Meade County news. [volume] (Meade, Kan.) 1900-1918, 1910-08-11
WINE CROP FAILURE
Product in France Is Less Than
Home Consumption.
Yield Is Only About One-Tenth Of Nor
NAL Amount-WlIl Not Create De-
mand for American Article
Weather Is Blamed.

One-tenth OF the normal amount. Inc
French vineyards yield an average of
100000 gallons of taxed wine a
year, and this year they will not
yield more than 1,400,000,000 gallons
at most. The taxed wine is that put
on the market and sold. That con-
sumed by the producers is not taxed.
There are 100000 wine producers,
and their annual consumption Of wine
is about 265,00O,000 gallons. The nor
NAL consumption of persons in France
who buy their wine is 1872, 900, 900
gallons. This, with the 265.000, 900
gallons used by the wine producers,
makes the total consumption OF
French wines in France about 1881
100000 gallons.
Not only will the production this
year fall far short of that amount,
but even If all the old stock of wine
is added to 1t there will still be .
large shortage. The stock on hand
ought to be from 250,O00,000 to $780,
100000 gallons. 1t is, in fact. only
about 200000000 gallons.
The sales Of wine in bulk which
mark the fetes with which the vintage
season closes have already indicated
an augmentation of prices over last
year. The shortage of something
like 1370OO,000 gallons as regards
French consumers will, It is expected.
be filled by importations from Algeria,
Spain and Italy,
At the same time, however, 1t is
recognized that in those countries
also the production this year is far
below the average. The cheerful
view is based on the fact that Spain.
Italy and Algeria normally produce,
relative to their own consumption,
much larger surplus of wines than
France.
ton, asked whether the shortage Of
supply in France would cause a de-
mand here for American wines, an
swered emphatically in the negative.
The reason, he said, was that Ameri-
can wines could not be sold cheap
enough to the French wholesaler to
leave him suitable profit on his own
subsequent sales.
He admitted, in making this state
ment, that large quantities of Ameri-
can wines are brought to France, ma
tured and treated here In accordance
with the practices of the trade, and
then put on the market under labels
which do not distinguish them from
the regular French product.
But most of these wines, he said
go back to America. Incidentally IL
may be remarked that any one can
note in Paris and also IN London that
wherever American wines are found
On the menus of restaurants the
prices affixed are much higher than
those of the corresponding grades of
European wines
The vintage fetes this year have
been as gay as usual. 1t is pretended
In some of the wine districts that the
quality of the vintage is above the
average. But this is by on means
proved, and is doubted by experts. 1t
is too early yet to know positively
whether it is true or not.
The prices obtained for the fine
wines in Burgundy at the vintage
sales are not so high as they were in
1904, when the yield was not only
extremely abundant, but the quality
was far better than that of ordinary
years,
It is evident that unless there are
large importations, France must be-
gin the next season with its great
wine cellars virtually empty, and that
for months to come exports of wines
must be at a minimum. Just to what
degree this state of things will in
crease the prices of the finer wines
in Great Britain and America 1t is i'm.
possible to say.
But what makes the situation less
gloomy in France than it would ap-
pear to be at first sight is the fact
that the partial failure of the grape
crop has been wholly due to the abb
normal summer and autumn. In
every district the vines are reported
TO be strong and free from disease,
and in all parts of France where wine
Is produced the deficit is proportion
ately the same, uniform results hav.
ing followed an identical cause.
The low temperature and frequent
rains of the summer delayed the
growth Of the vines and stunted the
development of the grapes. It was
hoped that in the early autumn the
grapes would gain rapidly in size, but
the weather has continued to be for
the most part unreasonable. There
has been hail as well as many chilly
rains.
Fearing they might lose the whole
crop If they delayed, a great many
Viniculturists gathered their grapes
early, wnne Uney were TOO green "a
yield an abundant amount Of Juice OF
the quality suitable for making good
wine. Besides this, great quantities
Of grapes were gathered in the rain
and they softened and soured more
or less before they we're put under
the press.
No alarm about the future of the
wine-producing industry because q