S2 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



cases preventing them from saving enough to come to this country to better 

 their condition. 



During the late depression in manufacturing interests in England, when so 

 much terrible suffering for necessary food was felt by the laborers and trades- 

 men out of employ, one of the most difficult things to contend with by those 

 who had the distribution of public charities, was the almost universal feeling 

 that beer was one of the necessaries, and the mad determination to have it at 

 the sacrifice of substantial food for themselves and families. The proportions 

 of this national industry of beer making and beer drinking are colossal enough 

 to startle our New Jersey patriot, who would advance the temperance reform 

 and improve the industrial condition of his countrymen by introducing wine 

 making and drinking in tliis country as a general business and habit. It 

 is stated that the annual expenditure in England for beer is $400,000,000, 

 nearly the amount of the wliole National banking capital of the United States; 

 the most of this comes from the earnings of the working classes. Does this 

 national industry bring national prosperity to its millions of workers? Do 

 these tradesmen excel as mechanics and inventors? No, it brings poverty, 

 and ignorance, and suffering, and their workers are far behind ours in intel- 

 lectual progress and ability. 



The economic effects of wine and beer drinking are the same in Germany 

 and France. Their working classes are far behind ours in quality and quantity 

 of proper food, and particularly in the amount of fresh fruits consumed ; but 

 instead of this important element of food, they use the expensive poisons, 

 alcoholic drinks. With it, whether as cause or effect, I will not say, comes an 

 almost universal use of tobacco, to still further absorb their earnings. If from 

 all these countries this national industry and national habit, this enormous 

 waste, could be removed and the saving turned to produce and procure better 

 food, better homes, better educational advantages, we should see a material 

 mental and moral progress that would be astounding. I am told that a move 

 is on foot in Germany which has the approval of Prince Bismarck, to do away 

 with this enormous drag upon their material prosperity; and while I have nO' 

 doubt it will be the work of years, periiaps of generations, to entirely do away 

 with the evil, I have no noubt it will ultimately be accomplished, by educating 

 the masses to know what a foolish, useless waste it is. 



Do we, then, in face of these facts, wish to encourage these suggestions of a 

 new national industry and a new national habit? Can we expect the American 

 people, with our tendency to extremes and the already widely established taste 

 for stronger alcoholic drinks, will not suffer more from these ill effects of wine 

 drinking, than the less nervous type of men found in these European coun- 

 tries? 



Shall we not better heed that emphatic warning of the seer of the olden 

 time, whose wisdom concentrated the summing up of the effect, moral and 

 economic: "At last it stingeth like an adder." Is not this a propitious time 

 for this society to imitate a study and work, which is specially within our 

 province, and when accomplished will add a very important item to one of our 

 large industries, and a very desirable addition to our healthful luxuries — a 

 beverage free from all the dangers of fermented wine. If we can learn by 

 study and experiment to prefectly preserve the fresh juice of the grape, with 

 all its sanitary and food value unimpaired, with all its aroma and freshness of 

 flavor, then we shall have something worthy to rank among our national indus- 

 tries and enjoyments. I believe it may be done ; I have tasted at different 



