The Dawson news. (Dawson, Ga.) 1889-current, 1923-12-18
GRAPES NOW POPULAR
CROP WITH FARM Frs.
PROHIBITION HAS SHIFTED
INTEREST FROM GRAIN TO
WINE-MAKING PRODUCTS.

Prohibition may have closed the
doors OF an enormous business that
furnished an outlet for large volume
OF grain farmers crops, but it has
opened a vast field for the fruit grow
er, writes Frank Ridgway in the Bal
timore Sun.
Locking doors OF breweries and dis
tilleries where whisky and beer were
made all over this country and Wip1ng
out a market for enormous quantities
OF corn, barley and wheat have result
ed in an increased consumption OF
grapes for making wines and juices in
the home
An Increased Demand.
The greater part OF the increased
popularity of the grape can be credit
ed, directly or indirectly, to the en-
forcement of the eighteenth amend
ment. which has succeeded not only
in increasing the demand for grapes
for wine making, but has been a fore
runner in putting Malagas and Con
cords on tables and grape jellies and
buffers on pantry shelves in homes all
over America.
Some growers believe they have
over-estimated the possible dmand for
III grape III iudhlHS WlliCS,
Many OF them are now paying more
attention to the production OF table
grapes, packing them in smaller bask-
cts than those used for home kitchen
wineries.
For the Table.
To meet this growing demand pro-
duCers-even in the Winegrape grow
ing districts-are shifting to the table
grape and increasing their acreage.
Michigan has doubled the acreage
OF Characterization table grapes
within the last decade.
In the Pacific coast vineyard dis
trict, principally in California, thous
ands OF acres are covered with wine
grapes and uRtil recent years few OF
the standard table varieties were
grown.
California growers have set thous-
ands of acres of table grape varieties
within the last few years. Experiment
stations are trying out several varieties
on an extensive scale in an attempt to
find out which is best for western
vineyards.
Evidence Of the confidence that sage
western farmers have in the future de-
velopment of the table grape market
is found in tn fact that more than 80,
600 acres Of Malagas-a table variety
have been planted in California with
in the last three or four seasons.
Some New Problems.
New vineyards are also springing
up in the various parts of the central
west where table grapes are usually
planted because they do best.
The increasing demand for certain
kinds has presented new problems for
old vineyardists and made the pros
pective grower ponder about what to
set in establishing a vineyard
Within the last few years fields
where corn, barley and wheat once
grew have been turned into vineyards
The old grain farming system is be-
ing partially replaced with scheme
OF growing fruits, vegetables, poultry
and the grape on many farms OF the
middle west is playing an important
part.
Last year Michigan shipped its rec
ord crop of more than 5000 carloads
by rail and boat.
This figure does not include the
enormous tonnage transported in
trucks from the grape belt to towns
within a radius of $50 miles. Here the
Concord is the dominating CONNER
cial crop while it is generally regard
ed as a table grape, it is also used IN
making beverages.
Where 1t all Goes.
During recent months trainloads OF