Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-08-20
THE GRAPE GROWERS.
THEf UNITE FOR MUTUAL AID
AND PROTECTION.
Outlook for the Present Vintage
Remarks of j. III. Wheeler, Jos.
Reuter- and Others.

The Sacramento Wine Grape Growers
Association met at Changers Hall at P NJ.
Saturday, DR.. w. S. Manlove in the chair.
The attendance was almost double that of
the first meeting, and many vineyardists
from remote parts of the county were pres
ent.
The minutes of the previous meeting
were read and approved.
]. H. Wheeler, Chief ViticuItural Officer
of the State, was present, and was called
upon by the Chair to address the assem-
blage.
Mr.. Wheeler said he had read an account
of the first meeting, and ne had no DOUBT
but that the placing of the entire crop in
the hands of Board of Trustees, to dispose
Of to the wineries, was a good plan. In
this manner better prices could be obtained
than where the individual growers came
into market in competition with small lots.
Just such meetings as the Sacramento
growers are holding are being held through
out the State. He suggested one way of
obtaining better prices this year, and GER
tainly in the future, was to reduce the Weld
into something else. The vineyards st must
not look after the present alone, but pre-
pare for the future.
IN LIvERMoRE VALLEY,
Where he is largely interested in vine
growing, one.half of the crop is withdrawn
from the wineries. The price of wine is
low all over the United States, and the Cal
iforria wine-makers and merchants are
not making as much as growers seem to
think. They are not getting rich at wine
making at present prices. He said: |
came up on the train from San Francisco
to- day with Mr. Kohler, one of the proprie-
tors of the large WINERY just east of this
city. He felt very bad over the action you
had taken, and feels DISPOSED to let the
grapes alone. He says he would like TO
sell his outfit to you and let the premises
be run on the cooperative plan. The
product to-day loaded on cars in San
Francisco sells for 20 cents per gallon, coop
erage included, which means IS cents per
gallon net. Grapes this season, owing to
the immense quantities Of wine on hand,
are worth but little. The cellars in San
Francisco are so full that they cannot take
any more wine. If 100000 gallons of mar
ketable wine was taken into San Francisco
to-day and offered for cents gallon they
could not buy it Those who are buying
are those who ship in large quantities, and
they, of course, are those that sell at the
lowest prices. You must remember that
other sections are raising more grapes than
you are. In Liyermore we undertook to
pledge our growers to
WITHDRAW oNE-HALF THEIR CROP
From the wineries, make it into vinegar, raj
sins o. feed it to the hogs so as to raise the
price. Before that whole VINEYARDS were
of l,,,L ~,
makers said, No, we think we can get all
we want for s.. Last week the same
winery contracted for 400 tons at SIS. This
advance of prices is entirely due to the agi-
tation. The vineyardiss agreed 10 with
draw one half their crop from the wine
market, sell them for table use, dry
them, etc, unless SIS could be realized
then all should 80 to the winery. If the
vineyardists do not get cent for the half
| they withdraw. then do they come out
ahead, for the entire crop would have
brought less than the half under present
arrangements. Other sections have with
drawn from the wine markets and their
crop will be dried. st. Helena, Calistoga
and Santa Clara are drying their crops.
Nearly the entire crop of Fresno county
will be dried. Last season so carloads of
dried grapes went East from Fresno and they
sold on en- average Of 81 cents per pound
or $40 per ton, which was equal to SIT
per ton for the green fruit. The market
for dried grapes will be better this season.
II necessary, we can
GO TO THE EUROPEAN MARKET.
In France we can get from 81 to cents per
pound and the import duty of half cent
will still leave US on an average say ST. a
ton for the green fruit. 1t seems to me
| that large proportion under the existing
!
| If you put up wineries do so with view to
| selling the wine Immediately or holding
| it over. There is no trouble in dispos-
| ing of your muscats at $50 per ton or your
| tokays at $50 for table use and raisin max
| ing.
Mr.. Wheeler recommended the grating
of wine into table grapes We viii have
| this same trouble to go over every year.
| The vine makers esnnot pay Us the prices
for the next two years that will pay you
for raising the grapes. We should CO.
operate all over the State another year so
as to have limited supply for wine, and
then we would raise the value of the ar
ticle.n He said he had more faith in the
distillery than in the wine prices at this
time. There was but little trouble and ex-
pense attached to distilling. The largest
| sale of brandy made in the State was made
for 35 cents q gallon, which was equal to
IS per ton for the grapes.
THE SECOND LARGEST VINEYARD
In the State, the Nadeau, in Los Angeles
county, all Mission grapes, sold its entire
crop this season and the use of the distil-
lery thrown in for 50 per ton. All of the large
vineyards in the State are going into the
brandy business. Choice grapes sell we'll
to-day and have always. Cabernet wine
sells for rs cents in Bordeaux. Two weeks
L f.. i Il \
S3l for Cabernets. Grow the choicest va
rieties and you will get the best prices.
France is wine-drinking people. The
people of the United States consume annu.
ally 600,000,000 gallons of beer. Ordinary
wines will not stand transportation in the
Eastern market. Beer finds a market at
nome. and every town has its brewery
There is more wine consumed in Califor-
MIA than in any portion of the Union. A
gentleman said a few days ago that three
New York houses can take all the grapes
we can dry and they can produce wine suf-
ficient to spoil our Eastern market. If they
can give us SIT ton they pay small
freightage and can undersell US in the
Eastern market We will then compete in
the market only for fine wines, for the best
qualities cannot be made from dried grapes
or glucose. 1t will have the effect, how
ever, of causing the wineries east to make
better wines than they have in the past, foI
dried grapes will take the place of substi.
tutes heretofore used, and it will cause our
dealers to handle better fruit and make bet
ter wine.
| DEALERS THEMSELVES ARE TO BLAME
For the present low prices of wine. Ifone
put the article to twenty cents another
would cut under that price to secure the
trade. and this cutting of prices has ruined
the business. Good wines the dealers are
handling at profit, and prices are held up
according to quality. Don't look to the
selling of your grapes at good prices this
| year and expect to get good ones nexi
year. The cellars at St. Helena. Sonoms
and Santa Clara are full and cannot be
marketed at any price. The increased
: consumption last over that of the preceding
year was 100000 gallons, and at that rate
of increase in two years more we will be
able to realize fair prices for our crops. We
, can make expenses at SIS ton for grapes
bat can make no money at less than $40
We are in bad bost and we might as well
face the music. If we could get Congress
to pass stringent law Furnishing for the
: adulteration of wines the consumption oil
the product of our wineries would be
! doubled and trebled. There is winery in
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