Wisconsin herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1846-1849, 1846-01-10

The mode of making wine except such as
is made in the groceries,) is blu, little under.
stood; and we invite The readers of the Her.
aid, TO the following instructive details of the
Vintage ina France.
4 In Burgunday, as elsewhere, the
day for the opening Of the vintage is
fixed by municipal proclamation,
which is published in handbills and
distributed through the villages by the
sound of the drum. No one is permit
ted to begin his vintage before this
lperiod; the general interest, in this
case, gives the law to private interest.
! The eve of the day fixed upon, the
little lown of Tonnerre witnessed the
arrival of an innumerable crowd of
men and women Of all ages, coming
from the neighboring towns,as well, as
from those more distant, (they some
times come ten or fifteen leagues,) to
lexercise their trade of vintagers and
basket-carriers. The only tools <of
THE former consist Of fiat basket with
curved rims, which they carry under
the arm or hold by the handle, and a
small pruning hook OF knife, with a
wooden haft and crooked blade, TO cut
the lunches of grapes. The basket
carriers, or scuttlers, as they are COM
monty called, are sturdy young men,
with n scuttle, or basket, in the form of
cone, slung upon the back with leath-
er straps, the vintagers empty their
baskets of grapes into those of the
scuttlers, who, in their turn, empty
theirs into vat, or large hogshead,
with single bottom fastened upon
wheels. Girls almost monopolize the
trade Of vintagers. They are prefer
red to young men, because they are
more attentive and receive less wages.
Their costume generally consists of a
colored handkerchief or naarm0tte,
which they wear after the manner of
the West India mulattresses, wooden
shoes, woo lien stockings, and very
short fustian pettieoat; if the latter
were longer, it would draggle in the
wet ground when they stopped to cut
the grapes. To these two species OF
the class Of yintagers must be added
the carriers, who hire themselves, their
vat their wheels, and their horses. to
transport the produce of the vineyard
to the press in town.
A real colony had arrived at Ton
nerre, colony so numerous that all
the taverns in the little town would
not have sufliced to lodge them. But
it is not in taverns that this cohort OF
natives seek an asylum; at leas! ii is
not in the chambers 0f the taverns, but
in their stables and barns, where, for
two sous night, they are furnished
with straw ad Rbitum. With this
straw they make bed for themselves
or rather litter, upon which they all
bundle together; the men on one side,
the women on the other. The mische-
vious wags Of the town rarely suffer
the vintagers 10 pass their short nights
in repose. No trick can be imagined
which they do not play them. Some
times they are reused by the cry of fire
sometimes cold water is squirted over
them by means Of enormous syringes,
sometimes a cat or live rat is thrown
among them. The latter always pro-
duces a tremendous uproar. But when
the clock strikes three, the whole Of
this ant-hiIl suddenly spring to their
feet, and shaking themselves like a
flock of ducks coming out Of the wa
ter, their simple toilet is done. Every
one repairs to the great square, which
soon resounds with an Internal con-
cert Of songs and cries of all sorts.-
The inhabitants Of the neighborhood,
who have no viney ards 10 cali their at
tention, draw the bed clothes around
their heads and curse the noise, while
those who have grapes to gather dress
themselves in haste and go down to the
square, with the cotton night caps on
! their heads, and lanterns in their hands,
to make their bargain with such Of the
yintagcrs, basketers, and carterBas they
may want. The common price Of the
lays work varies from ten TO twenty
sous for the for the first. and from one
and half to two francs for the second.
1t is to gain this wretched sum, that
parents suffer their young daughters TO
travel on foot for several leagues, bra
wing cold, privations Of every sort, and
many periis besides. But ii is not on