The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1906-12-05
FRUIT GROWERS OF
STATE ASSEMBLE

HANFORD, Dec. 4.-The thirty-sec-
ond annual session of the California
Fruit Growers Association was con-
vened today in the Hanford Opera
house, the assembly being under the
auspices of the State Horticultural
Commission. The attendance was the
largest ever known In the association
President Elwood Cooper called the
meeting to order. After an address
of welcome by Mayor Beekhuis, Presi-
dent Cooper delivered his annual adj
dress, briefly reviewing the work OF
the past year and showing the excel
lent accomplishments of the commits
sion and dealing witt the necessities
for pure food laws.
Governor Pardeer made an extended
address, referring principally to tax
alton and showing the Inequalities of
the present svatem toward farmers and
fruit growers.
The afternoon session was taken up
with an address ors Table Grapes,
Growing and Packing by Mrs. M. z.
sherman of Fresno. H. o. Rowley.
editor of the California Fruit. Grower,
spoke GA The Fruit Growers Aim"
DR.. w. H. Miller of Hanford, presi-
dent of the Hanford experimental for
estry farm, presented paper, Grow
ing the Eucalyptus"
The delegates were entertained to-
night by local citizens and women
with banquet.
A feature of today's session was an
address by Andrea Sbarboro of San
Francisco on the theme Wine as a
Remedy for the Evil of Intemperance."
He said in part:
Drunkenness is the greatest curse and causes
more crimes and misery than anv other evil this
country is afflicted with. Many attempts have
been made to remove the vice from our midst.
sJgether and formed temperance societies, and
for the past fifty years have wasted millions Of
dollars and much valuable time In trying to
The remedy for the removal of druRkenness is
simple and pleasant one. and all we have to
live in the wine producing countries Of the
world. In France, italy and SPAIN where every
with their meals. intoxication is almost I'M
land. England, Scotland, ireland and our own
United States, where wine has not been pro-
duced except in California in recent years, and
the people have not as yet become accustomed
to the use of it, drunkenness exists to an alarm
The fact that wine is a remedy for the cure
that grand President Of the United States.
Thomas Jefferson who, when Congress was de-
bag the Of Wbe Of high 5ss E on the %
and not luxury, and nation is drunken
where wine is cheap; none sober where the
common beverage" The wise words Of Pres-
dent Jefferson have been fully verified by ex-
perience.
Some fifteen years ago the French Govern
ment noticed that insanity was increasing to
an alarming extent in that country. COM
mission Of eminent physicians and scientists
was appointed to Investigate the of this
evil and report the remedy. The committee
after making a most careful research reported
to the authorities that since the phylloxera had
destroyed the grapes in France, the people, not
having any wine to drink. had acquired the
baneful habit of drinking absinthe, strong
alcoholic beverage something like whisky,
which was the of the large increase of
insanity. They further said that the. only rem
edy for the evil was to extirpate the phylloxera
and reproduce the grapes. al
For this purpose France spent millions Of
francs, and finally found a remedy by pulling
I'D all their grape vines and setting out the
resistant quality; and further, the Government
removed all license on the sale of wine so that
the people might again have their. healthy bev-
erage and have It at such price that 1t
would be within the reach of all, and thus was
the evil of insanity in France checked.
from babyhood up to drink wine. alcoholism
would be a rare disease, as has been proven in
wine-drinking countries 1t is the forbidden
fruit that tempts In my experience. in fam
HES where the wine flows freely drunkards
are the exception whereas many of the off
spring of teetotalers and wine abhorrers who
have not tasted alcoholics until they almost
have grown to be men, bacome drunkArds Ii
would be interesting to compare the statistics
of drunkards in wine and beer drinking coun-
tries with those of England and America.