The record-union., 1895-09-10
GENIUS IN GRAPE GROWING.
SUCCESS OF INTELLIGENT EFFORT
IN THIS LINE.
The Reward Found by Hon. R, d.
stephens for Eternal
Vigilance.

! 1t is fact that the highest prices ever
| paid for California grapes in the New
| \ ork market have been paid to Sacra-
mento vineyardist, Hon. r. d. Stephens.
Getting 'the top of the market" for his
| grapes is, moreover not a novel expert
ence with this producer. Indeed, he is
accustomed to that xperience as regu-
| lar thing, and he and many other people
would be greatly surprised at any time to
hear of any Of his consignments which
did not bring handsome premium over
! ordinary market prices for the same va
riety of fruit.
! This is simply the natural result of the
closest possible attention to every detail
of his business, CONT bined with an evil
! dent determination to give it in all its
features the most thoroughly painstak-
ing care.
| Mr.. Stephens vineyard is at Mayhem
Station, nine miles from Sacramento.
where he mas tract of eighty five acres
devoted mostly to fruit. He has twenty
acres IN table grapes-t'lame Tokays and
| Cornichons, principally the former.
| From fifteen acres OF grapes Mr.. Steph-
X
! for one year, which gave hiin, after de-
ducting every feature of expense, net
! profit of S. .3i3, or S556 20 per acre.
| A careful study of the yield Of his vine
| yard for a number of years convinced
| Mr.. Stephens that an increased yield and
| improved quality of tho fruit resulted
after an abundant rainfall in the late
| spring months. This led him to the con-
clusion that irrigation would pay hand
some returns on it's cost. In pursuance
| of this theory, he determined to try the
experiment, although other growers
| sought TO deter him from making the ex-
pertinent. which, they declared, would
result in disaster. They declared that he
would ruin his vineyard, that the grapes
would be green and inferior in size, and
that his operations would work harm to
the business in general. Nothing
| daunted, he proceeded in the matter, sank
| two big wells and put in Weber pump,
with lifting capacity CT 100000 gallons
per hour, and a sixty horse power engine
to run it. A system of dykes and
ditches was constructed, and the entire
plant cost $4,000.
| Early in June as much Of the tract Us
had been prepared for irrigation was
flooded to depth of from eight inches to
three feet. This one application was all
the extra moisture that the vines received
for the season. The subsequent crop
demonstrated most fully, Mr.. stephens
AYERS. that his experiment was pro-
nounced success. The yield was far be-
| yond the unirrigated portion OF the vine
yard, though it was applied on the light
est and poorest soil; while the quality
was far superior to that yielded frc N the
vines where no water was applied. The
clusters were extraordinary in weight,
the grapes uniform in coloring aud OF
exceptional size.
| But the high prices which this grower
commands Tor his fruit are not alone the
result of irrigation. The marvellous
beauty of the grapes and the enormous
! yield were due to this agency. but the
| fact that the utmost care and attention
were paid 10 each vine; that it was nur-
tured, pruned, cultivated and kept so as
| 10 receive the greatest amount of both air
and light, aided materially in the result.
| Ii grapes are excluded from tree access