78 



THE GRAPES OF NEW YORK. 



Smaller and larger organizations have since been formed and at the present 

 time about 80 per ct. of the entire crop is handled by a growers' union 

 known as the Chautauqua and Erie Grape Company. 



According to Mr. G. E. Ryckman, in the early days of the grape 

 industry in this region the fruit was shipped in round paper baskets hold- 

 ing from three to five pounds; later these were made of wood. Sometime 

 in the early seventies twenty-pound splint baskets, which were supposed 

 to be returned to the owners, were introduced. These were superseded 

 by the twelve- pound climax basket ; the size of this basket was soon 

 rediiced to ten pounds, then to nine, then to eight. Meanwhile a small 

 five-pound basket made on the same lines as the larger one came into use 

 but soon shrunk into a four-pound receptacle. The eight and the four- 

 pound climax baskets are now generally used throughoat the region. 

 Increasing quantities are now being shipped to large cities in trays with 

 slatted tops holding about forty pounds each ; these grapes are used by 

 the pvirchaser for wine-making. The wine and grape juice industries of 

 the region have been touched upon in the general discussion of these 

 industries. 



An actual canvass made by this Station in the winter of 1906-7 

 shows there are in the Chautauqua grape belt at this time 30 000 acres of 

 grapes. The census report of 1 900 gave the number of vines for the county 

 as 11,914,706, which at the usual number of vines per acre gives about 

 20,000 acres for the district. This figure was probably low, though that of 

 the Station for 1907 may be somewhat high. The acreage is distributed 

 in towns approximately as follows: Portland 9500; Westfield 5700; Ripley 

 5700; Pomfret 4600; Hanover 1950; Sheridan 1950; Dunkirk 600. A 

 correspondent writes that the grape shipments for 1907 indicate a con- 

 siderably larger acreage for the towns of Hanover and Sheridan than are 

 here given. The average yield of grapes is a little less than two tons per 

 acre for the region. The value of vineyards varies from Si 00 to S400 

 per acre. 



The crop for the past seven years calculated by Tlie Grape Belt' from 

 figures secured from the railroads are as follows: 



' The Grape Bdi. i6: No. 20, Feb. 26. 



