Rogue River courier. (Grants Pass, Or.) 1886-1927, 1911-12-22
TOKAY GRAPES TO AID
GENERAL PROSPERITY
(By w. X. NJ

! u uedI new TeSluSulo PiaSS loO
great stress on the still" Then
the query at cnce arises in the mind,
for what will Grants Pass be not
I'd when it reaches maturity"
AS Yuletide approaches and the
grocers display the many things
needed for the table, it is not diff
cult to pick out the few that are
home grown. While this condition
Is one that will apply to most small
towns, yet It is a most unhealtful
state for a community that may
possess nothing to Offset the contin-
ual shipping in of supplies. Is Grants
Pass to more than Offset the hun
dreds of carloads of provisions that
are annually unloaded here? And
how is 1t to be done?
If the reader will give the subject
rLprejudiced thought he will make
answer with the writer-in the spec
iaizing of Tokay and other varities
OF grapes.
Four years ago almost everyone
who heard of this, the metropolis of
the Rogue River valley, learned at
the same time that the Flame Tokay
could profitably be grown in the vi
cinity. In fact, much of the liter
ature sent out made the place and
the ..?oduct synonymous, and it was
shown that within three or four
years, five at most, vineyard with
proper care would yield the owner 9
handsome return for his time and
labor. In fact your townsman, W.
B. Sherman, had such absolute faith
In grape culture in the valley that he
gave away thousands of roots to
school children and many cash
prizes to them for the best growth
obtained.
Upon the strength of the represen-
tations made in the advertising lit
erature. above mentioned, people
from many states located here and
invested In the red soil and the
granite and set out thousands of
Tokay grapes, Malagas, Muscats and
other varieties, with the result that
the present year saw many of these
in bearing Next year will witness
the first shipments from these young
vineyards, while the succeeding
years will prove to all the world
that Grants Pass Is on the map and
has the climate and the soil for pro-
ducing the highest quality possible
of this most luscious of fruits, We
of the valley have known 1t for
some time, as demonstrated by the
well-known Carson product Port
land was quick to learn the fact, and
New York and other eastern cities
have been inquiring from whence
those Tokays came.
Doubtless the largest area in any
one district set to grapes is that on
Jones creek, one and one-half miles
east of Grants Pass. In the thriv-
ing vineyards that slope down to
that stream a possible estimate
might be made of the future produc-
tiveness of all vineyards at present
set out In the whole of the Rogue
River valley. In the small district
named. c. f. CARRIER has a magnif-
cent setting of twenty acres which
VIII begin its commercial era the
coming year Just across the creek
and on the eastern slope can be
seen twenty-five acres more and
every vine showing a wonderful
growth the past summer. This beau
tiful vineyard belongs to Mr.. Ed
wards and will come into bearing
commercially, next year A half
mile farther up the stream Egburg
and Lupton have 5000 Tokays set
out which are in prime condition.
also coming in as a shipping propo-
sition In 1912. Close to this is DR..
Walkers vineyard of 25uo vf0oe
Paul Kirker's of 5000. j. G. Riggs
of 5000 and Miss Mnler's Of 500.
In all there will be between 4O,-
600 and $4,000 vines in the Jones
creek district that can be counted
on to assist in placing Grants Pass
In the foremost place in America as
a producer the producer of food
product and luxury unsurpassed by
any not even by King Apple.
Now, here's the deduction. II the
Jones creek district is. as w. B
Sherman and others assert. about
one-hfth of the total area set to
grapes in the valley then there are
over 100000 vines that will, from
1912, produce an ever increasing
yield. And even should each vine
never average more than one-half a