Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-10-14
BABIES AND WINE.
THE SOLE PRODUCTS OF A F0oTHILL
FARMERS RANCH.
His Grapes Don't Pay, SO He Makes
Wine-That Doesn't Sell, so He
Drinks 1t Himself.

1t takes all kinds of people to make a
world. While some men are getting rich
at raising grapes for the Eastern market
others are daily becoming poorer at grape
growing. The reason is that the former
grow varieties that are in demand for table
use and which make fine varieties of wine
while the latter are wasting their time and
labor in producing the more common
kinds, which are not in demand for table
use and are equally as undesirable for
wine-making. Yet, after the first expense
for roots OF. cuttings, it costs no more to
cultivate good variety than poor one.
Growers of Tokays and other desirable table
varieties are netting from $10O to $40 per
ton for their fruit, while the growers of
the Mission and other common kinds can
scarcely afford to pick their grapes for what
the latter will bring in the market. Indeed
for some kinds there is no market at all,
and the grapes are allowed, in many cases,
to rot on The vines.
A few days ago q RECORD UNION repre-
sentative, while on jaunt in the foothills,
came upon ranch occupied By a man who
halls from beyond the Atlantic. There
were few evidences of thrift about the
place, although railroad runs through the
premises, and within a hundred yards of
the house in which the family resides On
neighboring hillside was a small vine
yard, the vines in which were nearly OBJ
secured by weeds. There was a considera-
BILE acreage that had been cleared wears ago
(by some one else, of course), and which is
capable of producing all kinds of fruits
figs and olives doing especially well in that
locality. And yet this land had been made
to yield nothing but few tons of hay, of
ordinary quality and worth but little in
the market. Meeting the proprietor near
ms house, the following dialogue ensued:
Visitor-'Well, how are you doing this
season ?"
Rancher-"Vera bad; no maka da much
moony."
Visitor-"What is the matter? Your
land looks all right"
Rancher-"Yaas, land good, but no can
sella anything; besides, gotta too many
chillen."
Visitor-"How many children have you
-four or tive?"
Manifestations or five l gotta 'leben
leben Come see.''
The visitor followed the man around to
the shady side of the house, and there,
sure enough, were eleven children, ranging
IN age from an infant up TO good sized
girl. They were about as wild as Young
quails, and scattered in all directions at the
strangers approach.
In a shed near by was the wife and
mother, still young. good looking, shy and
stalwart. She was engaged in shifting some
heavy wine watts, by the aid of great oaken
lever that looked as if it weighed quite as
much as the boss " of the place. The con.
versation was then resumed
Visitor" YOu make some vino than o,I.
Rancher-" Yaas, l naka da few hun
dred gallon"
Visitor" Don't you sell any of your
grapes? Some men are making money
this year on grapes"
Rancher-"N No, no sella da grape no.
body want EN-; dey good only for wine"
Visitor" Well, you sell your wine, don't
you? That must bring you in something"
Rancher with disconsolate shake of the
head)-" No, no selia da wine~not much
worth get nothing for it."
Visitor" Then what do you do with it
why do you go to the trouble of making
l., if il doesn't sell? "
Rancber-" Oh, keep it for my own
use-I drink it,
The visitor had heard enough, and bid
ding the man and his wife good day. strobe
of, fully satisfied with the days exper-
fence. 1t had explained away that hither-
W mysterious anu puZZunR CODunQIum-
How is it that some men thrive on a
farm. while others starye at the same bus
iness?"
Here was foothill farm that should not
only support family well, but make
money for its proprietor, if properly
worked. The slopes were splendidly
adapted for fruits of all kinds, which could
be placed on railroad cars within an hour
after being picked, and through the level
land runs living stream of water that
could be made TO irrigate many acres that
would grow abundantly potatoes, beans,
and many other marketable products Yet
practically no effort was made to test the
wealth-producing qualities of the place. A
few measly Mission grapes were raised,
and as they had no market value they
were made into questionable quality of
wine. The latter, also having no value,
was kept on the place and drank by the
proprietor. The baby crop was regularly a
success, and because it was so the owner of
the ranch was losing heart All that was
left for him to do according TO his own
story was TO go into his cellar and drown
his sorrows in new wine that might safely
be warranted TO kill tenderfoot at forty
yards. Such is life-in some communities