Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1891-03-13
THE WINE INDUSTRY.
Interesting Statistics I'm Regard to Grape
Growing in the United States.

Interesting Statistics I'm Regard to Grape
Growing in the United States.
TINE LARGE AMOUNT OF CAPITAL INVESTED AND
THE GREAT NUnBER OF PEOPLE EMPLoYED-
IT'S eRowrH AND DEVELOPMENT AND TIE
PROSPECTS OF INCREASE IN TIE FUTURE
An inquiry Of special interest has been COM
pleted by the census Office and the results are
announced in bulletin which has just been
issued Superintendent Porter, in some intro
ductory remarks, states thst 'for the first
time the census Office has made special inves-
tigation for the purpose Of ascertaining the ex-
tent and value of the grape, raisin and wine
industries Of the United States. The results Of
this inquiry, while not all that could be de-
sired, have certainly cleared the way for future
reports. An industry representing a total
value in land, improvements, machinery and
appurtenances Of s155, 661 $50, and furnishing
employment to 200 $50 persons, deserves q
special place in the decennial inventory of the
nations wealth and resources. Unfortunately
there are no reliable data by which q compare
son of the growth Of this important branch Of
agriculture can be made. Unless retarded by
the ravages Of those destroying insects and the
with vineyards in some sections OF the country
astill more remarkable development Of viticul-
ture may be expected, especially in what are
| termed established districts.
THE GRAPE-aRowrNa DrsrRIcrs-
The accompanying bulletin, relating to the
culture Of the vine in the United States for the
production Of table grapes, raisins and wine,
has been prepared by Mr.. H. Gardner, special
agent, under the supervision Of Mr.. Mortimer
Whitehead special agent in charge Of the d.
vision of agriculture b. 1t shows the loca-
1 fion ~ tba Aisfricta ~
the United States. with . total of 40l ,26l acres
in 1889, Of which 307, 575 acres were in bearing,
| producing So, 139 tons, of which 81, 271 tons
were table grapes and 240, $50 tons were used
Al, l66 tons for raisins making 1872, 1856 boxes
| GO pounds each), and %, 252 tons for dried
grapes and purposes other than table fruit.
The material from which these exhibits have
| been compiled was obtained direct by the CEN
| sus office from the producers and by travelling
| special agents, and is regarded as trustworthy
| in every particular"
GRAPE SHIPMENTS IN 1889.
'In the bulletin it is stated that during the
season Of 1889 there were shipped from the
Lake Keuka district New York. and carried by
the different railroads and express companies
| to New York. Boston, Philadelphia and other
distributing markets about 5000 tons or 49,
600, 900 pounds Of grapes, and probably one
quarter of this amount was, in addition, sold to
wine manufacturers.
The Hudson river district, in the same state,
| is estimated to have shipped to the New York
and other markets during the same time be-
tween $4,000 and 1900 tons or $4,000, 600
pounds Of grapes, while in the Chautauqua
| district of New York. where the industry has
| been growing and prospecting only through the
past decade, furnished its 1890 crop for the
different markets of the country probably
| about ECO car loads or 80, 000. 900 pounds Of
table grapes, making grand total of IS, 600 600
pnunis "a the producf of what il known "a the
| New York state district. This does not include
the large amount OF grapes used in the distric.
| for wine.
As further instance of the proportions to
which the industry has grown in the United
States the product of California for the season
of 1889 was l4,626, 900 gallons of wine and
1,372, 195 boxes of raisins. The product of 1880
| is estimated, by schedules sent directly to the
census Office, at 16, 500 900 gallons of wine and
| 2, 197 1853 boxes of raisin, with young raisin
vineyards enough to increase the yield Of
raisns within the next five years to 5000, 900 or
10000, 600 boxes.
| THE FIVE MAIN DIVISIONS.
The area in which the industry may be found
has been separated into five divisions, some of
which are again subdivided into districts. These
divisions are as follows:
First The eastern division, comprising about
81, 900 acres in cultivation in the states of New
York and PENNSYLVANIA. includes the Keuka
II
Wayne district, Seneca district, Chautauqua
| county New York; and Erie county (Pennsyl-
vania) district, and the Hudson River district.
Second. The middle division, with 1888
acres in the states OF Illinois, Indiana and Ohio,
the latter including the islands district and the
Euclid district.
Third. The western division. with II, sos acres
| in the states of Kansas and Missouri.
Fourth. The southern division. with 1902
acres in Georgia, North Carolina, Tennessee and
Virginia.
Fifth. The Pacific division, with 213, $50 acres
in California including its several districts and
| Arizona and New Mexica.
Outside of these five divisions all other states
and territories show upward Of 10000 acres in
| cultivation.
| For the purposes of this investigation the pro-
ducts of viticulturc have been classed under
three distinct heads, namely, grapes for table
use, grapes for raisins and grapes for wine.
| THE LARGEST AND SMALLEST VINE.
| Tables are given showing the production of
| vineyards, capital invested in land, buildings
&c. Attention is called to the fac. that while
| California has the largest vineyard in the world
it has also the smallest. The latter consists of
a single vine in Santa Barbara county. 1t was
planted by Mexican woman about sixty-eight
years ago, and has diameter one foot from
| the ground of IL inches its branches covering
| an area of IL. 600 feet. and produces annually
10, COO to IL 900 pounds of grapes of the Mission
| variety (many punches weighing six and seven
pounds), the crop being generally made into
| wine. The old lady who planted this one-vine
vineyard died in 1865 at the age of one hun
| dred and seven.
Virginia had 100 acres of bearing vines,
which produced 46I.000 gallons of wine and
| 10, S6S 600 pounds of table grapes
Virginia during the past decade has held he-
own, it is stated, although growers have had to
| fight the various enemies, such mildew and
black rot. but are thoroughly awake to the i'm
portance of using the remedies recommended
by the Department of Agriculture.
THE CORCORAN CADET CORPS.