The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-11-12
Southern Grape Growing.

Mr.. F. 2. Graham, who is an authority"
on the subject, writes to the Mobile Reg
lister as follows;
1 am positive that the cultivation of the
grape for profit can be successfully car
ried on in your state in fact quite as sue
cessfully as in any other country in the
world. Alabama has within her territory
all the elements necessary for the perfect
growth of the grape for table use, wine
or raisinmaking; and here | wish to can
your attention to the fact that these
combinations are very rare indeed They
are not to be found in France, Italy Spain
or Germany, and you will bear in mind
that these are the leading grape-growing
districts of the old world. 1t is also true
that California has no more worlds to
conquer as maker of dried fruits and
raisins. In the cities of London and Paris,
California dried apples, peaches, prunes
and apricOts, ! may say have a pratical
monopoly, and, notwithstanding the enor-
nous quantities of those fruits sent aborad
by that state, the demand is far from be-
ing supplied.
While this condition exists as regards
her dried and canned fruits, it is very diff
ferent with her wines or table grapes.
In the first place, California could not
possibly expect to sell table grape in an
eastern market until the crop of this
oNebtC NOuAAl nave Detu exhausted, lOF the
reason that much superior eating grape
can be grown here, and then, again, this
state can put grapes ia the markets of
the east from four to six weeks earlier
than California can. In the matter of
transportation, your state is nearer the
eastern markets by four days This, Of it.
self is Of very great Importance TO the
fruit grower, having cheap freight rates
and landing his fruits in a superior con
dition in these markets. Early fruit COM
mands the best prices. Couple this with
the fact that you can place your grapes on
the markets in a much more inviting con-
dition and you viii see that California
cannot compete with Alabama in growing
grapes for profit
As regards the wines made from
be no question of their superiority over
the Alabama grown grapes there should
be no question of their superiority over
those Of California. If | am asked what
proof ! have to offer that Alabama wines
would be superior to the wines made in
California, ] can answer that ] have got
ample proof; but to thoroughly appreciat e
the reasons which l am about to
advance in favor of Alabama wines. YOU
should have natural palate for wine
otherwise you will have to depend largely
on the logic of my statements. To begin,
permit me to state that the history of the
grape is older than that OF man and quite
grape existed while the state of Ala
bama was yet in the bottom of old ocean,
or before any of the hills or mountains
from the Gulf of Mexico to Manitoba in
the Dominion Of Canada pushed their
heads through their watery coverings. II
is also true that the grape will grow in
almost any soil. clay, gravel, dry sand.
wet bottom or peat swamp, and while IL is
true, that it will succeed under any or all
Of these conditions of soil, tso far as the
growth of wood and leaves are concerned)
yet 1t requires an ideal soil to grow per
feet grapes, such as are necessary to the
making of a perfect wine.
The soil to grow perfect grapes in must
not be too rich, and above all must NOT be
enriched by vegetable matter 1t must be
porous and well drained; it must not be
very deep it should have a good clay bot
tom, and, above all things, it should have a
/ red clay, because the coloring of such soil
is iron. If this soil contains a limited
amount Of lime al the better. If this land
should be rolling, the southern and cas-
tern slopes would be the most desirable
to plant your grapes upon, If the highcst
perfection in the grape was the object I'm
view. Now that ] have in a crude wav
described the character of. lands most de-
sirable for vineyard purposes, permit me Ia
say that / have, during my short STAY i'm
your state, been over thousands of acres
of this kind Of land; / may here add that
this variety of land is always fruit land
but as this is talk on the grape 7 shall
have to refrain from speaking about other
fruits until some other occasion