The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1892-11-10
GRAPES BY THE TON.
EXTENT OF THE INDUSTRY AND
SOME OF ITS NEW FEATURES.

SOME OF ITS NEW FEATURES.
Large Vineyard Territory in New York
and Pennsyivania-How Markets Arc
Invented for the Crop-CoId Storage
Grapes Unfermented juice.
The largest vineyard area of native
grapes in this country runs through west
ern New York and into Pennsylvania,
along Lake Erie, forming belt of land
which annually yields from $4,000 to 60,000
tons of table grapes for market. While
this represents the amount sold In the
markets as table grapes, there are many
thousands of tons in addition which are
utilized in other ways or left to rot ON the
vines II is estimated by growers that
over $4,000 acres are planted with grapes
in this region, and the number Of vineyards
increases every season. Probably no part
Of the country offers better facilities and
richer grape soil than can he found here.
Western New York has always been
noted for its fine grapes, but twenty years
ago we could not have realized the extent
to which the industry would soon grow
under progressive vineyardists. Grapes
were then almost luXuries in the cities and
correspondingly high prices were paid for
them. But today the grape lover can buy
his fine Niagaras, Concords and Wordens
In the height of the season for a few cents
pound. If grapes in New York retail for
three and four cents IL pound, one stops
occasionally TO wonder how much the
grower must receive. Before the con-
sumner receives them on his table at three
cents pound, the cost of picking, price of
baskets, transportation rates and dealers
commissions must be deducted before an
idea of the growers profits can be realized.
The grape grower today must be salts.
fed with half a cent pound profit. Ere
quently the markets are 80 glutted with
grapes that the growers do not get back
enough more than to cover expenses.
Grape growing under such conditions Is
rather disconraYing work. 10 improve
the industry growers have endeavored to
effect changes along two lines The cost
Of production is brought down to the low.
est figure possible, and everything is done
to invent cheaper methods of growing con
sistent with good quality of grapes. At
| tempts, too, are being made to use the sur
| plus crop in other ways than simply send
| ing them to market and running the risk
of selling them at IL loss
| Hand labor has been cheapened as much
as possible, for in the past this has
amounted TO a considerable sum, especially
when summer tying to the stakes and
bagging the grapes were resorted to. Ac-
cording to the Knitfen system now gener.
ally adopted, summer tying of the vines to
| the wires is done away with. This system
renews the vines every year back to the
crown on the lowest wire, and trains the
vines out in opposite directions, one for
each of the two wires used. The old system
e..
two are needed by the Knitfen system.
This is best for the strong growing vari.
cites, but some of the more delicate vari-
| cites. such as the Concords, Wordens and Nj
agaras have to be supplied with at Least
three and sometimes with four wires. The
old method of bagging the grapes to avoid
the rot is no longer practised generally.
The bags cost qnite n sum on a 100.acre field,
and the labor of putting them over the
punches eutailed another large item of ex
pense. A few growers still adopt this sys
tenn, but the majority use the Bordeaux
mixture early III the season, which pretty
effectually keeps all fungi from the vines
aud fruit. @-
The question of extending and improving
the market for the grape crop has long
been anxiously studied by those who ex,
pect to see the industry overdone, and to-
day there are several uses for grapes which
are rapidly assuming importance to the
growers. One of the latest schemes is to
extend the marketing season into winter
by system Of cold storage. Cold storage
grapes during the holidays, and well to-
ward spring are novelties MS yet, but it
will not be many years before every hotel
and private house will have such grapes
on their tables. BY picking the grapes
carefully in sound punches, and placing
them in the storage house until the stems
have dried up and all moisture has evap
grated they are fit to preserve for long
time by means of cold They are packed
in boxes lined and covered over the tor
with paraffined paper
According to this method the Niagara
grapes can be kept until after the LIST Of
January, and tho Vergennes can be pre-
served until the following spring The
grapes shrink little, but for all practica
. purposes they are as good as when frs
$ picked from the vines. So far the trouble
> has been that the public does not know
1 enough about cold storage grapes to max
the demand general, but every year thi
difficulty is iessened.
Another method of utilizing the grape
is to convert them into unfermented Crap
Y juice. Nearly every soda water store i
: the cities now has its white stone jul
: marked with 'pure unfermented Crap
juice" although ten years ago such
thing was not known, This fresh juice {
the grapes makes "A delightful beverag,
!, and 1t IL considered almost as wholesom
= as milk. The juice is simply pressed on
n heated to a certain temperature and bottle
I, while hot. This will keep for year Will
II out spelling, and by mixing little wat,
with it a fine drink is made. Several con
panies have already been formed to NAL
9 this unfermented grape juice, and u
n market is extending so rapidly that Il
process will afford welcome outlet for Il
surplus crop
g The canning of grapes is no new indu
try, although of late 1t has assumed mo
= Importance, because grapes are becomiI
so abundant. Where grapes are very chez
10 canning can be carried on profitably. Rig
in the midst of the large grape growing
gions canning goes on every year, III
u farmers are glad to sell their surplus CIR
of To the factories. In canning the gra
! skins and pulps are both used. The Crap
IL are popped out Of the skins by pressi
Nv them, and then boiled until they can
y rubbed through sieve to separate t
pits The skins arr boiled longer than I
n. pulps, and the latter are added after [
former have been stewing for some tin
Sugar is added to suit the tilste, and til
n. the whole is brought te a boil, The graz
are sealed Immediately in alright ia
bottles or cans OF any size. The operati
is so simple that many growers do I
work on their own vineyards. The cam
grapes make delicious preserves in wint
and the price is made very reasonable
Ghautauqua Cor, New York Post.