The Wine Industry in the United States.— The wine industry in the United States is of comparatively recent date and growth. In 1850 the total output of wine in the United States . was not more than 250,000 gallons. In 1860 it was about 500,000 gallons. In 1870 it had risen to about 5,000,000 gallons. In 1880 the wine yield of the country was about 15,000,000 gallons. In 1890, when the statistics of viticul ture were gathered for the first time in the United States, there were 307,000 acres of vine yards and a production of over 24,000,000 gal lons of wine. 'the census of 1900 showed a pro duction of over 30,000,000 gallons of wine. In 1910 it was more than 45,000,000 gallons.
The wine production of the United States during the 10 years 1910-19 averaged about 44,000,000 gallons. There were sharp decreases in production in 1915 and 1918, due almost en tirely to excessive war revenue taxation. The vintage of 1916, which was a good one, was made in) as follows: Since 1915 the wine production both in France and Italy has steadily increased; in France it was 760,000,000 gallons in 1916; 840, 900,000 gallons in 1917, and 980,000,000 gallons in 1918.
Although thegreatest wine-producing coun try of the world, France imports more wine than it exports. The average Frenchman, ac cording to statistics, drinks 70 times as much wine as the average American. In other words, the per capita consumption of wine in France is 32 gallons; in Italy 25 gallons; in Spain 18.5 gallons; in Austria, 3.5 gallons; in Ger many 1.5 gallons; in Belgium 1.04 gallons; in the United States 0.45 gallon, and in Great Britain 0.35 gallon. Thus, with a population of about 100,000,000 people the consumption of domestic and imported wines The greatest progress in viticulture and wine-making has been made in California dur ing the past 20 years. That Golden State with its great range of climate and with its variety of soils has an area almost equal to that of France. The production of wine in California began to assume large figures in 1877, when it was 4,000,000 gallons. In 1880 the yield was more than double, or 10,000,000 gallons; in 1890 it was 15,000,000 gallons. In 1900 the wine production had risen to 23,400,000 gallons; and in 1910 it reached 45,486,000 gallons.
The wine production of California in recent years has been as follows: The figures for the years 1913-14 are taken from the 1915 annual report of the California State Board of Agriculture; those for the years 1915-16-17 and 18 from Bulletins Nos. 10 and
13 issued by the California Board of State Viti cultural Commissioners. In the season of 1918, 6.(00 carloads of wine grapes, amounting to about 90.000 tons, were shipped out of the State. The sharp drop in sweet-wine production in P)15 and 1918 was due, as has been mentioned, to new and excessise taxation. At the present writing (1919) the wine industry of the United States is facing a most serious situation, namely, national prohibition. The prohibition of the manufacture and sale of wines strikes at the thousands of vineyard owners whose crops arc taken and used by the wine-makers. Thus, of the 350,000 acres of vineyards in California just about one-half, or 170,000 acres, are dc toted entirely to 'wine grapes,' that is, to spe cial varieties of grapes which are not fit or wanted for eating or table purposes, but on account of their vinous qualities these grapes arc peculiarly adapted for making wines It is evident that the enforcement of prohibition will bring heavy loss to the growers and will greatly depreciate the value of their properties.• Such legislation is all the more unfortunate in iiew of the fact that grape and wine grow ing have been fostered and encouraged for the past 50 years by our State and national governments. Large appropriations have been made from year to year; experts have been engaged to help the yineyardists; experimental grape stations have been established — there are now 14 such stations in California alone—the farmers and growers have put in their labor and capital in the confidence that viticulture, which is such an important branch of agriculture, would not be ruined or destroyed. Few there are who will claim that the grape and wine industries are responsible for the alleged evils which are to be remedied by prohibi tion. Hence it is to be hoped that a great wrong and injustice will not he done by drastic and confiscatory legislation to these two great in dustries, which give employment to some 611.0110 persons and which represent an investment of $150.000.000 capital.
Two Distinct "T'W of American Wines. —The wines produced in the United States are Divided into two classes: (1) wines made cast of the Rocky Mountains; (2) wines of Cali fornia and the Pacific Coast States.