California Agriculturist and Live Stock Journal. 



®Iic ^iiunavrt. 



GRAPE CULTURE. 



'RAPE culture may be lookwl npou 

 in California as an ustablislieil in- 

 dustry, as much sn as cuttuii is in 

 the Southei'n States. There is uo 

 question as to the supeiior size, 

 beauty and excellence oi California 

 grapes, and the tine growth and health- 

 fuluess of the vines. Tliere is a ques- 

 tion as to what varieties to plant, and 

 for what purpose, to insure the greatest 

 profits. This question may be settled in 

 the minds of some, but deserves to be 

 V>etter understood by the masses. It is 

 certain that wine makiut; in California 

 has not, as yet, prov.d very remunera- 

 tive, and many thousands ol i;allons ol 

 the wines in casks to-day w.juld not 

 brini; as much as the casks are worth, 

 and many holders ot wine vineyards are 

 bankrupt, or have th-ii- propeity ii avily 

 mortxag-d. 



There may be som • parlicul.ir varii - 

 ties of yrapes that will, in so.ue special 

 localities, make what is called "choi-e 

 wines." and readily sell at p.iymi; pnC' s. 

 But so far, at least, this has proved the 

 exception. Fine varit ties ot tabl.- •grapes 

 grown in favorable localities near, easy 

 transportation to markets have invaria- 

 bly paid well, and in many instances 

 have made ownei-s ot small vineyards 

 independent. We know of a number o 

 owners of vineyards who have grafted 

 their so-called wice grape vines to table 

 and raisin gr.apes with satistactoiy re- 

 sults. Every season the demand right 

 at home for eating grapes is iucreiising, 

 and during a season like the present one 

 when the rains have held ott', and the 

 season has been prolonged to Christmas, 

 jhere are hardly enough to supply the 

 demand at reasonable prices. 



Shipping fresh grapes East must con- 

 tinue to ba a growing business for many 

 years, as under our genial suns we can 

 produce earlier and finer grapes than 

 will grow out of doors in the rainy and 

 uncertain climate east of the Kocky 

 Mountains; but for permanent and relia- 

 ble jirotits, the raisin grape, in suitable 

 localities for early maturing and ready 

 curing, must prove the best. The best 

 raisin districts appear to be far enough 

 inland to be beyond the chilly sea air, 

 which tends to retard ripening, and upon 

 deep, line soils, such as are favorable to 

 the production of large as well as sweet 

 grapes. The very dryest and hottest^ 

 portions of our State will make very 

 sweet grapes, but they are likely to be 

 quite small unless the vines are irrigated. 

 The regions along the coast where the 

 sea air affects them, produce beautiful 

 large grapes, but they lack the sweetness 

 for raisins, and ripen two weeks to two 

 mouths later. "While they are line for 

 market, and come alter the rush from 

 interior vineyards is over, and bring fair 

 prices for the table, they are not as suit- 

 able for raisins. 



There is a raisin belt, so to speak, oc- 

 cupying a medium climate between the 

 extreme heat of the interior and eastern 

 portions of the Sacramento and San Joa- 

 quin valleys, for iu,stance, and the coast 

 counties; a portion of country where the 

 climate is so tempered and softened by 

 a conimingliug of dry heat and damp 

 sea breezes as to produce large, luscious 

 fruit, and ripen them, and cure them in 

 good season. 



The mountain region above the hot 

 valleys and below the snow line, all 

 along the Sierras, and some other ranges 

 of mountains, will prove excellent raisin 

 regions. It would not be dillicult for an 

 experienced culturist, who has a fund of 



observations as data, to determine at 

 once a suitable location for a successful I 

 raisin vineyard. We do not pretend that 

 raisins cannot be made in any locality | 

 where gr.ipes will grow, but simply that 

 th' re are localities as to soil and climate 

 iiatur>dly b. st ad.ipted to raisiu culture. 

 In sh'-ltered spots near the sea, and by 

 irrigation in dry. hot districts, good rais- 

 in* can be produced and the business of 

 making them will pay. 



To any one desiring to engage in grape 

 culture we unhesitatingly advise the busi- 

 ness of raisin growing as the branch that 

 promises the best pay and most perma- 

 nent prosperity. It has already been 

 made a success, and there is a splendid 

 prospect for it in the future. There is 

 absolutely an unlimited demand for the 

 product, for many years to come, and it 

 is lair to presume that were the present 

 supplv met. that an increasing demand i 

 would justify doubling it within a few : 

 years. 



This has been the case with otli.- r 

 fruiti within our memory and yearly the 

 denian 1 ''or t d)'o use if dl nntri-'O'is 

 fruits is inereasiug 



Of all fruits ther> is n.^ii- rnori- In— 

 cious and nutricious than the grarie. It ! 

 comes neitrer beiui; a perfect fruit for the 

 sustenance of man than any other one. ] 

 Men and animals can live and thrive up- 

 on arapes or raisins alone, without other 

 food. It is attractive to the eye, accept- 

 able to the palate, and satj^fying to the 

 appetite. Made a good use of it is a real 

 blessing to the world. But where is there 

 a surr stepping stone to woe than the 

 sparkling wine which entices by exhile- 

 rating nectar, and its promise of joy, 

 only to deceive and to disappoint, and at 

 last to .sting like an adder, leaving a 

 depth of appetite craving for stronger 

 drink which cannot be quenched, but 

 only leads nearer to destruction and 

 death. Were it simply a poison it were 

 better, but it not alone kills, it demoral- 

 izes its victim, makes him a demon, to 

 despise himself, hate mankind, and abuse 

 his best and only friends, often with 

 curses and blows. Wine is not a product 

 of growth, but of decay. Alcohol is the 

 product of rottenness, and its touch is 

 pollution. 



We do not regret there is so little profit 

 in the wine making and liquor part of 

 the business, and are thankful that the 

 better uses of the grape does p.ay, l)oth 

 in material prosperity to the whole peo- 

 ple and to the producer. Old vineyards 

 can be grafted with raisin and table va- 

 rieties, and the second year they will bear 

 fine crops of fruit. 



It is not a very great job to plant a 

 vineyard in California. No deep digging 

 and handling of the soil is necessary. 

 The laud should be laid out in rows, 

 some seven or eight feet apart, both ways. 

 This may be done by furrowing both 

 lines with a plow. Cuttings eighteen 

 inches or two feet long are as good as 

 rooted vines to plant, and where the 

 fuiTowg cross a man with a stTong, loug- 

 hanilled spade can remove the earth the 

 depth of the bhide below the furrow and 

 put the cutting in slanting, pressing it 

 in firmly, leaving one or two buds above 

 the surface. In one day, two men can 

 easily plant a thousand cuttings in good 

 shape. A stake should be stuck by each 

 plant to show where it is, and to tie the 

 shoot to when it grows. Thorough sur- 

 lace cultiuation to keep the surface clean 

 of weeds, and light and loose, will bo all 

 that is necessary the first season. 



VABtETlKS op RAISIN ORAPKS. 



Till' White Muscat of Alexandria is 

 the best raisin grape known. The only 

 olijection to it is large needs and thick 

 skin. 



The Muscatel Gordo Blanco, (White 



Muscatel,') is large sized, with thin skin 

 and small seeds — a good raisin gi'ape, 

 but light bearer. 



The White Malaga is also a good raisin 

 grape, nearly the same as, (some say 

 identical with,) the Muscat of Alexan- 

 drian—has small seeds. 



The Uva Larga is a long white grape 

 ot the Muscatel family, — good in locali- 

 ties removed from the const. 



The Fiber Zagos is not fit for raisins 

 near the sea coast, but in the hot interior 

 will do fairly, making a small, delicate 

 raisin. 



The Cannon Hall Muscat is so near 

 like the White Muscat of Alexandria 

 that it might be taken for it. A large 

 grape, will do well in rich, moist soils, in 

 warm localities. 



The Sultana, (seedless raisin,) grape 

 is small, but quite a favorite in choice 

 localities near the coast. 



The Ziiiite Currant or Corinth varie- 

 ties do splendidly in California. The 

 Z.irite Iinportecl Currants, (so called. ) are 

 made ;rOin th se. Every vineyard should 

 h.ive .1 lew ViUes ol black and white Co- 

 r.iith grapes. \V: lielieve a vineyard de- 

 vote! exclusively to J;hem wouhl pay 

 well. 



Of talile varii ties the Black Hamburg, 

 Rose Peiu, Flame Tokay, and Verdel are 

 exeelleiit and beautiful varieties, and 

 should be planted as leading sorts. Sev- 

 eral of the so-called wine grapes are 

 good for table use, but most of them are 

 in some way objectionable. 



On rich, dark soils the vines grow 

 much stronger than on light soils, and 

 should be planted farther apart. Also 

 on moist soils, where there is danger of 

 mildewing, the vines should bo trained 

 higher than on dry soils, and when in 

 bearing the soil should be allowed to drj' 

 out in sun and wind. 



-I 



the 



GRAPE SUGAR AND SYRUP. 



Experiments in making grape syrup 

 and even good sugar, have been quite 

 successful during the last season, and 

 this branch of grape culture promises to 

 be one of considerable -importance. 

 Thi-ee years ago a five-gallon keg of 

 grape syrup was sent to us from Butte 

 county. It was of good quality, and a 

 sample of it kept good nearly three 

 years, and until used up, exposed during 

 the time to changes of heat and cold. 



Bees will fill their hives with a good 

 quality of honey from grapes that have 

 been picked by birds and broken into by 

 yellow jackets, but they are powerless to 

 injure whole fruit. Grapes grown in 

 dry, hot localities, .are rich in saccharine 

 properties, and produce a large percent- 

 age of syrup and sugar. 



Sugar makers and scientists have often 

 pronounced it impossible to make a good 

 quality of sugar from fruits which also 

 cimtaiu ay acid, as the ,acid cannot be 

 neutralized without destroying the sugar. 

 But we believe there is a difference in 

 sugars of this character and the down 

 grade grape sugars extracted from other 

 sul).stances, and that a process of refining 

 and granulating grape sugar, or sugar of 

 gapes, will soon be discovered. Should 

 such be the case, sugar making from 

 grapes will some time be a grand industry. 

 The nearer to iierfection of maturity and 

 ripening a gr.ipe gi'ts, the more sugar and 

 less acid it contains; so by still further 

 completing th(^ n.itur.il process of ripen- 

 ing by artificial means the sugar attains 

 a hiL;li degree of perfection. 



The acid in common grape fruit sugar 

 prevents granulation, but it is he.dthfiil, 

 and for nianydoiuesticpurposesisequ.il- 

 ly as good as cane, or pure sweet sugars. 

 A process that will perfect the sugar of 

 grapes will make the discoverer indepen- 



dently rich, and also enrich the grower? 

 and largely benefit the country and 

 world. But even a good common qual- 

 ity of sugar and syrup, from grape fruit, 

 will pay, and we are glad to see it be- 

 coming a permanent industry. 



RAISINS IN STORE. 



There are at present about eighty tons 

 of fine California raisins in the store- 

 rooms of the Grangers' Business Asso- 

 ciation, at San Francisco. Upwards of 

 forty-five tons were put up by S. K. 

 Chandler, of Yuba City, Sutter Co., and 

 the remainder by various parties in the 

 southern counties, and elsewhere. 



Raisin Grapes. — Among other produc- 

 tions of this valley that doubtless will 

 attract much attention in the future, is 

 the raisin grape. That the cultivating 

 of this grape in this county is a success, 

 is known by actual experiment. Raisins 

 produced in this county were sent to 

 New York city last year, which were pro- 

 nounced the best raisins that had ever 

 lieeii in that market. Why should we 

 let other countries grow rich from a pro- 

 duction when we cau produce a superior 

 kind. Much money is paid, not only 

 fro u other States, but also from this 

 State to other countries and the island 

 trade annually for raisins, when we have 

 every tacdity for producing the same, of 

 a better quality, at home. We are glad 

 to see that some of our citizens are tak- 

 ing an interest in this respect and start- 

 ing vineyards of the regular raisin grape. 

 When agriculture is brought to a higher 

 standard this will be a source of much 

 wealth. — Tulare Times. 



Raisin" making is no longer an experi- 

 ment in this State. That good raisins 

 can be made here, and that the business 

 can be made to pay well, is fully settled, 

 and California raisins are already a stan- 

 dard commercial article. Nor does it 

 require any great outlay of money to 

 prepare for raisin making. The prepa- 

 ration is within the means of the small- 

 est grower, and the process is simple 

 and easily learned, and may be carried 

 on in a small way just as successfully as 

 on a larger scale. Indeed, the small op- 

 erators generally succeed the best, as 

 they generally give to the business their 

 immediate care and attention, and care 

 and attention are the principal requisites 

 to success, the proper variety of grapes 

 being possessed. In all raisin making 

 countries nature furnishes the nesessary 

 hftit, while man provides the means of 

 exposure of the fruit in such a way as to 

 secure the heat in the most effective 

 mannor. — liecord- Uitioii. 



The consumption op raisins in this 

 State is estimated at from 15,000 to IS,- 

 000 boxes. If this estimate be correct, 

 there will be a surplus of from 2,000 to 

 5,000 boxes from this year's crop for ex- 

 port. The cost of production and mar- 

 keting the native raisin is about as fol- 

 lows: 

 Tlir.'tJ pounds uf Grapes tu one of Raibiiia, nt 



■.! i-.ut- 



Oust ot evwing Bud pucldug 



Boxes 



Ki-iinh' t.i nmi ImuaUat; at .San Fraueisco.. . 

 FreiHl't overlnntl, in iilVfiilJackB, l^i, and 



cenunissltUlK East 



Thus the total cost of curing and plac- 

 ing California raisins in the markets of 

 the East docs not exceed 11 cents per 

 |)ound. — S. F. Bulletin. 



TiiK RAISINS produced in our State are 

 im-etiug with great favor in the Eastern 

 States, aud hav been pnmounced by a 

 conve'.jtion of h-ading deaU'rs to be full 

 weight aud superior in quality to the 

 imported Malagas. 



