CHAPTER 9 



GRAPES AND GRAPE CULTURE IN THE UNITED STATES 



BY GEORGE C. HUSMANN 



Pomologist in Charge of Viticultural Investigations, United States 

 Department of Agriculture 



The grape has always been and continues to be man's best standby 

 in fruits. It is one of the most important and most extensively grown 

 fruits in the country. 



Since the year 1900, the viticultural industry of this country has more 

 than doubled itself, now showing as a year's commercial result in round 

 numbers, shipments of 15,000 cars of table grapes, 50,000 cases of canned 



A TYPICAL VINIFERA VALLEY VINEYARD IN CALIFORNIA 



grapes, 250,000,000 pounds of raisins, 7,000,000 gallons of brandy, 

 50,000,000 gallons of wine and unfermented juice, etc. The vineyard 

 acreage exceeds 500,000 acres, the viticultural industry representing, in 

 conservative figures, an investment of $300,000,000 and giving employ- 

 ment to 150,000 persons. 



There are three distinct viticultural regions in the United States 

 which segregate themselves by the grape species grown in them for com- 

 mercial purposes. These are: (1) The vinifera region in which the 

 vinifera varieties grown for all the various purposes, is located almost 

 entirely west of the Rocky Mountains and so much of it in California that 

 it might almost be said to be a California industry . At least seventy-five 

 per cent of the entire grape output of the United States is from fruit 

 of the vinifera varieties. Nearly one hundred per cent of the raisin and 

 grape brandies and about eighty per cent of all other grape products pro- 

 duced in this country come from California. 



(2) The American Native grape regions in which improved varieties 



