The Kansas herald of freedom., 1859-06-11
Rbubarp wine-HOw to Make 1t.

Some time since we published a notice
of wine made from pie-plant or rhuharb.
1t had been tasted by a number of good
Judges, who did lot know its source, and
pronounced very fair sample of pale
sherry. II certainly did resemble that
wine both in appearance and taste. 1t not
only deceived drinkers here, but a
sample sent to Cincinnati, was tasted by
men skilled in the art of tasting wines and
detecting authorizations, and called good
sample of American sherry, only wanting
age to be excellent. Basing an opinion
upon our own Judgment, we have and do
pronounce it as much superior, as bev-
erage, to half the costly wines sold in this
city, as pure otard brandy is superior to
lighting rum" such as is manufactured
in New York, and which, in its turn, man.
ufactures 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 good
substitute, can be made from rhubarb
stalks. we repeat our recommendation of
that kind of juice.
How RHUBARB WINE IS MADE.-Since
our first notice, our letters of inquiry,
GLOW is it made?'' have been too numer-
Gus to answer, if we had known how, but
as we did not, we wrote to B. P. Cahoon
of Kenosha, Wis, who, so far as we are
informed, originated the rhubarb wine
manufacture, from his remarkable seed
ling pie-plant, which grows larger than
any other known variety.
The following is Mr.. Cahoon's reply:
Herewith send you a 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 lbs fair quality of New Orleans sugar,
put in barrels, filled full, and fined with
isinglass, and allowed to remain in the
barrels till spring, and then bottled. By
adding or diminishing the quantity Of
sugar it will vary the strength of the wine
in the same proportion. The pure juice,
without water, makes very strong wine,
by using 4 lbs of sugar to each gallon"
1t appears that the process is exactly
that with currant-iuice, blackbery-juice
elderberry-juice, gooseberry-juice, or any
other juice, such as has long been used il
families all over the country, for the man
ufacture Of beverages called wine.
The advantage Of the rhubarb, particu
larly such rank growth as Cahoon's seed
ling gives, is that it affords greater guam
tity of juice than any other plant; and SC
far as it appears to US, it is better quality
than any but grape-juice for the manufac
ture of domestic wine. Of course it viii
afford, also, an abundance of cheap ant
good vinegar. The acid Of the plant, a
all pie-makers are aware, is decided!
sharp.
THE QUANTITY OF RHUBARB WINE PEI
AcRE.-In our former notice, we gave tn
product of rhubarb wine per acre, as 80'
gallons. Mr.. Cahoon says:
"This estimate is very much below tb
, matter of fact as tested here. Mr.. G. Lew
is, the purchaser of my plantation of pie
plant, made last season from one-eighth @
an acre, 400 GALLONS like the sample sem
.. you. 1t is fair estimate that $500 gal
Ions can be made from an acre of well-cul
tivated roots of my Seeding. The win
costs here about 40 cents per gallors
the manufacturer"
!. According to this statement, instead {
800 gallons per acre, the product is owe
,, 800 barrels, and almost the entire cost {
the article would be the price paid fc
the sugar. Probably, upon large seal
five cents gallon would pay all the e1
; pense of labor of cutting the plants, GRIND
,. ing, pressing and and bottling. With So
ghum sugar for sweetening, we don't Sc
9 anything to prevent the country from hay
!. ing wine cheap enough, if that will max
> men more temperate than cheap whisk.
Il N Y. Tribune.