Washington sentinel. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1853-1855, 1854-01-22


The amount of sparkling wines in the various
cellars, was in 1853, $4,000 bottles, and it
estimated that the amount in 1854 will be
about 280, 900 bottles.
What is not bottled is sold by the cask in
this city and elsewhere, generally within q
year or two after it is made, at from 81 to 81
80 per gallon. So great has been the demand
for these wines, that it is difficult to find any
old wine for sale. The consumption keeps
pace with the production, and instead Of the
increased cultivation reducing prices, they are
rather on the advance
VINEYARD CULTURE, STATISTICS, POSITION AND
SOIL.
A warm hillside, ridge, or any undulating
surface,is preferred to flat one, and dry cal.
cerous loan, rather than rich soil. Good
understandings is essential.
PLANTING, &c.-The ground is trenched with
the spade two feet deep, or worked deeply with
subsoil plough. Cost Of spading, $50 to
$3.50 per acre; of ploughing much less
The vineyard is planted in April, with cut
tings, (cost $50 so per l000) or with roots one
year old, (cost $25 per lOO0) usually three feet
apart by six feet in the rows 2420 vines to the
acre.
CULTURE.-The first year after planting, in
March, the vine is cut down to single eve, or
bud, the second year to two and stake six or
seven feet long, driven down by each vine /;
the third year small crop may be expected,
and the fourth year good one. The ground
is kept clean with the iron plough or cultivator
the vines tied up close to the stakes, and super
auous shoots removed. After the fourth wear
the bow and spur system is adopted.
The vine bears no fruit on the wood of the
preceding years growth; two shoots are al
ways trained for bearing the ensuing year. One
OF these is cut down in the spring to six or ten
joints, and bent in the form of bow, and fas-
tened to the stakes with willow tie. This is
to bear the fruit. The other is cut back to two
joints, as spur, to produce bearing wood for
the next year, and also few punches Of
grapes. Summer pruning and hoeing requires
prompt and judicious attention. A bushel Of
grapes in lunches will weigh about forty-Hve
pounds, and the average yield of juice is three
and one-half gallons to the bushel.
The whole cost of vineyard, up to the fourth
year, will range from 5000 to $3.50 per acre.
The Catawba is our great wine grape. Scarce
ly any other variety is now planted here 1t is
a native of North Carolina, was introduced in
to notice by Major Album, at Washington city.
And by Mr.. Longworth, in the west, thirty three
years ago. Of this grape We make two kinds
OF wine: the sparkling, and the still or dry wine.
The first resembles champagne, and to make it
requires very deep, well arched stone cellars,
large casks Of one thousand to FIVE thousand
gallons-the supervision of an experienced
wine cooper from Europe-and large outlay
of capital. The effervesence in this wine is
caused by arresting the second fermentation,
and sweetening with syrup Of rock-candy. It
takes year to ripen, and the usual breakage
is about ten per cent. The price is twelve dol
lars per dozen.
The still wines are generally the pure juice
Of the grape, without any admixture. The bot
ting requires but little art, and the wine will
keep sound in any good, common cellar. The
cost is five dollars to eight dollars per dozen,
as to quality.