Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1853-10-22
Masbington stnti mel.
From the journal Of Commerce.
Grape Culture at the West.

CINCINNATI, October, 1853.
The grape-growers Of the Ohio Valley are
now in the midst of their harvest, and the vim
tage will be the most productive ever had.
The grapes remarkably we'll ripened, full
Of juice and saccharine matter. Not more than
one-third of the crop has yet been gathered.
The Ohio river is termed the "Rhine of
America and has gained this appellation
through the instrumentality of Mr.. Nicholas
Longworth, the pioneer in this branch of horti.
culture in the United States. He has now l50
acres of vineyard under cultivation, and owns
three wine cellars, where wines are stored for
fermentation and prepared for market one of
which contains 100000 bottles. Mr.. l.. is 10
years of age, but is as vigorous, and performs
as much labor, as many in the prime of man
hood. He has accumulated an immense prop
erty, his taxes the last year having amounted
to $4,000, and which are said to be larger than
are assessed upon any other man in the country,
William b. Astor, and perhaps one or two
others, excepted He has long been a patron
of the fine arts, and the parlors of his residence
are enriched with rare collections, both from
nature and art. Included in the latter, is an
exquisite bust, in marble, the first of Powers
productions. Mr.. l.. early discovered the ge-
MUS of Powers, and lent his aid in its deyelope
ment. Of late years his attention has been
chiefly absorbed by the grape culture For
thirty years Inexperienced with foreign grapes,
with a view to their accGmation in the United
States. Six thousand vines of the best Ma
deira wine grapes, and seven thousand from
the mountains of Jura, in France, besides
others from the vicinity of Paris and Bordeaux,
were procured, but which were all thrown away,
after protracted trial, being found inferior to
the Catawba, native of North Carolina
Nearly two hundred varieties of grape have been
tested, but the two best are found to be the
Catawba and the Herbermond, which makes a
wine similar to the Spanish Manzanilla, and
which is to be more extensively cultivated than
heretofore.
The vineyards generally located on the
slopes of the Ohio river; and nine-tenths OF
them are titled by German vine-dressers, who
have devoted their lives to the business. 1t
has been customary to give piece Of land, Of
say fifteen to twenty acres, with house on it,
to these Germans, on the condition that the
tenant shall plant a certain quantity of grapes
each year, in proper manner, and pay the pro-
prietor one-half the proceeds Of the vineyard.
In Ohio there are about 800 acres of land
exclusively devoted to grape-growing, between
300 and 400 of which are near Cincinnati.
Within twenty miles of this city, including
part of Kentucky on the opposite side of the
river, there are 800 acres, and double the
quantity of vines More have been planted this
Hermann, there are 500 acres; in Indiana, 200
or 800; in Illinois about l00 and in kentuc-
XIV the same--making about $500 acres in all.
1t is estimated that Indiana, Ohio, and Ken
I tucky will, this year, produce at least half a
: million gallons Of wine. The yield on some OF
4 the vineyards will be equal to 700 or 500 gal,
Ions, allowing 2,400 vines to the acre, planted
about three feet apart in rows separated by a
distance OF three feet. Mr.. Robert Buchanan,
who is among the most successful cultiyators OF
/ the vine, this year obtains about 500 gallons of
wine from each acre Of his vineyard, which will
net him about 500 per acre. Some other vine
yards will do equally well. Persons, however,
are not advised to embark in grape-growing,
with the expectation Of profit, lit shall be ne
cessary to hire labor
The German vine dressers muster all capable
members of their families into the seryice--the
wife often being the most efficient. In this
manner they realize an adequate income. The
fruit is purchased from the vineyard men for
from So to Sc per 100 pounds, Tor two bushels,)
bushe yielding from 81 to gallons of wine
1t is then mashed by the manufacturers in
the city and pressed. The juice is then fer
mented in the cellars, and the sparkling Ca.
tawba is in prime order for market at the end
of fifteen or twenty months. Mr.. Longworth
has three huge subterranean vaults, one OF
which will turn out $4,000 bottles every year,
and another 100000 bottles. A third cellar is
capable of turning out 10000 bottles yearly, of
dry vine Some portion of the cellars is occu-
pied by immense butts, or cylindrical tanks,
one of which holds 5000 gallons, or $4,000
worth of wine if bottled. The slaves are about
three inches in thickness, and the heads curve
inward, so as to introduce the arch, to resist the
internal pressure. Other objects, quite as no
ticeable, are the long rows of black bottles
placed in a horizontal position, and stacked
up like cord word in solid piles, as high as
ones neck In the cellars of the extensive
native wine establishment of Longworth Llm--
norman, are twentyfour casks holding about
259O gallons EACH or $4,000 gallons altogether
of the vintage of 1850, 81, 81, and 1t IS eX
pected to store 5000 gallons of this years
wine.
The American wines are OF two general va
rieties. the "stl" and the "sparEling.' lhe
first is wine that undergoes vinous fermentation,
mr. the process which transforms the sugar OF
the grape into alcohol Toproduce sparkling
wine, a second fermentation Is eNclteo py aaa-
ing q little crock candy, and the alcohol IS
transformed into carbonc ACID gas. nus,
western wine, aside from being an article OF do
mestic production, and entitled to public favor
On tbot account. can be relied on as the pure
and unadulteratcd juice of the grape; and the
substitution of it for the drugged liquors of for
eion importation is a most important and de-
sirable object to be gained. Even where the
manufacturing of pure wines is attempted in
the hot countries of Europe, it is necessary 10
mix brandes with them to make them keep,
which is not done here, on account of our wines
possessing more body and saccharine matter
Americans are not yet prepared to properly ap-
preciate the value of pure wines, because they
so rarely find their way across the Atlantic In
the wine districts of Europe, brutal intoxica-
ton is comparatively unknown, or any Of the
effects resulting from Incorporate drinking. Mr.
Longworth remarks to us that drunken vine
dresser is never seen. The demand for Amer
lean wine has, of late years, greatly increased,
and now exceeds the means of supply. There
is at present a market for wines of this descrip-
10 the value of 81 ,000, 900 annually.