The record-union., 1893-04-21
PLANTING AN ORCHARD.
Some Very Interesting Figures for
Fruit-GrOWers.
The Cost of Planting Orchards and
Vineyards, and the Average Yield
That May be Expected From Them
Estimates From Reliable Sources.

an effort to secure from the most reliable
sources facts regarding the cost of plant
ing and cultivatng orchards and vine
yards, especially with reference to in
structing intending purchasers of fruit
lands in California. Men sometimes offer
to sell land and take so much money for
planting an orchard. The value of such
offers may be judged from the data here
with presented.
The following letters from Leonard
Coates. Charles w. Reed. Frank H. Buck,
John Bidwell and A. I. Hatch, will be
found exceedingly interesting to those
intending to purchase fruit lands and
plant orchards or vineyards. The gentle
men named are among tho most success
ful fruit-growers in the State, and all of
them well known.
LEONARD COATES
OF Napa, who has been a very successful
nurseryman and has made Embarrassing
study, which has made it with him pro-
fession, writes, under date of April 18th,
as follows;
l would estimate the cost of raising a
vineyard as follows exclusive of The
price of land):
Per Acre
3
Leveling and marking oft.................... = 90
Cuttings, and planting. .................... ) 90
Cultlvatng four times and hoeNg 1900. / 90
First So so
Cultivating, including replanting, sec
CGitvaIing, including pruning, third ~
Clltivating, including pruning and
stalking fourth year....................... 10 90
A light crop may be expected the fourth
year, which may pay cost of cultivating.
If rooted cuttings are used, the expense
the first year will beincreased So per acre,
but a crop would then be had the third
year. If a vineyard of resistant stock"
Is desired (and there should be no ''if''
about it,, the cost would be increased as
follows:
First year, rooted cuttings, Riparia,
Second year, grating all that are fit
including cost of gratis and material. 5 90
Second year, suckering, etc.................. 80
Third year, grating, suckering, etc...... 4 90
Fourth year, grating, suckering, ETC.. 1 90
The actual value of the property at this
time, however is infinitely greater than
IN the first lnstance-there is practically
no comparison.
These estimates are on the basis of
first, ordinarily good vineyard land; and,
second, the use OF well-tested varieties,
such as Zintandel, Chasselas, ETC., and for
only wine purposes.
In the case of raiSins, the Muscat and
Sultana being the staples, while the cost
Will be about the same in localities where
they are usually planted, the hot climate
will cause them to yield paying crop
sooner.
With the finer varieties of wine grapes,
the cost of cuttings or plants is greater,
and the average yield less. Still the in
trinsic value per ton is so much greater
that they will pay better when the bust
ness is conducted in n proper manner,
ON which l would remark briefly in con-
clusion.
In the case of table grapes the profit at
present is greatest, the same being
shipped fresh to distant markets.
The present price of ordinary varieties
of wine grapes is about So per ton, which
at four tons per acre, does not yield much
after interest and taxes are deducted.
If a man makes his own wine, the pros
poets are not much better, unless he is in
aposition TO age his product and bottle it,
or ship and cask, as may be required;
this requires capital and grit"
Until there is sufficient cooperation
amongst vineyardists to enable them to
successfully combat the ring" there can
be little or no improvement. The fact re-
mains that the producer gets $40 or SD per
ton for his grapes, or II or II cents per
gallon for his wine. This same wine is
never sold afterward at less than 50 cents
per gallon, and more frequently at 81 to
- per gallon, by the bottle. Consequence:
the vineyards are all mOrtgaged, while
the dealers wax fat.
l recently sent a present of a cask
of claret to a relative in England, which
cost me, laid down at an interior point,
81 per gallon, or to bottle, etc, II cents
per half bottle, and which was acknowl-
edged to be far superior to a fair table
claret which there retails at two shillings
TO three shillings per half bottle go cents
to 70 cents.
The cost of an orchard, not including
price of land, interest. or taxes: