Part 8

_The Vineyards._--The variety used for raisins is nearly entirely the Muscat of Alexandria, although several vineyardists call these grapes incorrectly the Gordo Blanco. I saw nowhere this variety, but I suppose some must have been imported there. In planting, cuttings have been preferred, probably because they are the cheapest, and because the value of rooted vines has not been properly understood. The vines are set, almost everywhere, eight by eight, only in a few vineyards nine by nine feet. There is, however, a growing belief that eight by ten feet or eight by twelve feet is better than the old accepted eight by eight feet. But I believe that this tendency to give the vines greater room will, in course of time, be followed by the opposite tendency to plant them closer, at least one way, and give more room the other way. The Muscat of Alexandria begins to bear in three years, and in four years will pay fifty dollars per acre. The practice of plowing is, in Riverside, to first plow towards the vines in the fall, and then, when the vegetation has begun in the spring, the soil is turned back towards the center of the space between the rows, or from the vines. Then the soil is cultivated with chisel-tooth cultivators, both crosswise and lengthwise, also similarly after every irrigation. But this practice is not entirely the same everywhere, and the different vineyardists have here as elsewhere different ideas, even in regard to the most common farm or vineyard practices. Pruning was formerly done much closer than now, but it was found that by close pruning the vines bore less. To-day from fifteen to twenty spurs are left on the strongest vines, and on every spur about two eyes. From twenty to twenty-five spurs were found to be too much; with such quantity of spurs the vines produce smaller and inferior grapes. Some vines which were pruned with twenty-five spurs last year have this year been given nine or ten spurs only, so as to enable them again to recover and grow strong, when the quantity of spurs will again be increased to fifteen. Summer pruning is used by some, but not by others. It does not, according to observation, injure the vine, but produces always a second crop, which is difficult to cure. Sulphuring the vines is practiced by some, but not by all, growers. A great many cannot see the use and value of sulphur. No one sulphurs for colure or the dropping of the grape, which is quite a common occurrence. The vines, however, never suffered from the leaf-hopper nor the grape caterpillars, but sunscald is not uncommon, nor is black-knot.

_The Crop._--The Muscat grapes begin to ripen in Riverside later than in the San Joaquin valley, and picking commences between the 10th and the 30th of September. Highlands is said to be two weeks later than Riverside. The first crop is ready to turn in two weeks, and is ready for the sweatbox in three weeks’ time. For drying, trays are used, and about twenty pounds are placed on each tray. These trays are all made of pine or fir. Redwood has been found unsuitable, as imparting both a color and a taste to the raisins if accidentally wet by early showers in the fall. Size of trays, two by three feet, with a cleat nailed at the short ends, but none at the long ends of the trays. Sweatboxes receive the raisins when they leave the trays. Formerly the sweatboxes were much larger and deeper than now, eight or even twelve inches in depth not being unknown. Of late sweatboxes are made two by three feet, or of the exact size of the trays, and not over six inches in depth. A greater depth makes the boxes too heavy to handle, and also causes the bunches to break. The packing of the raisins in Riverside and in the Southern California raisin districts generally is done by the method known as “top up.” That is, the first raisins are placed in the bottom of the box and successive layers are placed on top, until finally the top layer is put on the last. The lever press for the compression of the layers is a Riverside invention. A modification of this press is now in use in nearly all districts where the “top-up” method of packing is practiced. The brands packed are as follows: Three Crown London Layers, Two Crown London Layers, Three Crown Loose Muscatels, Two Crown Loose Muscatels, and Muscatels in sixty-pound sacks; also Seedless Muscatels in sacks of sixty and thirty pounds respectively. Cotton sacks are commonly used for the two latter brands. The brands are apt to vary from year to year, according to the fancy or ideas of the packers, new ones of which are in the field every year. Only those who both produce and pack have anything like established brands. The prices paid for raisins in sweatboxes have varied in different years. In 1887 and 1888, the price was from four and one-half to five cents per pound. In 1889, the price rose to five and five and three-fourths cents, and in one or two instances six cents were paid.

_The Profits and Other Items._--The profit varies, of course, greatly, but an average profit may be considered to be from about $125 to $150 per acre. The yield of an acre is variable, but from eight to ten tons of fresh grapes is said not to have been uncommon. In some cases the yield has been much higher and the profit larger. I have from trustworthy source the statement that one vineyardist who owns only a few acres, I believe only five, and who has given all his time and attention to these vines, has realized as much as $430 per acre. This I quote only as an instance of what might be done with care and expense in an exceptionally favored locality. Some few growers have realized $250 profit on each of a few acres, which also is to be considered exceptional. I believe my former statement of $150 per acre as being reliable and attainable by all San Bernardino county raisin-growers who have good land, and who give their vines sufficient care. As another instance of a high yield, I copy below an account of the vintage of C. Newton Ross of Etiwanda, San Bernardino county, California. The article appeared in the _Press and Horticulturist_ of Riverside, September 27th, and I have every reason to consider it trustworthy. The writer adds that the yield is extraordinary. “Mr. Ross has seventeen acres of 8,000 vines five years old from which he picked 8,648 trays of grapes that average twenty-five pounds to the tray, or a total of 108 tons of grapes, which will make thirty-six tons of raisins,--equal to 3,600 boxes,--over 200 boxes to the acre. This is the first picking only, and it is estimated that the second crop will be half as large as the first, which will give a total yield of 318 boxes to the acre. Mr. Ross has sold his first crop at five and one-half cents per pound in the sweatbox, which will give him an income of $242 an acre on the first crop, and half as much more on the second crop if he succeeds in saving it in good shape, or a total income of $363 per acre on his crop. Mr. Ross estimates that $50 an acre will cover the entire cost of taking care of the vineyard and putting the crop in the sweatbox, and this would leave him a net income of $313 an acre for his vineyard, which is ten per cent on $3,130 per acre.” But, I may add, it is not likely that such a profit can be realized year after year.

As regards care of the vineyard and expenses of running the same, they vary, of course, and are estimated at from twenty dollars upwards. But the best vineyardists spend from thirty to forty dollars per acre in the care of an acre, but in this do not include interest, trays bought, etc., nothing in fact but “care.”

Vines were first planted in Riverside by Judge John Wesley North in 1873. Vacant land that is suitable for raisins may be had with water for $250 per acre. Some land with choice locations is held at higher prices. The highest yield of raisins in San Bernardino has been 290,000 boxes in 1888. Of this Riverside produced 150,000 boxes, Etiwanda 30,000 boxes, and Ontario 15,000 boxes. The raisin shipments from Riverside during the fall of 1889, up to December 12th, amounted, according to the _Daily Press_, to 216,000 boxes. There was a balance on hand of 7,000 boxes, making the total production 223,000 boxes. It is estimated that the value of this crop was $3,500,000 at wholesale. Later advices give to the county 265,000 boxes as last season’s crop. The San Bernardino raisins are superior both as regards quality and size, and raisin growing and curing is a profitable business, eminently suited to the settler with small means, who cannot invest large capital, nor can afford to wait long for a return. No dipped or sulphured raisins have ever been produced in the district, although dipped raisins would prove profitable. Especially does this refer to the second crop, which ripens enough to make good raisins, but which cannot be cured when the early rains set in.

ORANGE COUNTY AND SANTA ANA.

_General Remarks._--On account of the vine disease which has been injuring the Orange county raisin and wine vineyards, this district has a special interest to every one engaged in grape-growing. While the country has received a hard blow through the injury and destruction of so many of its vineyards, still it is likely that it will recover and rise as soon as the vine disease leaves.

_Location._--The Orange county raisin district lies close to the sea. Of all raisin districts, it is nearest the ocean, the average distance of the raisin vineyards from the latter being eight to twelve miles, some few perhaps a little more. As will be seen, the district resembles in this respect some of the Mediterranean districts, such as Malaga and Smyrna, where the vineyards come within actual reach of the sea fogs. On one side of the Orange county district we have the ocean, on the opposite side it is bordered by rather high foothills, beyond which are the San Bernardino county vineyards, some forty to sixty miles away.

_Climate._--The nearness to the ocean modifies the climate much. The temperature is more even all the year round than anywhere else on the coast where raisins are grown. The extreme of heat is 105 degrees; in fact, July 27, 1889, it was 104 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade, while in the winter it seldom goes lower than 28 degrees Fahrenheit, and indeed very, very rarely as low as that. In many places there is no frost at all, except, perhaps, one in April, which, of course, cannot but prove damaging to the vines. This absence of heavy frost, which is beneficial to every other semi-tropical product, is not favorable to the vine. The grape requires heavy frost to become dormant. The farther south we go the less frost and the less grapes, at least of the Asiatic kind. There are, as we know, native grapes even in tropical countries, but they are adapted to their surroundings and cannot be considered here. The proximity to the coast modifies the air considerably. With 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the shade, which is an exception here, I felt as warm as I do in the San Joaquin valley with the mercury at 114;--the two extremes in both places affect us just the same. The air here is certainly much more moist, which again must have a marked effect upon the vine, and in no small degree promote fungoid growths, or parasites generally. In this respect, then, the coast vineyard must certainly be at a disadvantage. The fog is not an unusual visitor in the district between the coast and the foothills, which, in fact, covers the whole area ever planted in raisin grapes. For days in succession every morning is foggy, and the fog condenses on the leaves of the trees and falls under them in real showers, making the adjoining and underlying road wet. For a few days again the sun will rise bright, again to be followed by foggy mornings. By from nine to eleven o’clock the fog is again gone and the sun shines brightly. Every evening and morning there is a heavy dew, and every branch, leaf or grass is then dripping wet. Several mornings when the fog was in I found the thermometer at 62 degrees Fahrenheit, while at noon it rose to over 100.

_Soils and Ripening._--The soil here is the very best, and I doubt if the same fine quality of soil is found anywhere else in California over the same extended territory. I ride for miles and miles, everywhere the finest and richest loam of a gray color, sometimes a little drawing towards slate blue, sometimes again towards yellowish. It is immensely rich, and can hardly be improved. There is, however, especially near Orange, a different kind of soil consisting of the sand loam, but intermixed with very coarse gravel. This soil is warmer but consequently not so rich. The grapes ripen on it two weeks earlier, but yield only one-half as much as those on the richest loam along the creeks. The vines planted here were alone the Muscat of Alexandria. Strangely enough I find no traces of Sultanas or currant, which latter, it seems, should be especially adapted to the coast climate.

_The Vineyards._--In planting a vineyard, rooted vines were seldom used. Cuttings grew so readily and so well that they were much preferred. I am told that five per cent loss was unusual. It must be remarked that the moister is the air the better it is for any kind of cuttings. The moisture sustains and nourishes the wood while it is making roots. As to distances, I remarked nothing new. Eight by eight or eight by ten feet seems the generally adopted way. The nature of the soil and climate make higher cultivation a necessity. McPherson Bros., who packed the largest quantity of raisins and owned the finest vineyards, told me that they plowed and cross-plowed and cultivated from fourteen to sixteen times every season; in fact they never ceased working the ground. The pruning was begun in December, or as soon as the leaves began to turn and fall. To begin with, only a few spurs were left on every vine, and on every spur three eyes, including the bottom eyes, but experience taught that that way was not the very best. Gradually more space was given the vines, and now from fifteen to twenty spurs to a vine in full bearing is considered proper. Summer pruning is only practiced in some of the vineyards where the ground is quite wet. The most profitable vineyards were irrigated. The nearer the coast the more moisture there is in the soil. Thus three miles west of Santa Ana the ground is always moist enough to grow grapes, but as we come nearer the foothills to the east, the moisture is farther down. At Tustin, Orange, and especially at McPherson, irrigation was practiced in all first-class vineyards. Some were irrigated in the winter only, and this was considered the best; others again were irrigated also once in summer,--a practice the best vineyardmen considered unnecessary and even injurious. I found land near the town of Santa Ana moist one inch below the surface, where no irrigation had even been practiced. Sulphuring was used everywhere to counteract the oidium. For this purpose powdered sulphur was dusted through the vines as soon as the grapes were as large as small shot. From three to four sulphurings were used every year with a week between each. Sulphuring for the colure or dropping of grapes was not known; in fact I am informed that this colure was seldom known. Besides mildew, there are few enemies to the vine here. Grasshoppers, leaf-hoppers and grape moths have never been known to molest the vines. When the late vine-plague struck the country the vineyardists were entirely unused to fight any enemy of the vines besides the oidium. Sunscald of the berries was not known.

_The Crop and its Curing._--The grapes begin to ripen in the end of August, say about the twenty-fifth, on the gravelly soil, but on the cooler and richer bottom land very much later, or about the middle of September. The harvest then begins; the grapes are picked on trays two and a half by three feet and placed to dry in the sun; the drying takes two or three weeks or more, and is accomplished with some difficulty. Two years the grapes had to be carried out to the Mojave desert, to be dried there. The trays are placed among the vines in such a way that the trays from three rows are placed in one. To protect them from the fog and dew, they are covered with canvas. This is done in two ways. One way is to put small pegs on one side of the trays. The long canvas is furnished at intervals with rings, which are slipped over the pegs and thus held steady on one side. In the daytime the other end of the canvas is simply thrown back over the pegs; in the night-time the canvas is again turned over the trays, resting directly on the grapes. The other and better way is to run three wires along the row of trays, one on each side of the trays. The canvas is furnished with rings on each long side, which are made to run on the wire. The center wire is run a little higher up, and here and there simply supported by posts. It takes comparatively little time every evening to run the canvas along the wires and cover the trays. The expense is considerable, both in furnishing and preparing the canvas, and in maintaining and operating it. The peculiar climatic conditions of the district, however, necessitate some such contrivance for the drying of the grapes. The vines seldom bear a second crop of any importance. Sometimes in October the district is visited by a warm and dry desert wind called the Santa Ana wind. It comes from the cañon of the Santa Ana river, and originates, no doubt, in the Mojave desert, and rising high up in the air is again precipitated over the hills on the lowlands towards the ocean. This Santa Ana wind is always welcome. It hastens the drying of the grapes just as the _Terral_ or land winds from the plains of La Mancha hasten the drying of the grapes of Malaga in Spain.

_Yield and Profits._--The yield is quite small on the gravelly soil, at the most being three tons of green grapes to the acre, on richer land from six to seven tons, and in rare instances ten tons to the acre. I heard of one vineyard where the owner had sold from twenty acres of Muscatels thirty-three tons of raisins and fifty-six tons of green grapes, equal to about 155 tons from the lot. Another lot of three-year Muscatels bore ten tons to the acre,--indeed a very unusual yield anywhere for Muscatels. I hear reports of some wonderful yields and high profits, but am informed by the most experienced and trustworthy that $125 per acre is an average profit which can be relied upon year after year. The first Muscat vines were planted near Orange, now the station of McPherson, about 1873, by McPherson Bros. The acreage in grapevines in the Orange county district was about 8,000 acres; but probably over half of it is wine grapes. The highest output of raisins was 170,000 boxes of twenty-pounds each.

SAN DIEGO AND EL CAJON.

_Location and Acreage._--The El Cajon and Sweetwater valleys are the raisin centers of San Diego county. The former contains about four thousand acres of Muscat vines, the latter about five hundred acres. Magnificent-looking Muscat grapes are also grown within three miles of San Diego. Escondido is by many pronounced superior for raisin grapes to any of the other places; but El Cajon is the present center of the raisin industry, and is likely to remain so for years. The raisin-growing section of the two valleys lies from about fifteen to seventeen miles from the coast line, and at an altitude of from 450 to 500 feet. The arable land in El Cajon valley contains 50,000 acres, or perhaps less, and consists of the rolling bottom of the valley, but which can in no way be classed as bottom land. The land partakes more of the characteristics of mesa or upland, and extends on all sides, slightly undulating upon the sides of the hills. Lower hills and behind them, again, higher hills surround the valley, and the high peaks beyond the Cuyamaca Mountains reach 4,500 feet or more. None of these hills or mountains in sight are covered with timber of any kind, and even the valleys are without the usual sycamores. Only in the very narrow bottom of the creek is there a vegetation of willows and shrubbery.

_Climate and Rainfall._--The rainfall of the valley varies considerably. It has been known to be as little as six inches and as much as twenty, the average probably being about twelve inches, distributed as generally elsewhere in California,--during the winter months. In summer time it seldom rains,--perhaps a shower in two or three years. September is the warmest month, or at least the month with the greatest number of warm days. The highest temperature reached in the shade in El Cajon is 105 degrees Fahrenheit, and in Sweetwater valley 108, and the coldest in the winter twenty-four degrees Fahrenheit on the upper mesa land, while on the lower land, close to the river, the temperature falls low enough to kill orange trees, probably somewhere about eighteen degrees Fahrenheit. September is freer from fog than any other month. During the other summer months there is fog in the morning two days out of three. The fog, however, is warm and pleasant to all but consumptives, but, nevertheless, leaves behind a soaking dew on all vegetation, and is even heavy enough to moisten the dust on the roads. The moisture on this mesa land--by which is meant all the land between the hills, which are too steep to be plowed, and the actual river bottom lands--is near the surface. In the El Cajon and Sweetwater valleys, the water is found on this mesa at from eight to twenty feet, or at an average of from twelve to fifteen feet. On little hills or knobs in the valley the water is found at about the same depth. It is strange that with the water so near the surface no perennial vegetation of either shrubbery or trees should be found on this land. The grapevines will grow on it without irrigation; in fact none is used anywhere now, but no doubt it would prove profitable to irrigate somewhat, so as to increase the crops of grapes. Water can be had through the Cuyamaca flume, but has so far not been used. The vines do not grow after August 1st, and may stop growing sooner.

_Soils._--The soils of the district are of four kinds: First, reddish clay mixed with gravel, the color changing between light chocolate and deep reddish. This soil is considered by many the most desirable. Second, a steel or slate gray adobe with much gravel of a coarse nature. Third, black adobe with little gravel. Fourth, alluvial sandy soil, apparently consisting of decomposed granite mixed with much vegetable matter. This soil is coarse, of a dark steel-gray color, very easily worked; it is considered the best for raisins, but it contains streaks where they will not grow and prove profitable. The last-named soil goes gradually over into common alluvial soil of a sandy nature. The two last-named soils are found principally in the Sweetwater valley.