250 GKAPE CULTURE AND 



CHAPTER XXIV. 



COST OF ESTABLISHING A VINEYARD, AND ITS PROBABLE 

 RETURNS. 



That this must, of necessity, vary very much in different 

 sections of the State, is apparent to anyone at once. We 

 can, however, irake a more safe calculation now, when wine 

 and grapes are so low that they can hardly get any lower ; 

 than a few years ago, when the prices ruled high, and wine 

 makers were outbidding each other, bringing prices up to an 

 unnatural height, and when prices of wines declined, they 

 must necessarily loose. 



We will take for our estimate a raw piece of land, which 

 has to be cleared, and which can be bought for $50 per acre 

 in one of the northern counties : 



Clearing land $25.00 



Preparing land, plowing, harrowing and rolling 5.00 



600 vines, Riparias or Californicas 10.00 



Marking and planting 5.00 



Cultivation, first year 10.00 



second year 15.00 



Grafting, including cost of scions 5.00 



Staking and tying 15.00 



Cultivation and pruning, third year 20.00 



Total $110.00 



The fourth year, if the soil is of ordinary fertility, the vine- 

 yard ought to pay for cultivating and even more. We will 

 make our estimate of returns from the fifth year, when it 

 ought to be in full bearing, and the following years would be 

 about the same average : 



