St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1873-08-08
California Wines and Raisins.
MORAL AND ECONOMICAL ASPECTS OF IT
lCharles Nordhofl in the TribuneJ

I
tCharles Nordhofl i'll the Tribune
| have now seen the grape grow in
almost every part of California where
wine is made. The temptation to a
new settler in this state is always strong
to plant vineyard; and | am moved
by much that | have seen, to repeat
here publicly, advice | have often given
to individuals: Do not make wine.
remember a wine cellar, and cheaply
built, but with substantial and costly
casks containing (hecause the vineyard
was badly placed) a mean, thin, fiery
wine and on pleasant sunny after
noon, around these casks a group OF
tipsy men, hopeless, irredeemable
beasts, with nothing much to do except
to encourage each other to another
glass, and to wonder ut the eastern man
who would not drink. There were two
or three Indians staggering about the
door: there was swearing and filthy
talk inside; there was Il pretentious
tasting of this, that and the other cask.
by parcel of sots. who in their hearts
would have preferred ..forty-rod" wills
ky. And little way off there was a
house with women and children in it.
W no lldt OH 10 lOOh OUT Oh lEt uOOI 10
see this miserable sight of husband.
father, friends, visitors and hired men.
spending the afternoon in getting drunk.
| do not want you to understand that
every vineyard is Il nest of drunkardS.
for this is not true. In the Napa and
S0noma valleys. in the foot-hill of the
Sierra. at Auahcim and elsewhere in
the southern country. You may find
many men cultivating the grape and
making wine in all sobcrnesS But
everywhere. too. and i'll my own eX-
periencc far ottener, you will see the
proprietor. or his SONS, or his hired
men. bearing the marks of strong drink
and too often. if you come unexpected
ly. yOu Will see some poor wretch III
the winr-houSc. who about four o'clock
Is maudlin. Seeing all this. | advise no
new settler IL the state to make wine.
He runs too many risks. with children
and laborcrs. even if he himself escapes.
Fortunately. no one need make wine.
though every man may raise grapes
for it is now IL fact established by suf-
iicient and practical trial. that raisins.
equal i'll every respect To the best Ma
laga. can he made in California from
the proper varieties of grapes. and can
he sold for price which will very
handsomely V pay the maker. and with Il
much smaller investment of capital and
less skill. The vineyard owners al
ready complain that they cannot al
ways readily sell their crude wine at Il
paying price: but the market for care
fully made raiSinS is. as | am told 10y
the principal fruit dealers in San Fran
cisco, open and eager. To make wine
requires uncommon skill and care. and
. to keep it SO that age shall give it that
merit which commands 4 really good
price demands considerable capital in
the necessary outlay for casks. While
the Skillful wine maker undoubtedly
gets Il large profit on his vines. it he
gins To he seen here that there is an
"vcr-supply of poorly made wine.
But any industrious person. who has
the right kind of grapes. can make
rai>ins; and raisin making. which.
eighteen months ag,. had still Il very
uncertain future in this state. may now
safely Ice called one of the established
and most promising Industries here.
Last wear ate excellent laisin> in Los
Angeles. and tolcIahle ones in NiSalia
bUt they sell, very commonly. in the
shops. what they call "dricd grapes.
which are not rai>iu~ at all. but damp.
sticky. disagrccahlc things. not good
even in pudding>. This wear. however.
| have seen. in several places. good
native raisils: and the head of the
largest fruit importing house in san
Francisco told me. the other day. that
one raisiu maker. last fall. sold the
whole of his crop there at - per box OF
- pounds. Malagas of the same quality
bringing. at the same time, hut S2.3
There is Il market for all well-madc
rIi>inS that can he produced in the
! state. he said. and they are preferred tn
the foreign product. At Folsom. Mr..
Bughy told me he had made. last wear.
! 200 boxes of raisins. and that he was
satisfied with the prcuniary return and
| Judge. from the testimony of different
persons, that. al seven cents per pound
raiSins will pay the farmer very well.
The Malaga and the white Muscat are
the grapes which appear. here. to make
the best raisins. Nobody has yet tried
the seedless Sultana. which. however.
hears well here. and would make. |
should think, an excellent cooking
raisin.
For making raisins. they wait until
the grape is fully ripe. and then care
fully cut off the lunches. and lay them
either on a hard, clay floor, formed in
the open air, or on brown paper laid
between the vine rows. They do not
trim ont poor grapes from the lunches,
because. us they assert, there are none
but | suspect this will have to he done
for the very finest raisins, such as would
tempt n reluctant buyer. The bunche>
require from IL to - days of exposure
in the sun, to he cured. During that
time they are gently turned, from time
to time, and such as are earliest cured
are at once removed to n raisin house
This is fitted with shelves, on which
the raisins are allowed to sweat a little
If they sweat too much. the sugar can
dies on the outside, and this deterior-
ates the quality of the raisin. 1t is an
object to keep the bloom on the berries
They are kept in the raisin house, be-
lieve, five or six weeks, when they are
dry enough to box. 1t is, as vet. GUS
tomary to put them i'll 25-pOund boxes.
but, no doubt, as more experience is
gained, farmers will contrive other par
GELS. Chinese do all the work in raisin-
making, and are paid one dollar a day,
they supplying themselves with food.
There is no rain during the raisin max
ing season, and, consequently, the
whole outdoor work may be done
safely as well as cheaply.
Enormous quantities of fruit are now
put up in tin cans, in this state: and
you will he surprised, perhaps,-as
was the other day,-to hear of an or
chard of peach and apricot trees, which
bears. this year, its first full crop; and
for 100 acres of which the owners have