The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1859-06-11

Rhubarb Wine--How to Make

Some time since we published notice
of wine made from pie-plant or rhubarb.-
Ii had been tasted by a number of good
judges, who did not know its source. and
pronounced it a very fair sample of pale
sherry: 1t certainly did resemble that
wine. both i'll appearance and taste. 1t
not only deceived wine drinkers here. but
sample sent to Cincinnati, was tasted bv
men skilled III the art Of tasting wines and
detecting authorizations, and called good
sample OF American sherry. only wanting
nge to be excellent. Basing an opinion
upon our own Judgment, we have and do
pronounce it as much superior. as a bever-
age. TO half the costly wines sold in this
city, as pure otard brandy is superior to
fighting rum such as is manufactured
IN New \ ork, and which, in its turu man
uiactures demons out OF human beings
Now, since mankind Will have something
stimulating, and since it is fashionable for
all who can afford it, to drink wine, and
since a very ABUNDANT quantity of some
thing that at least will serve as a good
substitute, can be made from rhubarb
stalks we repeat our recommendation of
that kind of juice
Hoe Rhubarb Vine is Eads.-Since our
first notice, our letters of inquiry, "TIow
Is 1t made! have been too numerous to
answer if We had known how, but as we
did not. we wrote to B. p Cahoon of Ke-
nosha Wis, who, SO far as we are inform
ed, originated the rhubarb wine manufac-
ture. from hlsr emarkable Seeding pie-plant
which grows larger than any other known
variety.
The following is Mr. Cahoon's reply:
Herewith | send YOU sample of pie
plant wine made last September, by mix
ing equal quantities of water with the
juice of the stalks, and to each gallon. 81
pounds fair quality of New Orleans sugar.
put in barrels, filed full, and fined with
islnglass, and allowed to remain in the
barrels till Spring, and then bottle. By
adding or diminishing the quantity of SUI
gar it will vary the strength of wine in the
same proportion The pure juice without
water makes a very strong wine, by nsing
i pounds ofsugar to each gallon.
1t appears that the process is exactly
that with current Juice, black KERRY juice
eiderberry juice. gooseberry juice. or any
other juice, and such as has long bee used
IN families all over the country, for the
manufacture of beverages called wine.
The advantages of the rhubarb, particu-
larly such rink growth as Cahoon's seed
ling gives, lie that it affords greater guam
tity of juice than any other plant; and so
than any but grape juice for the manufac-
ire of domestic wine Of course. it will
afford also, an abundance OF cheap and
good vinegar. The acid of the plant. as
all pie makers are aware, is decidedly
sharp.
Tie quantity Of RhuJar5 U9,tc per acre-In
our former notice. We gave the product of
rhubarb wine, per acre as S00gallons Mr..
CahoOn says:
This estimate is very much below tho
matter of fact. as tested here Mr.. q.
Lewis, the purchaser of my plantation of
pie-alant, made last season from one-eiellth
of an acre, 100 gallons like the sample |
send you. 1t is fair estimate that ). 800
gallons can be made from an acre of well
cultivated roots OF my Seeding Thewine
cost here about 10 cents pea gallon TO the
manufacturer
Accosding 10 this statement. instead of
500 gallons per acre, the product is over
500 barrels. and almsst the entire cost of
the article would be the price paid for the
sugar. Probably, upon a large scale, five
cents per gallon would pay all the e.pen-
ses OF cutting the plant- grinding, pressing
and bottling. With Sorghum sugar for
sweetning, we cont see anything 10 pre-
vent the country from having wine cheap
enough, if that will make men more tenn
perate than cheap wliskey-Nsw York
Tribune
n CURIOUS VISITATION OF IysEcTs-We
find in the London Illustrated Tines the
following account from a correspondent of
a singular visitation OF insects to church
at Colchester:
Did You observe in the papers curious
paragraph informing the public that a
church In Colchester had been shut up be-
cause 1t swarIms with foul insects? When
L saw this paragraph | thought it could
not be true, but on inquiry find it is even
so. and very strange phenomenon it Is
The church in question is st. Peters. the
principal church in the town. Ii has late
~ been rctittcd inside, and scarcely had
the congregation returned when the plague
fell upon them. The wretched creatures
which have committed this atrocious sacri-
lege are. | am told, as small as dust-num-
bered by myriads and myriads-and are so
lively that tumigation by sulphur does not
kill them, nor will they die in q bottle
Theoretically sealed
Whence they come is at present mys-
terry Some say from the new wood, but
that is hardly probable Others aver that
they creep from an old vault which was
broken into accidentally whilst the church
was under repair. For a time the congre-
cation hoped that the plague would be
stayed, and held on. but they were disap-
pointed, and at last they were Obliged to
evacuate and shut UP the church. just
iancy-for | Will not venture 10 describe in
detail the effect of such visitation upon
LOO devout people as they gradually be-
came conscious Of it-every soul in the
place, from the parson to the Sunday scho-
lars, clothed III a sort of Nessrls' shirt -
Oh, horror of horrors. And vet there is
touch of the ludicrous about it, too
What would Hogarth have made of such
a scene? He has given Us laughing as
sembly, but an itching assembly he never
dreamed of