444 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



AGRICULTURE— VITICULTUEE. 



Bulletin No. 38. 



For the first time the census office has made a special investigation for 

 the purpose of ascertaining the extent and value of the grape, raisin, and 

 wine industries of the United States. The results of this inquiry, while 

 not all that could be desired, have certainly cleared the way for future 

 reports. An industry representing a total value in land, improvements, 

 machinery, and appurtenances of $155,661,150, and furnishing employ- 

 ment to 200,780 persons, deserves a special place in the decennial inventory 

 of the nation's wealth and resources. Unfortunately there are no reliable 

 data by which a comparison of the growth of this important branch of 

 agriculture can be made. Unless retarded by the ravages of those destroy- 

 ing insects and the fungoid diseases that have played such havoc with 

 vineyards in some sections of the country, a still more remarkable devel- 

 opment of viticulture may be expected, expecially in what are termed 

 established districts. 



The accompanying bulletin, relating to the culture of the vine in the 

 United States for the production of table grapes, raisins, and wine, has 

 been prepared by Mr. H. Gardner, special agent, under the supervision 

 of Mr. Mortimer Whitehead, special agent in charge of the Division of 

 Agriculture " B." It shows the location of the several grape-growing dis- 

 tricts of the United States, with a total of 401,261 acres in 1889, of which 

 307,575 acres were in bearing, producing 572,139 tons, of which 267,271 

 tons were table grapes and 240,450 tons were used for producing wine, 

 making 24,306,905 gallons, 41.166 tons for raisins, making 1.372,195 boxes 

 (20 pounds each), and 23,252 tons for dried grapes and purposes other 

 than table fruit. The material from which these exhibits have been com- 

 piled was obtained direct by the census office from the producers and by 

 traveling special agents, and is regarded as trustworthy in every particular. 



Robert P. Porter, 



Superintendent of Census. 



STATISTICS OF GRAPE GROWING AND WINE PRODUCTION IN THE 



UNITED STATES. 



BY H. GARDNER. 



Viticulture as an industry is comparatively in its infancy in this country. 

 For more than one hundred years efforts were made to grow the European 

 varieties of grape in the open air, always, however, resulting in failure, 

 except in California. Pomologists then turned their attention to the 

 improvement of native vines, and the result is the development of many 

 choice and valuable varieties. It is only since these improved varieties of 

 native grape have been planted and cultivated that the industry has 

 become profitable and has grown to its great proportions in various parts 

 of the country east of the Rocky mountains, while in California the for- 

 eign varieties have found a most congenial home and are grown to perfec- 

 tion. Viticulture was introduced in California by the Franciscan fathers 

 before it came into the possession of the United States. 



In New York state, in what is known as the lake Keuka district, a 

 grower of grapes shipped his first crop, amounting to fifty pounds, to the 



