Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1877-08-02
Where Grows the Vine.

1AAt0 NONA4llN- Astl-, Nl1Ito ~ iii tdSl6lI
exchange: To the easterner California
vineyard presents novel sight, accus
toned as he is to the climbing and trel
/ Used plants of his own section. 1t would
bother the smallest of us to verify scrip
ture and sit under his own vine," fol
they are the merest stumps, although
huge, trunk-like stems as they grow
older, and look like trees that were sat
down" on when they were little fellows
and discouraged from further growing
Each has gorgeous top-knot of green,
like an Indian warrior in full feather;
and there is no prettier sight than a
hillside covered with their rich foliage.
Later, when the fruit changes to yellow,
green, pink, and purple-black, the
aesthetic beauty Is still the same, while
to the practical mind they have an adj
ded charm of ripeness and fitness fol
the palate. The grape country of So
noma county extends from the bay OF
San Pablo on the south to Mendocino
county, its northern boundary, and from
Napa to within very few miles of the
ocean ON the west. In fact, her hills and
her valleys, her highways and by-ways
seem to have been selected by nature
for the special home of this most luscious
of all her fruits. Every year, too, i'm
proves their culture. both as to quality
and quantity, as experience teaches new
and better ways of managing them. AT
present the principal varieties raised are
Black Hamburg, Black Malvoisie, Mus
cat, Zinfindel, Reisling, Chastelas, Berger,
White Malaga, Flamme de Tokay and
the common Mission grape, which last
will grow anywhere when the soil is not
too rich. The Muscat is the prime IA
vorite for eating, although it divides the
honors with the Tokay, and can be
bought here in the season for two and
three cents a pound, while many per
sons are so Overburdened with them that
they feed them to the chickens to get
rid of them. Think of it! you who are
paying seyenty-five cents, or as they say
in California, six bits pound for the
precious fruit.
Some statistics as to the cost of grape
culture may not be uninteresting. | can
vouch for their absolute correctness in
every particular. First, as to price of
land. From IS to $50 an acre is the av-
erage cost, from three to seven miles out
of town, and vineyard, to make good
profit, should contain at least forty acres.
Then, with two men, two horses and
plOws, you have sufficient labor to cult
vate it with ease. The necessary fenc-
ing will cost $3.50 mile; blowing, to
prepare the ground, 81 an acre, on steep
hillsides possibly So, and from SO to SO
to grub and gather stones preparatory to
blowing. Narrowing will cost 81 80, lay
ing off 81, and digging holes for vines
So an acre and planting from So to So.
Cuttings can be had for nothing. Guilt
walton costs, according to a careful esti-
mate, as follows: The first year, for
suckering, blowing, and narrowing, from
s. to 81 an acre; second year, pruning,
taking away brush, and suckering, $40;
third year, when the crop will average
1000, or a half ton to the acre; for suck
ering, pruning, and blowing, SIG. In
the fourth year the vines will pay a
handsome profit, if they have been
properly managed, one and a half tons
to the acre being Il fair yield. Packing
and hauling to the market must be adj
ded to the table of expenses after the
vines begin to yield. In the fifth yeal
they should give at least three tons, and
afterward from four to five, these selling
at the wine cellars for from $40 to $50 a
ton. If, as some do, farmers desire to
make wine themselves, they must calcu-
late on an extra outlay of at least S., 000
foS yard of thirty acres, for Il cellar,
press-house, watts, crusher, hose, pumps
casks, and all the Ell ceteras of the bust
ness. The whole expense, however, OF
simply cultivating, picking, and market
ing an acre of six-year-old vines is about
$50, the crop from which will sell fol
from $50 to 500, leaving a profit of from
$40 to S75, less the interest on cost and
taxes; $50 is about the average cost OF
planting and rearing an acre for three
years.
The actual brandy product of this
county for the present year will proba-
bly, exceed 100000 gallons, the number
Of vines in Santa Rosa township alone
being, in exact figures, 751 $50, all, with
slight exceptions, going to the distiller-
les. These 100000 represent just five
times as many of wine used in THEN
production, and each gallon of wine is
the expressed juice of fourteen pounds
of the fruit. The largest vine-grower in
the country is William Hood who re-
turns list of 10000 vines. Our repre-
sentative, ]. K. Luttrell, "a most genial
gentleman, by the way, as Anna Dick
inson would say, /" if he is a democrat, y
owns a neat little patch of q ZOO plants,
while others range from 5000 to 25,0O0
With small capital, it may be seen,
and the requisite amount of information
on this subject, one may not only make
a fair living at grape-raising, but may
count on good profits to lay by for the
rainy season. that may come at any
time to the most provident.