330 



CALIFORNIA FRUITS: HOW TO GROW THEM 



researches are constantly pursued by the University Experiment 

 Station at Berkeley and publications are furnished on application. 

 The culture of the grape is one of the great branches of Cali- 

 fornia horticulture. Its three chief divisions are : Grapes for the 

 table, grapes for wine, and grapes for raisins. In all these 

 branches the product has far exceeded local requirements and has 

 become an important item in the export trade of the State. The 

 attainments of the industry can be roughly measured by the sta- 

 tistics of the shipments of grapes, raisins, wine and brandy, which 

 are given at the close of Chapter VI. 



THE GRAPE AREA OF CALIFORNIA 



The grape has a very wide range in California. If the imme- 

 diate seacoast and the higher altitudes on the mountains be 

 excepted, the grape may be planted with a good chance of suc- 

 cess anywhere if soil and local topography be suitable. As has 

 been shown in Chapter I, the vine can approach quite close to 

 the ocean if some shelter from prevailing cool winds be afforded, 

 and quite high on the mountains if one keeps out of depressions 

 where late frosts are frequent. In planting the grape in doubtful 

 situations much depends upon choice of proper varieties. For 

 example, in the cool air of the coast region and the short summer 

 of the higher altitudes, early maturing varieties must be the main 

 reliance, for late sorts will not receive heat enough to bring them 

 to full maturity. 



Away from immediate coast influences, and up to perhaps three 

 thousand feet or more on the sides of the Sierra, the grape is suc- 

 cessfully grown both upon the floors of the valleys and upon the 

 hillsides. But there is still need of choice both of special loca- 

 tions and of varieties according to the purposes which the grower 

 has in view. The coast valleys of the upper part of the State 

 produce good table grapes, but they are unfavorable for the 

 raisin industry because of the deficient sunshine and excessive 

 atmospheric humidity of the autumn months. The best raisins 

 are made in the dry, heated valleys of the interior, and the condi- 

 tions which there develop the fullest quality of the raisin grape 

 also develop the sugar in some kinds of wine grapes beyond a 

 desirable percentage. Here again the choice of suitable varieties 

 intrudes itself, for the varieties which yield light table wines in 

 the coast valleys may yield heavy ''heady" wines in the interior. 

 Valleys, too, as a rule, although they yield larger crops of grapes 

 and greater measure of wine than similar area on the hillsides, 

 must yield the palm for quality to the warm soils of the slopes. 

 And here enters the business proposition whether large amount 

 and less quality is better than less amount and higher quality. 

 To this there can be no general answer. It depends upon the 



