New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1858-06-01
TIE GERMAN VINE-GROHERS IN
MISSOURI
o.e,..noaa.nce of Tie n. y. Thbrne

Eyeg the strictest mOfast must feel ,nat tocio' ~
somethg about vine growing country peculiarly sus
sestlve OF Joy and gsdDess We do not essiy escape
the 4 sssocations of Hebrew terms tne '"outuss
aed ensipgs in the vireyards-the reJo'o"s' Vi 'u'
>intsse-the vine laDgushtIg causing Tue "ori!'
hea;te 20 sieh-te vine withered because Joy Is area
I'D from among mep-wine and oil, tue eign oil
frui,:u lad These expressions iamlsr from child
hood n,.psre one for pleasant aspects IN country of
y,n.,sr3s All ones memories TOO OF vine countries
A.. If cheerful sunny ard temperate gayety.
70, cptous. in this visit to the NJ ssouri vineyards
70 sss What would be the effects of this pursuit
Ausr.cas habits; and though the pioneers work 10
new country "a not the mort easy and gay, yet saw
at once that something Of this CHEEKY influence was
pervstifg even this population.
stopped first at Hermann about 80 miles from 81.
Lopis AID in waiting at the tavern for vine-grower,
whose place was TO visit, watched the people COM
ing IL. There was something extremely social and
careless abou. them yet at the time they seemed
Ike thrifty, well-to-do people. Very few called at the
bar for whisky brandy; but the most took glass
together of the light native wine and chated socially
owe, it, sometimes sitting at table to do 80, which
civilized custom has yet he introduced in most parts
Of the Uuited States.
The only tpplers were old Missourians, who called
for whisky, and damned the Dutch and all Dutch
,iuf.
Tbs talk was good deal OF vines and land At
length the vine.g,ower whom l expected cams in,
aud accompanied him through the village. 1t is
very comfortable thriving looking little town. the
houses built mostly of brick with pleasant gardens
rOvrdibg them. The population is about 900, OF
which understood there is not American. Tne
place has two or three schools, supported by public
funds. and two churches-one Lutheran and one
C.thohc. Ny feDds vineyard lies upon one of the
hills, overlooking the Missouri. Elm herricbes
Land "a glorious country he says with enthus-
ssm. reach the top and cast our eyes over the
landscape. For miles away, on the side of the river
where We were, there was broken view of vine
topped hils, while the lower slopes heavy with
rich woods and the valleys green with grain. Beyond
the river uxuriart growth Of cottonwood and syca-
more covered the rich fats In the country beyond
these, Mr. r. said, were some of the richest pants
tioUs of the State, worked by negroes.
Mr.. RS house a little house, such any
settler might have, but you notice the contrast to the
usual Amer cans cabin in the few Towering trees lef
near BY sid truly German garden beds laid out
under the windows. Otherwise, the whole hll-sOpe
was covered with vines ususlly trained on two poles
bourd together, about five feet apart. This German
bad been there twelve years, and possessed
mOst valuable niue properly. Ills Wlho hdu lahon
the prize lately in St. Louis, Longworth's
Catawbs. Most of the settlers, he said, were very
prosperous and their wine was coming into great de-
mard They covered the barren hitOps far in the To-
tenor with their vineyards. They lived good deal by
Themselves, and had nothing to do with the slavehold
ing Americans and he believed had happier life than
any other Germans in the W esern country The town
had produced last year some so, 900 gallons of wine.
Tie good situations for vineyards he states, cost
from 81 to s. an acre; those which already i'm
moved SIS or $40. 1t needs three four years
preparation before vineyard pays its cost. During
this time the vine grower support himself by farm
ing and other WORK. Still, TO succeed, each new mml
gran, should have some 5000 5000 capital to build
bis wine cellar and house. buy his cattle and pay extra
labor After three four years, the vineyard will
yield on an average from 80 to 300 gallons OF wine to
the acre. very favorable site has been known to pro-
duoe GOO gallons, and 400 was the lowest Mr. H. 5
place had given. One man, with industry, can man.
age five scres Toe wine is worth from 81 - to 81 80
Der gallon 20 that 500 an acre is a common return.
Mr. hao sod his wood the place the first year for
800 and had received one year 400 gallons from half
an mere II viii be seen at once that other agriculture
Of the United States presents such returns. OF other
elpeusea the wages OF labor are nov from 10 cents
10 81 a day or 81 to SD month; COW costs from
$l8to so; pair OF oxen, Si5 to $50; horse $50 to
SO Wood is worth about s. so a cord; potatoes, 10
cents busheI and wheat 30 cents. Labor is always
in demsnd and may be seen from the prices of food
is exceedingly well paid The best varieties of vines
he had found to be the Moth Virginia Seeding, Ca
swba and Isabella.
Thus far the climate has been more favorable to the
VINEYARDS than il is in Germany. They have had no
year in which the yield has not paid the labor while
on the Rhine as is well known there will be years 10
which the pIopeors OF the vineyards get no return at
all ana the poor teDsnts who make up the population
of vpe-eressers fall into great distress and poverty
TIE worst weather in Missouri is the sutry, moist heat
Of Jul,-only few sorts can survive this-but the
frosts and storms Of September and October. which
destroy the vines or fruit in Germany, the American
whey ards entirely escape. asked Mr. r. what effect
he considered this culture of the vine to have the
habits of his countrymen. lie thought that those liv
pg in this yiue.regon much more sober than the
Ge,mans of the cities and that the native wine was
already driving out whisky and brandy from use
among the Americans | spoke of Slavery but he
was not disposed 10 express himself much on this,
except to say that his countrymen wished to have
bohpg TO do with it, and that the only thing, thus lar
which had kept Germans from such beautiful S'sts
as Missouri was the fear of its being permanently
Slave State II it wasn't for Slavery they should have
had what Iowa and Wisconsin and Illinois has enjoyed
OF the German emigration. They never saw slaves
there be said and did not wish to them. 10 time,
be was sure Missouri would be Free State, but not at
al 30 soon as many sanguine peope believed. In his
little town Hermann he said, they all but three
Republicans; aud they were the only village in 1896
that had Fremont ticket though TOY could only find
three electors in the State Out of the $1,000 Ger
mars in The State he did not believe there were more