The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1921-09-03
Frederic Haskin's Letter
fsrr<s., corrspoDaunp a
The Agitated Grape Gror0er.

y
which have just been planted Will
bear for three or four years. bBr
the crop this year has been boost
in another way. Every year tbo
vines are pruned, and the amour,
of grapes which a vineyard viii
bear depends upon how mDcS
wood" as the grape men say. is
left on the vine. II too much woos
is left a large crop of cranes 4.
produced, but the vitality OF tbs
plant is injured. This is called over
cropping. Nearly ali of the grana
growers in the country have over
cropped their vines this year in
expectation of tremendous prices
again. Even SO, late spring frosfs
have cut their crops from IS TO "a
per cent.
Early grapes are just beginninr
to move. ! The bulk of the crop viii
not begin TO hit the market unu
the middle of the month.
An Uncertain Market.
Meanwhile, throughout the bust
ness. there is a terrible suspense
So far there have been scarcely any
sales. There is no rush OF BUYERS
into the market such as trere was
last year. What is the reason,
Presumably there are just as many
home WINE makers in the county,
this year as last. The crop is short
and that should make for higb
prices. OF course, times are Bit
hard. People have not as much
money to spend for Injuries as they
had last year. And yet il seems
probable that the man who made
wine last year will make it again
this year. The evident fact that
congress is afraid to pass a law
which would legalize raids on h0m5
brewers has presumably encour.
aged him.
So the question can be argued
pro and con. The fact remains that
so far there is little activity in the
grape market. The probable rea-
son is that the market is a vast and
unknown one which it is impossi-
BILE to study.
Formerly it consisted Of a few
large concerns, which were sure 10
make wine and grape Juice and
therefore sure to buy grapes. Nov
it consists of millions of individ-
uals, who made wine last year and
may make it again this year. Then
again, many of them may be too
poor, and others may have found
some other way of obtaining the
beverages they want. Nobody
knows what those millions of ana
teur wine makers are going to do,
and it is impossible to take cen
sus and find out. Therefore grapes
will probably come into the market
slowly and timidly, and the prices
they fetch will be determined, Is
the season advances, by the demand
for them.
A government expert, who has
this whole drama of the
grape and prohibition, predicts that
the grape industry will be ruine4
simply by the decentralization which
has CveTtaken it Men are over
their vineyards and ruin
ing them. Men are planting and
buying vineyards as a speculation,
and in bad years many of them will
fail. All stability and certainty
cave been taken out of the bust
ness, he argues.
On the other hand it seems prob
able to some that the business will
end to stabilize. The status Of the
,ome vintner will be definitely set
led. The experience Of a number
ii years will show just about how
many tons of grapes he uses par
tunUm. The supply will adjust IT.
self to the demand New channels
II trade will be developed. The
may yet return TO the
peaceful security of an assured
market.