328 



The Grape Culturist. 



OswKGO, Oregon, October 27, 1870. 



Editor Grape Culturist : 



I promised to let you know as to 

 the suceess of the grape this year in 

 Oregon, and now as the season is 

 about over I fulfill my promise. 



Leaving out one or two kinds 

 which were injured by the rains during 

 the blooming season, I might sum the 

 whole matter up by saying that grape 

 growing has been a splendid success 

 this season. All kinds have been pei*- 

 fectly healthy, as usual, have borne 

 well and ripened their fruit, but not 

 as early as last year. Among native 

 kinds Delaware, Allen's Hybrid and 

 Hartford ripened about together ; 

 Early Black Jul}' (foreign) about a 

 week earlier ; Creveling, Isabella and 

 Royal Muscadine (foreign) about the 

 same time, and a week later than 

 Delaware ; lona, Concord, Diana, 

 Herbemont, and Black Hamburg, 

 about three weeks later ; Chasselas 

 Violet, Chasselas Musque, Bar Sur 

 Aube White Green, and Miller's Bur- 

 gundy (all foreign), ripen pretty much 

 together, and a week or so later than 

 Royal Muscadine ; Chasselas Rose, 

 Black Malrasia, and Black Spanish, 

 ripen two or three weeks later than 

 Black Hamburg. 



At our late fair there was a tine 

 display of grapes. The first premium 

 for the best variety was given to the 

 Red Traminer. This grape is a great 

 bearer ; makes large bunches of 

 medium-sized berries ; is nearl}^ the 

 color of the Delaware, and ripens 

 almost as earl}-. It is a most delicious 

 grape. We have not yet had frost 

 enough to kill the foliage, and young- 

 vines are still growing. The weather 

 is still very fine, our fall rains not hav- 



ing yet set in. The season has been 

 unusually hot and dry, and everybody 

 is looking and longing for the "Oregon 

 Mists." A. R. Shipley. 



" Grapes are now so abundant in 

 some parts of the West that they are 

 sold 'by the ton.'" The above two 

 lines are going the rounds of the East- 

 ern papers. What contracted ideas 

 the press and people of the East must 

 have relative to the grape culture I 

 For private table supply we do use 

 the term pounds, when purchasing 

 grapes. But talk pounds to a grape 

 grower, or wine maker, and you 

 would be laughed at. 



The American Express Company 

 has shipped from this point two hun- 

 dred and fifty tons of grapes this sea- 

 son, and the season will not end for a 

 month 3'et. The shipment from that 

 office this season will touch five hun- 

 dred tons. The Dover Bay Company 

 have marketed over sixty tons this 

 year. Stair k Co., in their home 

 trade, sell over a ton a da}^ Duroy, 

 one of our wine makers, will press- 

 over one hundred tons, and Leick,, 

 another wine maker, will squeeze out 

 nearly three hundred and fifty tons. 



We stepped into Mathivet's wine 

 house^ where the floors were covered 

 with the most luscious catawbas, and 

 where he was grinding at the rate of 

 half a ton each hour. His consump- 

 tion of grapes willonly be limited by 

 his supply of casks. 



Chandler, another dealer, will han- 

 dle forty tons of grapes this season. 

 From an estimate made, after due ex- 

 amination by one competent to judge, 

 we find the grape product from Avon 

 Point, eighteen miles West, to Euclid 



