Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-01-14
CAROLINA GRAPES.
VINEYARD PLANTING ANDPROFITS
IN THE SOUTH.
An Interesting Article Upon the
Subject for California Vino
Growers to Read.

II is quite evident from the following
terticle, which is published in the Cotton
Plant, South Carolina, that the grape
growers of this coast have little reason to
fear competition from vineyards in the
Southern States. The paper referred to
says:
Grapes have come and gone, and the
vineyardists have hardly yet sufficiently
rested from the rushing work they had to
go through with TO count the costs and
profits Greenville growers shipped many
thousand pounds of the luscious fruit to
the Northern and other distant markets.
and the returns were various-sone salts
factory some Indifferent and not very en-
couraglng, and others not yielding ex-
penses. Like all other products of the
SOIL, grapes are at the mercy of tickle and
huctuatlng markets. and, as they are perish
able, they must be sold on arrival in the
markets at the ruling price of the day, be
that what it may. On this account, grapes
are at disadvantage, as compared with
some other farm products. On the whole
the price obtained by the shippers, so far
as we are able to learn so soon after the
close OF the season. were sufficient to pay
small profit. The average price III Phil
adelphia for Concords was about cents.
although some early shipments sold as
high as 10 cents New York quotations
ranged lower, and not many Greenville
grapes went to that city A good many
grapes were shipped to Chattanooga, Tenn.
Providence, r. l., Birmingham, Ala,
Charleston, S. c., and other points. The
best returns came from Birmingham, where,
in the middle and latter part of the season,
Concords sod readily for 10 cents. We
shall say more on this subject in our next.
Ii is rather early for 4 concise review of
the years business. Many thousand gal
Ions of wine have Teen made, principally
from Concord Ives and Clinton grapes.
We should remind some of our North
ern exchanges that they are guilty of rash
and rather sweeping statements when they
say that the grape crop of the South is
an entire failure" Such has never been
the case in this section. While we have
sporadic attacks of mildew and black-rot.
the grape crop of the Piedmont section of
South Carolina has never been ANYTHING
like IN centre failure" The loss from
rot this year has been very slight, except
in one or two isolated instances. and in
some vineyards it may have been Il benefit
in thinning out the fruit on vines that were
eriaden. The Piedmont country of the
Carolnas can, we think, compare notes
with New York and New jersey with per-
feet complacency, so far as the rot is con-
cerned. We have much to learn and not
little to unlearn in grape culture; but
the progress so far made, indicates very
clearly that all the hill country of this
State, or, more properly speaking, what is
known as the Piedmont region, is we'll
suited for the business and likely to be-
come q grape-growing center. Even in
the lower half of the State, where the
climate is more moist, careful growers are
succeeding with the Concord and other
hardy varieties, to say nothing of their
complete success with the Scuppernong,
the Flowers and Thomas grapes, from
which they make excellent wine and lots
of it.
The present indications are that the
grape area will be largely increased during
the coming planting season. Some people
will go.into it blindly, indulging a hidden
hope that when their vines begin to bear
they will turn the fruit into money with
ease and get good deal of glory out of the
business at the same time. A wagon load
of luscious ripe grapes, neatly packed in
clean baskets, and this coupled with the
cheerful countenance of the producer, is
enough to tempt almost anyone TO go into
the business. But "all is not gold that
glitters," and while far it be from us to say
one word to discourage the industry, or
those who are likely to embark in it, there
is such thing as going into business IA
tionally, with Judgment and forethought;
above all, with some idea of what is to be
done with the crops of grapes when they
are produced. If marketing the fruit is
the intention, an entirely different variety
Of grapes should be planted to what would
be if the grower intended his business to be
wine-making; for while it is true that
grapes best for the market will make toler-
able wine, there are others-the strictly
wine grapes-that had best be planted for
that purpose.
Professor George Hussman, of California,
is correct when he says that for wine we
must depend upon the eastivalis and
riparia species. The labruscas and hybrids
are the grapes for market and for the
table. 1t will pay beginner to spend a
year looking into all such questions before
making any considerable start in grape
culture Freight trains are too SLOW for
the shipper of grapes unless all combine
and load refrigerator cars and ship to the
same market. Express rates are high.
The cost of baskets are considerable, and
ctuating-sometimes glutted-markets
make prices capricious.
We have never heard Of vineyard in
this section of the country being abandoned,
and we don't know the grape-grower who
is sorry he went into the business and
who is not planting more vines every year
But we know growers would if they
could afford it, uproot hundreds of their
vines and plant other varieties in their
stead, but they can't stand to lose three
crops from the bearing vines while the
new sorts would be getting age and roots.
1t is only folly to assume that there are
not serious questions connected with grape
growing in every sense of the word Ours
is not the only State or section of the
South that is going largely into the bust
ness