Pueblo chieftain., 1921-09-03
BY Frederic j. Haskin.

/ W dSnlnE1Cn, u. -, sept o.-N nat
will grapes sell for this fall?
! That is a question which is painfully
agitatinE thousands of men who own
vineyards, some of whom have stakcd
| their whole fortune on the grapevine
To less extent it is troubling all Of
the dealers and middlcmcn who have
to do with the distribution of the grape
crop.
| Prohibition has converted the grow
| ing and selling of grapes from a quiet
stablo industry into wild and spscu-
! lativc one. The yincysrdist, once
peaceful and contcnte. fellow, has ho-
come an excited and dlstraught one,
who alternately dreams OF fabulous
wealth and auakcs at the threat ci
bankruptcy.
question, as to what price he should
get for his grapes, formerly came from
a few large dealers. Nincty-two per
cent of the grapes grown in America
are grown in California, and most OF
these are wine grapes. The rest arc
! rsisin grapes also grown in Calico
MA and the concord Srapes growl IN
1 q few eastern states and sold for
4 table consumption and for the mak!uS
! ut grape juicc. Hence the wine makers
aud the grape juice makers took ;l'c
! great bulk of the grape crop every
year at fixed figure. The market
was sure and the prize did not vaTy
greatly.
! When the threat of prohibition
/ doomed large, the grape growers Saw
They fought 1t with all their might.
dcfoat. a year ago last spring, y'ac-
yards could be bought for =on-
some far sighted mon who had the
song bought a lot of them.
/ F,ll came with large crop OF
grapes. IT brought also an army ~
buyers. Before prohibition the price
OF wine grapes had varied from 80 10
$50 n ton, and tho price of Conco'I
grapes from $50 TO $40 ton 18th
tire manufacture Of wine prohibited ~
an amendment to the Federal ccnSl,-
tution and with the manufacture ot
grape juice greatly reduced by nish
tax. grapes began to sell at from So
a ton up. Especially M. Lat tall
wine grapes were actually sgd for -
high as s2c5 4 ton,
a rRoHIBITIoN MIRACLE.
The grape grower who had sold hia
vineyard tore his hair. The man who
had bought 1t made tho purchase pricc
on q single crop All concerned wcrc
reminded that they lived in world
where tho incredible happens. Pro-
hihition, which was expected to render
tho grapevine no more valuable than
sourd. had actually made grapes
dcarcr perhaps than they had ever
been before in human history.
There was never any doubt Who
bought tboso grapes. They wee
bought by hundreds of thousands nt
persons who made wine in their home
II was estimated on pretty rcltib in
formation that IS per cent Of tho ral7'n
crop also went into the making OF
hpoCh.
It dawncd upon tho crane grower
and went down to n bitter, howltns
that n he had lost ono market, ho mad
r,ost certainly gained another. apn,r-
q, f.r l....l n - lartH q .
and price Forthwith there was
boom in vineyards Those thai had
cold for n song a year before were not
moved by anything less than sym
/ pl ony orchestra this spring. Ihous-
lands of acres wcro planted In sri9"'.
| ouc man worth several millions has
risbcd his whole fortune by planting
about 5000 acres.
d OF course. none Of these vineyards
which have just heon planted VIII
bear for three or four years. but, ihc
crop this year has been boosted ~ an
other way. Every year tho vines are
pruncd and tho amount OF grapes
which vineyard will bear denend7
upou how much wood ~ tho Crane
mon say. is left on the vine. tt too
much wood ia left large crop or
Etapcs is produced, hut tho vitality OF
tho plant Us injured This u called
oycr-croppinE Nearly all Of tho grape
growers in tre country have over
cropped ihoir vines tnis year IN ~
ipectaticu Of tremendous prices again.
/ Even so, late springs frosts hove cut
I their rrons from S5 to 50 per cent.
/ Early grape are lust nov hcEinntns
to move Tho bulk Of tho crop viii not
bcriu to hit tho market until about tho
| mijdle Of tho month
Meanwhile. thruout tho business,
there II terrible suspense. So far
there have hcsn scarcely any sales.
| There Is no iush ~ buyers into the
market such as there was last rear.
What Is tho reasor1 rresuma blN there
arc lust rs many home wine makers
| In tho country this year as last The
| crop is short. and that should make
| for high prices OF course. tisies are
| hit hard. People have not as much
money TO spend on luNuriep a. tho, had
! Ia i year, And yet It sccm1 nroblhs-