Fraternity-Testvériség, 1958 (36. évfolyam, 1-11. szám)
1958-01-01 / 1. szám
6 FRATERNITY cultivated, and wine made by competent professors. Our youths would there be taught the business in all its branches, and the older farmers, during their seasons of leisure, would learn all the various manipulations at a trifling cost.” Thus did Haraszthy anticipate the present agricultural colleges of the University of California and especially the Division of Viticulture at Davis. In his speech Haraszthy also urged farmers to employ Chinese laborers. They could be had by the month for $8 and board, wages no greater than those paid to white labor in the eastern States; whereas, he said, white labor in California demanded $30 and board, and made it difficult for farm products of California to compete with those of other places. He, himself, set the pace by hiring scores of Chinese to work in his vineyards, fields and winery. The practice became deeply entrenched in other Sonoma vineyards, lasting into the 1900’s. With the help of his Chinese, Haraszthy, by his own account, planted 70,000 vines at Buena Vista in the year 1860 and 135,000 in 1861. On every side of him vines were being set out, and everywhere he was looked to for advice. To every part of the State he dispatched the Zin- fandel and other choice varieties for planting. He knew that the day would come when the wine produced annually in the State would far outrun the supply of casks, and that oak casks, brought in by long sea voyages, would be too costly. So as early as 1859 he constructed some small casks of redwood, filled them and some oak casks of similar size with similar wine and set them aside to watch developments. When the cask shortage became acute a few years later, he was the first to prove that redwood would substitute for oak. Even today redwood is greatly used for casks in California wineries. In 1861 Haraszthy was at the peak of prestige. He had established a branch office in San Francisco. His sons, Geza and Attila, were following in his footsteps with Sonoma vineyards of their own. He was a vice- president of the State Agricultural Society, and a man of influence generally. He advanced the idea that California ought to name an official commission to explore the State’s own grape and wine situation, and study the methods used elsewhere. He urged the State Agricultural Sociey to act on this; the Society urged the State Legislature; the Legislature instructed the Governor. Governor John G. Downey appointed John J. Warner, Haraszthy’s old friend of San Diego days but then of Los Angeles, to report on California; a second commissioner to report on South America, and Colonel Haraszthy to learn what Europe was doing. Haraszthy lost no time making sailing plans at San Francisco. On June 7, 1861, he wrote to a meeting of Sonoma citizens that he planned to sail in a few days and that he desired their good wishes. He would bring back from Europe, he said, “the choicest, the rarest, and the most profitable fruits and grape vines”, together with all the knowledge he could gather, and would share them with Sonoma and the State on his return. The Sonomans responded with a handsome resolution of praise and esteem, and Colonel Haraszthy sailed from San Francisco, very hopefully, on June 11. Surprising things were to happen on his return.
