North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Lawrence F. London, Jr." <lfl@intrex.net>]

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: The grape book to end all grape books
Date: Sat, 21 Dec 2002 04:13:14 +0000
From: Bargyla Rateaver <brateaver@EARTHLINK.NET>
To: SANET-MG@LISTS.IFAS.UFL.EDU

I have another     extremely valuable     suggestion for Xmas shoppers.

  There is a tremendously valuable book that needs to get out among all
of us home and/or farm-size growers, and that is the superbly written
and  color-illustrated book, by an author who knows his subject:
   up and down
   crossways
    endways
    sideways
     backside front
     inside out
     front to back
                            etc etc etc

THAT IS LON ROMBOUGH on GRAPES, GRAPES, GRAPES

  THE GRAPE GROWER--Chelsea Green Publishing, White River Junction,Vermont.

Years ago I heard him talk  at the Rare Fruit Growers meeting.

    HE KNOWS WHAT THERE IS TO KNOW ABOUT GRAPES

 Here is a man who thinks of grapes as though they were his own family.

I myself have never been such a superb grape grower, but I did try ,
before the ants made me give up for this year.

But this writer takes you by the hand, comforts you by his very literary
presence, and convinces you that you, YES YOU!!! can really grow grapes
to be proud of.

And it isn't just skillful writing, no, it is the heartfelt love of
grapes that seeps out from every page.  To him grapes are almost like
family.

AND it is about  O R G A N I C growing too.

Are you thinking of a xmas present for someone special who tries so hard
and is getting discouraged? OR someone who knows his way around just
fine in the garden but just never quite had the nerve to grow grapes?

OK HERE IS HELP FORYOU.
   this is a beautifully illustrated book. FULL COLOR PICTURES  make
sure you don't make any mistakes, and the sketches of HOW TO DO IT are
topnotch.
   I have grown grape vines, and got fruit that the ants did not get to
first, but I was just on my own.

I DID NOT HAVE THIS SUPERDUPER BOOK.
                    ----- THE GRAPE GROWER------

Look at the chapter headings;
   Structure of the vine
   Getting started:Site, Soil, and Planting
    Pruning and Training
    Diseases of Grapes
    Insects of Grapes
    Animal and Bird Pests
    Propagation
    Rootstocks
    Varieties
    Grape Species
    Grapes in Cold Climates and Tropics

    Breeding Grapes
       Glossary of Viticulture Terms
        Resources
        Index

    and the simple title should not fool you:

                                  THE GRAPE GROWER

               A GUIDE TO ORGANIC VITICULTURE

Think of that, folks!! ORGANIC!!

See, he is just as brave as I am, ha.   He puts the word "organic" right
in the title.
 Now that's my kind of a person.

But the important point is, that he looks right into your head with its
worries that
    oh, dear, maybe this won't go right,
    oh, dear, maybe I should have done that, not this,
    oh, dear,  maybe I don't have enough light.
    oh, dear, maybe it's too cold here
    oh, dear, maybe it's too hot here

and so on   and so on    and so on.

Phooey to all that. This very kind grower     wants   you   to  succeed!!
Grapes are NOT fussy, pesty, impossible here, need more light, need more
this, that and the other thing.

NO!       YOU, YES YOU can grow grapes.

Relax and just sit in a comfortable place and read.

and do you know what will happen? You will say,
     Wow, why did I not know all this before?  No wonder my vines faded
out.
      Wow, can it really be I doing this grafting?
      Wow, will organic method really do it, no poisons needed

And soon you will think---Huh, if others can do it, maybe I can too

and then
you start thinking--HM, NOW JUST WHERE WILL I PUT THOSE VINES?

Already in your mind's eye your rows of vines take shape.
Maybe you see them in an arbor
Maybe you see them along a fence
Maybe you imagine them arching over a trellis

Whatever, he will take you by the hand and so softly carry you through
it all so kindly and gently that ---WOW, I DID IT  !!

and you become the gardener in the neighborhood  WHO REALLY HAS GRAPES

Yeah, and all those  who said, yeah, but you can't grow them
ORGANICALLY, no way.

Yes, You Can!  he did it.

OK, you want to see this book. The cover is beautiful  ((  hey, what a
gift!  ))
There are illustrations for every step, yes, every single step.
There are 2 columns to every page, no skimping here.

There are: charts in the back--'RESOUCES'
                  further reading--bibliography, annotated !!    E-MAIL
                  an excellent index----(teacher marked you AA on that)
                  lists of propagation supplies
                  insects, pests, and disease- control- sources,
                  who sells what
                    +even phone, fax, email,  web
                  Europe (Latvia, England, Belgium, Denmark, Sweden,
Canada, all US

  AND he even tells you what each source/company supplies, by headings:
                    rootstocks
                    trellis
                    planting, training, pruning
                    propagation supplies
                    knowledgeble authorities
                    Canada and Europe authorities--address.phone, fax,
email too

AND Who do you thinkg wrote the foreword?
     Yessiree:   Roger B. Swain---yeah, you saw that name in SUNSET
magazine?

AND color photos, so you really know what he is talking about.
AND a glossary of terms

Maybe you just want to sit down and READ. OK, here are good titles.

ANYWAY I JUST WANTED YOU TO READ THIS, TREAT YOURSELF   OR A FRIEND, AND
READ, READ, READ.

Oh, yes, the price????? just $35, yes really, can you believe it?
All that knowledge and skill offered, for that tiny price?

 AN EXCELLENT GIFT,  THINK ABOUT THIS !

He tells you the truth about soil, too.



>  of biology in soil to read Bargyla's books.  Can you give us a list
> of them, please?
>
>
> Elaine Ingham
> President, Soil Foodweb Inc.
> www.soilfoodweb.com
>
>
--
Bargyla Rateaver PhD
http://home.earthlink.net/~brateaver/