons of wine, the first for the region.
In 1834, Lincoln Fay, a nephew of Elijah Fay, started the sale of grape
vines but not many vines were sold for commercial plantings until as
late as 1850. In 1859 there were in the town of Portland but twenty
acres of bearing grape vines where now are thousands. During the decade
that followed, the Concord was generally introduced giving the
viticulture of the region a great impetus. Grapes were not yet grown for
table use to any great extent and a large acreage could not be used for
wine-making. In 1859 a wine-cellar was built by Fay, Ryckman[98] and
Haywood at Brocton and for a long while this company used almost the
total crop of the region. It was not until the early seventies that the
grape-growers sought other markets than the wine-cellars. In 1870 there
were about 600 acres of vineyards in Chautauqua County.
The first table-grapes of the region were packed in twenty-pound splint
baskets. Dunkirk was the primary marketing place and the fruit was
shipped from here to various large cities by through freight. The
transportation facilities were not satisfactory and in 1880 Jonas Martin
of Brocton tried the experiment of shipping a carload of grapes to
Philadelphia. This was the first carload of grapes sent from Chautauqua
County. In 1906, 4690 carloads were shipped and 844 were converted into
wine and grape juice, representing all told $2,482,822.[99] Until 1883
the markets were confined to nearby cities but in this year a carload
was safely sent to Spokane, after which time markets were found from the
Atlantic to the Pacific and from the Gulf to Upper Canada. The first
grape-growers' union was formed in 1886 as the Chautauqua Grape Growers'
Shipping Association and its organization marked a new epoch in the
grape industry of the district. Smaller and larger organizations have
since been formed and at the present time about 80 per ct. of the entire
crop is handled by a growers' union known as the Chautauqua and Erie
Grape Company.
According to Mr. G. E. Ryckman, in the early days of the grape industry
in this region the fruit was shipped in round paper baskets holding from
three to five pounds; later these were made of wood. Sometime in the
early seventies twenty-pound splint baskets, which were supposed to be
returned to the owners, were introduced. These were superseded by the
twelve-pound climax basket; the size of this basket was soon reduced to
ten pounds, then to nine, then to eight. Meanwhile a small five-pound
basket made on the same lines as the larger one came into use but soon
shrunk into a four-pound receptacle. The eight and the four-pound climax
baskets are now generally used throughout the region. Increasing
quantities are now being shipped to large cities in trays with slatted
tops holding about forty pounds each; these grapes are used by the
purchaser for wine-making. The wine and grape juice industries of the
region have been touched upon in the general discussion of these
industries.
An actual canvass made by this Station in the winter of 1906-7 shows
there are in the Chautauqua grape belt at this time 30,000 acres of
grapes. The census report of 1900 gave the number of vines for the
county as 11,914,706, which at the usual number of vines per acre gives
about 20,000 acres for the district. This figure was probably low,
though that of the Station for 1907 may be somewhat high. The acreage is
distributed in towns approximately as follows: Portland 9500; Westfield
5700; Ripley 5700; Pomfret 4600; Hanover 1950; Sheridan 1950; Dunkirk
600. A correspondent writes that the grape shipments for 1907 indicate a
considerably larger acreage for the towns of Hanover and Sheridan than
are here given. The average yield of grapes is a little less than two
tons per acre for the region. The value of vineyards varies from $100 to
$400 per acre.
The crop for the past seven years calculated by _The Grape Belt_[100]
from figures secured from the railroads are as follows:
"Season of 1900 8000 carloads
"Season of 1901 6669 carloads
"Season of 1902 5062 carloads
"Season of 1903 2952 carloads
"Season of 1904 7479 carloads
"Season of 1905 5362 carloads
"Season of 1906 5634 carloads"
The seeming decrease in carloads shipped as the years progress is far
more than made up by the greater use of the fruit in local wineries and
grape juice factories.
According to figures gathered in the preparation of this work about 90
per ct. of the grape acreage of the region is set to Concord followed by
3 per ct. of Niagara, 2 per ct. of Worden and 1 per ct. each for Moore
Early and Catawba with the remaining 3 per ct. made up of a dozen or
more sorts among which Delaware leads.
The shipping season in this district begins early in September and lasts
well into November though late varieties, as Catawba, and small lots of
Concord are held some weeks longer. Improved storage facilities are
yearly lengthening the season.
Several systems of pruning and training are in vogue in the district but
the majority of the vineyards are pruned and trained in a system
peculiar to Chautauqua County. The posts are from six to eight feet in
height, one to each three vines; two wires complete the trellis. The
lower wire is from 28 to 32 inches from the ground and the second from
22 to 36 inches above the first, the distance being changed as the vine
comes to maturity. The grapes are trained according to the upright
system and the vines are renewed to short horizontal arms and but few
canes are taken out each year; the trunk reaches only to the lower wire.
The arms are loosely tied to the lower wire and the canes and bearing
shoots to the wire above. Cultivation varies greatly but the best
growers practice close cultivation and make use of fertilizers; the
cover crop is growing in favor. Spraying is not very general as the
region has been remarkably free from pests. The chief insects now
encountered are the grape-vine fidia,[101] the flea-beetle,[102] the
grape leaf-hopper[103] and the grape berry moth.[104] The several fungal
diseases found in this region are, about in order of importance,
black-rot, downy mildew, or "brown-rot," powdery mildew, and
anthracnose, or "bird's-eye rot."
THE CENTRAL LAKES DISTRICT
Several important areas of vineyards are grouped about the central lakes
in western New York. While there are at least three distinct localities
in this district, namely, the areas about the three lakes, Keuka,
Canandaigua, and Seneca, yet the soils, climate, varieties and methods
of caring for vineyards and product are so nearly alike that all may be
treated as one district. The vineyards are in five counties, Ontario,
Yates, Schuyler, Steuben and Seneca. The Keuka area, in Yates and
Steuben Counties, is by far the largest; and the region is often called
the Keuka grape district. Vineyards surround Keuka Lake and all but the
northern end of Canandaigua Lake, but only on the banks of the southern
half of Seneca Lake are grapes grown. The somewhat extensive vineyards
about Naples, south of Canandaigua Lake; Bath, south of Keuka Lake; and
of Romulus between Seneca and Cayuga Lakes, belong in the Central Lakes
district.
The geology of the Central or Finger Lakes has been studied by many
workers and the geological history of these remarkable bodies of water
is now well known.[105] It is very generally agreed that these lakes
fill, in part, preglacial valleys and that the valleys were transformed
into lakes by glacial action. The basins of the lakes may have been and
probably were deepened by the erosive action of glaciers but it is
fairly certain that there were pre-existing valleys which were dammed by
glacial deposit.
The topography is more or less rough and broken. The steep hillsides of
the lakes were formed not only by erosion but by the tilting of the
land. Beside these hillsides of the lakes to give character to the
topography of the region, there are ranges of hills and the remains of
some moraines, so that in general the land is very uneven. This is
especially true of the parts of it devoted to grape-growing though in
some grape sections there are many stretches of smooth and regular
vineyards.
The soils of this great region vary much, as is always the case when
land is made by glacial erosion and deposit of glacial drifts. On a
single farm the soil may be thick and fertile in one part and thin and
poor in another; it may consist largely of clay in one part and of sand
and gravel in others. The grape soils in the Central Lakes region are,
in particular, of miscellaneous types, embracing, in one place or
another, nearly all of the soils in the Dunkirk series described in the
discussion of the Chautauqua district. Probably the Dunkirk clay loam,
often very shaly and stony, is the most common of the several soils of
the region. There are also considerable areas of a shaly soil which
possibly do not belong to the Dunkirk types, not having been influenced
by water action as are true Dunkirk soils. On the slopes and hillsides
the land is sometimes rough and stony with but a thin covering of soil
and with out-croppings of bed rock. The influence of the various soils
on the grape has not been studied as in the Chautauqua district but, as
noted, the soils in the two districts are in many cases similar so that
the discussion of the influence of the several types given for the
Chautauqua district will apply in large part to the Central Lakes
district.
The Central Lakes have a very perceptible influence on the climate of
the region. The lakes are deep and conserve warmth. The water of Seneca
Lake is so deep, and consequently warm, that it has been known to freeze
over only a few times in the past hundred years. The winter climate in
this region is much less severe than in adjacent territories. Not only
does the water modify the severity of the winter climate but the
enclosing highlands materially assist in keeping in the warmth of the
valleys. Since the lakes run, generally speaking, north and south, the
winds are deflected to these directions very largely. In the summer,
both days and nights are cooler and the climate more equable near the
lakes. These modifications of climate are all favorable to
grape-growing.
The first grapes grown in this district, so far as records show, were
set by the Rev. William Bostwick at Hammondsport in 1830. The varieties
were Isabella and Catawba and these he succeeded in raising to
perfection. From this time onward scattering vines were planted in
gardens about the three lakes. About 1836 Mr. J. W. Prentiss, originator
of the Prentiss grape, planted a small vineyard at Pulteney from which
considerable fruit was sent to market from time to time and the vineyard
was constantly enlarged. In 1853 a commercial vineyard was set out by
Andrew Reisinger, a German vine-dresser, consisting of two acres of
Isabella and Catawba at Harmonyville in the town of Pulteney. Reisinger
trained, pruned and tilled his vines, operations unheard of before in
the district, and was rewarded with crops and profits which stimulated
grape culture in his and nearby neighborhoods.
In 1855 the Hon. Jacob Larrowe and Mr. Orlando Shephard planted small
vineyards of Isabella and Catawba in Pleasant Valley near Hammondsport
and were so successful that in 1858 their vineyards were greatly
increased and others in the valley embarked in the business of
vine-culture. Viticulture was now fairly started and the industry grew
apace from 1858 onward. In 1860 two hundred acres of grapes were set in
Pleasant Valley alone and elsewhere on Keuka Lake large plantings were
made. Grapes brought from fifteen to thirty cents per pound and a
bearing vineyard at this time was as good as a gold mine.
Plantings were begun in the Yates County portion of the Keuka district
in 1855 when Mr. W. W. Shirland set a small vineyard of Isabella in
Benton township.
There seem to be no records as to the first plantings about Seneca and
Canandaigua Lakes but all available information indicates that plantings
about these two lakes came in the spreading of the industry from Keuka
Lake. E. A. McKay of Naples seems to have had a vineyard of some extent
as early as 1848 from which he sold fruit. There must have been
vineyards of considerable size about Avon in Livingston County in the
early fifties; for Larrowe, Shephard and others obtained cuttings at
this place in 1855 for their vineyards in Pleasant Valley. Who owned
these Avon vineyards, and what their extent was, does not appear.
The first commercial shipment of any considerable amount beyond the
towns nearby was made in 1854 when Mr. J. W. Prentiss shipped a ton of
Isabella packed in tubs to New York City. The tubs were made by cutting
apple barrels in half and were packed half full when a thin board
partition was put in after which the tub was filled and covered. The
consignment reached the city in fair condition and brought fifteen cents
per pound but a second ton shipped in the same way "broke" the market.
John Mead of the town of Benton introduced the Concord in this region in
1861 and the same year Henry Rose of Penn Yan set the first Delaware to
be planted commercially in the district. The Concord soon took the place
of the Isabella but could not displace the Catawba as it did in the
Chautauqua district. The Delaware grew in favor and rapidly assumed
third place in the list of varieties about the three lakes, a position
which it still maintains, though it is closely followed by the Niagara.
By 1860 grape-growing had become so general that the need of further
outlets for the fruit was felt and the Pleasant Valley Wine Company was
formed for the manufacture of wine and brandy. For several years
following, this company used about one-third of the output of Pleasant
Valley, helping very materially to steady the market for the whole
district. A few years later another large company, the Urbana Wine
Company, was formed; and when still later it was discovered that the
champagne made about Keuka Lake was superior to that made in any other
part of America and that, with experience in making, it rivalled the
champagne in France, wine-making became an important adjunct to
grape-growing in this district. Now there are about twenty-five
companies making wine and champagne on or near the shores of the three
lakes, the industry having its center on Keuka Lake. Wine-making is
still in its infancy and because of the demand it creates for grapes,
and the high prices paid by the wineries, will continue to exert a most
favorable influence on the viticulture of the district. There is but
little unfermented grape juice made about the Central Lakes.
A valuable asset of this district is its long range of season. Grapes
ripen from one to two weeks earlier about these lakes than they do in
the Chautauqua belt. Thus the Concords grown here are well out of the
way of those grown in the Chautauqua district. The Catawba, which ripens
late and is a "good keeper", can be kept in fine condition until
midwinter or later. The range of season in this district, then, is from
the first part of September until February or even March.
Though there have been grape-growers' unions for marketing the fruit of
this district at various times, most of it now goes through the hands of
individual buyers. An exception is the product of the large vineyards of
Niagaras in Seneca County, the fruit of which is marketed with that of
the product of other Niagara vineyards of the Niagara district of
western New York through a union of growers.
The grapes in this district are variously trained but the high renewal
system is used chiefly. In this system the head of the trunk is from
twenty to thirty inches from the ground. Usually the trellis has three
wires, the lowest about twenty inches from the ground and the others at
distances of eighteen inches apart. New canes are brought out from
renewal stubs and once in two or three years an attempt is made to bring
them directly from the head of the main trunk. This system is
particularly well adapted to the Catawba and Delaware so generally grown
in the lake region. Thorough cultivation is practiced and the fall cover
crop of oats, barley or clover is coming into favor.
It is difficult to ascertain the acreage in this district. Taking the
figures of the census of 1900 and those of a canvass made by this
Station in the winter of 1906-7 the acreage in the several counties is
about as follows: Yates, 7940; Steuben, 5570; Ontario, 2630; Schuyler,
1014; Seneca, 1540; total 18,694. These figures are slightly larger than
the estimates of grape-growers and buyers but chiefly so because they
take in scattered plantations throughout the several counties. Thus in
all of these counties there are a surprisingly large number of Niagara
vineyards in out-of-the-way places, set during the Niagara boom of the
eighties. To this Central Lakes district might also be added 500 acres
of commercial vineyards in Livingston County; 250 in Cayuga and 250 in
Tompkins Counties. The total valuation of the crop in this district in
1900 was $943,964.
Insects are not as troublesome in the Central Lakes district as in the
Chautauqua district. The grape-vine fidia, or root-worm, one of the
worst of the insect pests of the grape, is not yet destructive in this
region. The grape leaf-hopper and the grape-vine flea-beetle are
possibly the worst of the insects infesting the grapes about these
lakes.
But fungi are more troublesome than in the Chautauqua district; probably
because the climatic conditions are more favorable to the development of
these pests about these smaller lakes than near Lake Erie. The five most
troublesome diseases, named about in order of importance are
black-rot,[106] downy mildew,[107] or "brown-rot", powdery mildew,[108]
anthracnose,[109] or "bird's-eye rot" and chlorosis,[110] or
"yellow-leaf". Vineyards are very generally sprayed in this district and
usually with satisfactory results. Grape-growers have learned that
certain varieties are much more susceptible to some of the diseases than
others and plant accordingly.
HUDSON RIVER DISTRICT.
The region along the Hudson River forms the third largest grape district
in New York. According to the census of 1890 there were 13,000 acres of
grapes in this district but in 1900 the returns gave less than half that
acreage. The great falling off was due to the taking out of a
considerable number of old vineyards which had been planted with too
many varieties, or with worthless varieties, or in some other respect
were poorly set plantations. It is doubtful whether the acreage in 1907
is greater than in 1900 but the industry is in a more healthful and
prosperous condition now than then.
An estimate of the present acreage, and its distribution, made in the
preparation of this work, gives the standing of the district as follows
by counties: Columbia, 865 acres; Dutchess, 448 acres; Orange, 865
acres; Ulster, 4021 acres; total, 6199 acres. Beside the above there
are, of course, some scattering vineyards. There are only two or three
wine-cellars in the district and probably 95 per ct. of the product of
the vineyards is sold for table grapes or to those who make wine in
small quantities.
The grape lands of the Hudson River Valley are found very largely in the
geological division known as the Taconic Province.[111] This province is
a broad valley which extends from Pennsylvania across New Jersey, taking
in Orange and parts of Ulster and Dutchess and Columbia Counties, then
passing out of the State. The rocks in this geological division are
shales, slates, schists, and limestones; and the soil is derived from
these rocks. The grape lands, for most part, are those in which there is
much shale or slate and in more or less coarse fragments, the finer
particles being clay or gravelly loams. The district is more or less
hilly, some of the vineyards being in valleys of a few acres extent,
others in broad, gently undulating plains and still others on
comparatively steep hillsides.
The climate of the Hudson Valley changes rapidly as one goes up the
River because of the diversity of its physical features and the wide
variety of atmospheric influences to which it is subject. In the part of
the Valley in which grapes are grown the summer temperature is high
owing to the position between ranges of mountains and to the southerly
winds which prevail at this season. In the winter the winds are
northerly and the temperature is often low making the culture of tender
grapes hazardous. The influence of the river, really a broad estuary in
the grape regions, at all seasons is most favorable for fruit-growing.
The lowlands of the Hudson Valley receive a somewhat small amount of
rainfall as compared with the rest of New York because when moisture is
being carried inland from the Atlantic it is largely precipitated by the
mountains and highlands of New England. This is favorable to
grape-growing. Another desirable feature of the rainfall of this Valley
is that the maximum summer downfall is in July whereas in many parts of
the State it is in September or October. This relatively light rainfall
in the maturing months is more marked in this than in any other of the
grape districts of the State.
The recorded history of commercial viticulture dates back to 1827 when
Mr. Robert Underhill and his two sons, R. T. and W. A. Underhill,
planted a vineyard of Catawba and Isabella at Croton Point which
eventually covered seventy-five acres. For some years this vineyard
practically supplied the large markets of the region with grapes. In
1829, Rufus Barrett of New Paltz, began shipping Isabella grapes in
small quantities to the New York market. Barrett lived in a settlement
of French Huguenots, who after having experimented more or less with
European sorts, early in the nineteenth century began planting native
varieties. It is probable that Barrett obtained his inspiration for
planting and knowledge of vine-growing from these Frenchmen.
In 1837 a French vintner, John Jacques, set out a vineyard for
wine-making at Washingtonville, Orange County. The varieties set were
Catawba and Isabella, purchased from Prince of Long Island. Some of
these vines are still living, vigorous and thrifty at three score years
and ten. The original plantation consisted of but a half acre but in
1838 this was increased to ten acres. This is probably the oldest
vineyard of native grapes in New York. The third year from the planting
of this vineyard wine was made, and has been made at Washingtonville
ever since, so that this community may claim the oldest winery as well
as the oldest vineyard in the State.[112]
William T. Cornell planted a vineyard of Isabellas near Clintonville,
Ulster County, in the year 1845. Mrs. Cornell and Mrs. William A.
Underhill were sisters, so that Cornell's vines came from Croton Point.
A. J. Caywood, of Marlboro, was a brother-in-law of Mr. Cornell. Thus
the inspiration of this noted viticulturist to plant grapes, and to
originate new sorts, may be traced directly back to the Frenchman,
Parmentier, who, as we have seen, furnished the Underhills with their
vines and gave them instructions for their care. The Catawba and
Isabella were grown almost entirely until the introduction of the
Delaware and Concord, after which the first named sorts dropped out
entirely, being subject to mildew and ripening late in the season.
The Valley of the Hudson has more reason to be called the birthplace of
American viticulture than any other of the grape-growing districts of
the country. The grape and wine industries, as we have seen, were early
started here. Prince's Linnæan Garden at the mouth of the Valley was the
first distributing agency for American grapes. Its owners did more than
distribute grapes, they distributed knowledge and trained men. A. J.
Caywood of Marlboro, J. H. Ricketts of Newburgh, Stephen Underhill at
Croton Point, Dr. A. K. Underhill at Charlton, Dr. C. W. Grant at Iona,
W. D. Barns of Middlehope, Dr. William M. Culburt of Newburgh, were
notable early originators and experimenters with grapes and from their
vineyards have come some of the best of our native varieties. Kniffin,
the Downings, and Buel are other familiar names in viticulture and
horticulture of those who lived on the Hudson and who have helped to
invest the region with sentiment and with interest for the grape grower.
The number of varieties grown in this region is far greater than in
other parts of the State; as would be expected from its having been the
birthplace of so many and from its nearness to large markets where fancy
sorts can be disposed of to advantage. The Concord leads in acreage
followed in order of acreage by Delaware, Niagara, Worden, Moore Early,
Bacchus, Pocklington, Campbell Early, Hartford and Vergennes after which
come a great number of less well-known sorts grown in acre or less
quantities. The value of the crop in this district in 1900 was $298,350.
During the early years of grape-growing along the Hudson the methods of
training were essentially those used in Europe. The vines were kept well
headed back and were trained to stakes of varying heights. It did not
take long to discover that for our native grapes the vines must be so
trained as to give the fruit and foliage the greatest possible amount of
sunshine; to regulate the bearing wood; to permit them to bear just so
much and no more fruit; and to control the height of the main trunk.
Soon distinctive systems for native grapes arose and one of the earliest
of these originated with William Kniffin of Ulster County. This system
still bears his name and is most generally used either as it was first
practiced or in some of its modifications. In the Kniffin system, and
its modifications, the trunk is carried to the top wire and the bearing
shoots are allowed to droop; for this reason this method of training is
often called the _drooping_ system in contra-distinction to the upright
systems hitherto mentioned in which the bearing shoots are tied to wires
above the canes from which they grow. The Hudson Valley growers claim
that the Kniffin system is especially desirable for the strong growing
sorts like Concord, Worden, and Niagara but admit that for the slender
shorter growing kinds like Delaware and Catawba the upright system is
best.
As is always the case when fruit is grown near to the market in which it
is sold, there is little uniformity in the packages in which it is
shipped and the manner in which the fruit is packed. Most of the fruit
from the vineyards along the Hudson goes to market in climax baskets of
the two standard sizes. Some of the growers pack two, or even three
varieties, in one package for the purpose of giving a range in color and
quality. The shipping facilities along the river are unexcelled. Most of
the grapes go by boat down the Hudson to New York City. In this case the
fruit is loaded late in the evening and reaches its destination early
the next morning. The rail connections to New England cities are good
and large shipments go eastward by rail while smaller quantities go
inland and south. The fruit is not marketed through unions nor has
co-operative selling been tried, the nearness to market obviating the
necessity of co-operation.
The insect pests in this district are neither numerous nor particularly
destructive, the grape leaf-hopper and the grape-vine flea-beetle being
most common. Spraying for insects is not generally practiced. On the
other hand the fungus troubles are serious, the black-rot having been
especially destructive in some sections. The other diseases are much the
same as in the districts discussed. While all of the fungi of the
district are amenable to treatment yet spraying has not been generally
practiced nor have the vines been kept as vigorous and healthy through
cultivation and fertilization as to withstand the attacks of the several
fungi. The decreased acreage of grapes along the Hudson during the past
decade or two is due in some measure to the fact that the grape diseases
have not been controlled. With better knowledge of the life-habits of
the insects and fungi which attack vineyards, and means of combatting
these pests, viticulture should regain the prestige it once held in the
Hudson Valley.
THE NIAGARA DISTRICT.
The Niagara district, the smallest of the several grape areas of the
State, lies along the Niagara river and the southern shore of Lake
Ontario. In it are about 4700 acres distributed in counties as follows:
Erie, 2100; Niagara, 1250; Orleans, 375; Monroe, 700; Wayne, 380. In the
southern part of Erie County the vineyards are grown under conditions
very similar to those we have described in the Chautauqua district; the
treatment given is much the same; the grapes are marketed as are those
in the district to the south and west; and the Concord, as in the larger
district, is the variety most largely grown. But conditions in the
northern and eastern part of the county more nearly approach those along
Niagara river and the Ontario shore so that the county is included in
the Niagara district.
In Niagara, Orleans, Monroe, and Wayne Counties the grape lands are in
what is known as the Ontario plain. This plain has for its western
boundary in the United States, Niagara River; for its northern boundary
Lake Ontario; to the south there is a high escarpment, the Niagara
escarpment, or "the mountain", separating the Ontario plain from the
Erie plain which is an eastward extension of the low plain on the south
shore of Lake Erie. The Niagara escarpment may be seen well at Lewiston
from which point it stretches eastward toward Lockport and westward into
Ontario. The escarpment may be traced to the eastern end of Lake Ontario
where it disappears and the Erie and Ontario plains merge into one. In
the grape-growing counties the Ontario plain varies from four to nine
miles in width.
The plain is more or less rolling throughout its entire length; but in
few places are the hills too steep for fruit-growing. The soils are
sandy, gravelly, or clay loams varying greatly in fertility and in
adaptability for the grape. In parts of the district the soils are stony
and shaly. They belong, so far as they have been studied, to the Dunkirk
series and are therefore quite similar to those of the Chautauqua
district.
The climate, too, is much like that of the Chautauqua district. The
average midwinter temperature is comparatively high; the summer
temperature is equable; and the precipitation of rain and dew light as
compared with inland areas. The influence of the escarpment is not so
marked in the Niagara district as in the Chautauqua belt. A remarkable
feature of the climate of this district is that killing frosts rarely
occur before the close of October, giving a long maturing and harvesting
season for the grape. In the winter the daily range of temperature is
small owing not only to the influence of the water but to the fact as
well that this season is a period of great cloudiness for the region.
In Erie County much of the product of the southern part is marketed with
that of Chautauqua County but to the north, Buffalo makes a splendid
local market. Several varieties are grown for the home market but
chiefly the Concord and the Niagara. These are packed in the various
styles of climax baskets and in slatted crates--the latter for the home
making of wine. The fruit is carted to the market by the grower, or
purchased in the field, in the case of wine-making, by the consumer.
Niagara County is the home of the Niagara grape and this variety is
grown here almost exclusively. The product is sold very largely by the
grower in the open markets of Buffalo and Niagara Falls and is packed in
the several sizes of climax baskets. In the counties to the east of
Niagara the product, almost exclusively Niagaras, is sold at Rochester
or neighboring towns or shipped to the large eastern cities. Much of
this fruit is sold through the Niagara Grape Market Company, a
co-operative union, with headquarters at Lockport, New York.
The Niagara region is the newest of the grape districts of the State.
There were few plantings along the shore of Ontario until 1886 when the
Niagara grape was introduced and vineyards were put out in considerable
numbers throughout the whole extent of the district followed by still
heavier plantings during the succeeding several years. It was soon
demonstrated that the region was well adapted to grape-growing and
especially for the Niagara grape but that there were many soils and
locations wholly unsuitable for vineyards. Consequently during the years
that followed the bearing of the first grapes, many vineyards have been
abandoned so that there are now scarcely as many acres as at the close
of the first period of expansion about 1900. The insect and fungus pests
are much the same as in the Chautauqua district though the dreaded
grape-vine fidia is not yet nearly so common, but, on the other hand,
the black-rot is far more destructive, probably because the Niagara
grape is very susceptible to this fungus.