Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1886-12-18

as winter comes pl0Slng Deglns- IN tne spllne
pruning occupies the time; in the summer cul
tivatiOn and pruning and in part of the sum
mer and fall the gathering, drying and market
ing of the fruit demand constant toll Will
those who come to buy Land will come thost
who come to toll, and these. with the shifting
thousands of laborers who find employment il
our grain fields but twice year, will displac(
the mass of Chinese laborefs.
1t has been so often said, until 1t is now trite
that forty acres are enough, but such general
expressions carry no conviction 10 Eastern peo
pie. They are so accustomed TO large fields fol
farming purposes that it seems incredible thai
forty acres are enough to support family. Tc
present the truth to the practical man the I'M
migrant Aid Society might collect and print the
experiences of
A NUMBER OF TYPICAL HoRTESULTURIsTs,
Showing the number of acres, and tree:
and vines, the varieties, products, receipts
and cost of cultivation. Much harm has been
done by the publication of extraordinary yields
day, and have no doubt it is true, who gath
cred foTty-fve tons of wine grapes from three
and half acres of land. But he won't do it
next year. nor the next. The beginner, who is
not experienced, who nationally prunes his
vines, is disappointed when he compares the
product of his land with such yields. The East
ern man who is searching for home, in COM
pairing the capacity of land, sets up a false
standard and if truthfully dealt with will not
pay the true value OF the land offered. The
truth is, the average yield of a wlne-grape vine
yard, producing high-class grapes, is not over
four tons per acre. But isn't that enough? AT
the price paid for the better class of grapes,
such as are now being planted in the State, the
return would be, if sold to the winery. say. $40.
The cost of good cultivation and delivery will not
exceed $50 per acre, leaving you a net pratt OF
$50. This isthe plain truth There may be exeep-
tions, but it is due to unskiltulness or want OF
the right kind of grapes. Suppose the net profit
should be $50, this would be the interest at 10
per cent. per annum on $500. If orange culture
tc aona1lN- h1a ic dor hot
AN ACRE OF ORANGES,
Ca dbe sold at Riverside for $1,000? believe
that an acre of land, containing full-bearing
vineyard over five years old, is worth, as an in
vestment not less than $1,000. Of course there
are conditions that the grapes are the best and
is not too remote from railroad Is there any
vocation i'll this State that offers, as vticulture,
such certain returns; that affords one such q
field for experiment, and that can be pursued
amid the blessed surroundings of home?
=" Cannot the production of grapes be over
done?' says the doubter. Let us examine the
question. After certain point of production Is
reached for the home supply we must look to
Now, the grape to supply that market must be
sweet, large, Snowy and unbruised by transpor-
tation. Grapes will grow on any soil almost,
but all soils will not produce table grape. The
land must be deep, loamy rich and easily
drained. In some sections the climate or soil, |
do not know which, prevents the coloring o.,
say, the Tokay. In some sections the
GRAPES ARE NEITHER EARLY NOR LATE,
And they come, when ready for shipment, in
competition with the Eastern grapes. You will
perceive, therefore, that the area of California
suitable for table grape-eultore is somewhat Cir
cumscribed. 1t does not run into the millions
of acres, as some orators and writers are fond of
declaring. Again, you must be near the Cen
tral Pacific Railroad, or some of its branches, so
that your fruit may be carried to the cars with
bpirU hrtIiSpO nOk at the and
will be convinced that if all the land suitable
for table grape-oulture, and likely to be so de-
voted, was so planted, that we shall not raise
more than enough TO supply the Eastern de-
planted of table grape One-year old vines,
3, ,179 acres; . yearold, 500 acres 3-yearo
4 ,567 acres and f4year and over, {, ,253 acres
a total of 1879 acres. Now, suppose that in
three years from now 10000 acres were in bear
ing, at an average
YIELD OF TEREE TONS TO THE ACRE,
There would be produced 100. .O0O, COO pounds of
grapes, or 60,00O tons, requiring 5000 cars for
This seems to take ones breath
away, but when we know that from the Los
Angeles section there was sent East , 900 cars of
citrus fruit, l think 1t easy to believe in the
capacity of our Eastern brethren TO consume all
the grapes that California can raise. We must
also reflect that the average production o:
grapes suitable for shipment per acre is not
three tons, the best being selected and the re-
mainder sold to the wineries.
But think that our chietest and most reliable
industry will be the making OF wine and in
this respect
NORTHERN CALIFORNIA HAS NO RIVAL IN THE
SOUTH.
We are masters of the field. Byron said that
man, being reasonable, must get drunk, but
with wise philosophy he might have truth
fully said, being reasonable. man will drink.
We are daily brought face to face with the
drink question. The paupers the drunkards,
|, fr15o
against the use of alcoholic drinks. Statesmen
will tell you that the law is Intellectual to
restrain the indulgence of the appetite for
strong drink. Scientists will tell you that the
effects of fermented liquor is essentially differ
ent from that produced by distilled liquors
7 hat only in those countries whose inhabitants
uses distilled liquors is drunkenness found, and
that in producing countries the people
are light t-hearted, joyous, industrious and con-
tented. l deal with this question as | find it,
and as matter of conscience l am in favor of
wINE-MAKING AS A PURELY TEMPERANCE MOVE
MENT.
From the time when Noah planted vineyard
to that blessed time.at Cana of Galilee when
e The conscious water saw its God and blushed, y
and thence TO the present time, men have drank
wine.
California is to be the great temperance socie-
ty of the Union, teaching men to use the bless
ings of God without abusing them.
There need be no fear of the over production
of good, cheap wine. do not want to be dreary
with statistics, but let me tell you that before
the phylloxera attacked the vines of France that
country produced nearly 2O00,0O0,00O gallons OF
wine. That amount must be supplied from
somewhere, to fill the aching void made by
the ravages of the insect. The French may do
it by sophistication and adulteration, but
IT Is THE OPPORTUNITY OF CALIFORNIA
To educate the people of the United States to a
taste for simple, pure, cheap. healthy wines.
Mr.. Gundlach estimates the vintage of this
Of q oal rrndunod in 10 fol
lowing
Counties. Gallons
Napa 800 00C
Los Angeles and San Bernardino......... 4,20O,OOC
Sonoma 100 00C
Fresno and san JOAQUIN. 90 000
Santa Clara and Santa Cruz. ............. 200 00C
Contra Costa and 900 00C
Placer, Yuba, Yolo and FL Dorado........ 500 000
This is but drop in the bucket to what in ten
years will be the vintage of the State. By that
time the taste for
TABLE WINES WILL HAVE BEEN ESTABLISHED.
In 1885 there were of wine grapes planted, of /
year old, Is, $40 acres; years old, 10 37S acres
years old 21,495, and of years old, q 49j
acres. making total of 81 ,4SS acres think L
possible that thetabove is an underestimate, as
it is reported by the Assessors. At any rate, ii
will not be long before we will produce 50000,-
600 gallons of wine. We have been struggling
long to obtain the recognition of our wines, and
the day has now come. Everybody but snot
recognizes the fact that in California to-day
there can be obtained a better elaret, or Ries
ling, or Burgundy than is generally imported to
this country. The purity of our wines commend
them. In Paris, lately. the Commissioner o.
Agriculture obtained 123 samples of wine sold
in the shops, and had them analyzed, and o.
that number only seven were made from the
grape, the remainder were merely manufact
ured. When we have the bravery to call boldly
wherever we go,
FOR CALIFORNIA WINES,
Then we shall receive the reward we merit
like the boldness of our friend, Foster, who
placed side by side with his raisins the best box
of Dehesia raisins and challenged comparison
He was as bold and firm as AthGnosius. Placer
county and Foster against the world, he said.
To those contemplating the growing of wine
grapes, have this caution to make:
The phyiloxera has devastated the vineya
of France, and millions of dollars have beer
spent to repair the damages and arrest destrue
ton. The insect is in California. and though it,
progress is slow, there is nothing but one thinl
TO prevent its spreading over the State. Tha
thing is 10 plant resistant roots Sometimes
feel that I, with some others, may be likenet
TO jeremiah in our lamentations over
THE PERsIsTENCY OF PEOPLE
In planting vines on their own roots. There ar,
many people whom l have met this year who
proposed to plant, who never heard of resistan
vines, and take this occasion to enforce the eau