Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1862-08-29
I0lottester 4atlg SPY
Swiss Vineyards.


of Switzerland, and referring particularly,
among its other features, to the vineyards that
border the lake of Geneva. A sale Of such a
vineyard was then mentioned at the rate of
$4,000 per acre ! and other statements were
given as to the cost of cultivation and the pro-
ducts obtained. We find in the last number
of the Paris Journal d Agriculture Pratique,
letter to the editor, containing some farther
facts, fully corroborating the statements above
alluded to, and showing more fully than any
similar account we have before seen, the pc
cuniary productiveness of the Swiss vine
yards. The writer of this letter is the presf-
dent of the Agricultural Society of that part
of Switzerland, and lis object is to show that
an estimate before published of the products
of these vineyards, at 1000 francs yearly per
hectare, (one-half to the proprietor and one
half to the 0igneroa,) or about $50 per acre,
is far below the truth. We translate the fol-
lowing condensed summary from his letter;
''The vines in my fathers possession are
situated about midway in the great vineyard
of Lavaur, which extends from Lausanne to
Vevay along the steep declivities of the noun
tains, which there slope down to the very
lake. (No one who has ever seen them, can
forget their appearance.) 1t is the warmest,
earliest and best exposure, not far from the
village of Epesses. These vines cover an
area of "a l-2 acres (about two and one
third English acres,) and were put, at the
time of their purchase, in 1903, under the
charge of vine-tender, (UigneTOa,) then
with nothing, or next to nothing to call his
own, under whose grandson they remain at
the present day.
''.The law of the vineyards is that the pro-
prietor furnishes the vines the vgneron fur
nishes the presses, the cellars, the casks, the
Il +l,r Il =
working the vineyard; he furnishes the stakes
he pays for only half the manure, but the
whole charge of its transportation; he pays
half the taxes. and at harvest retains half the
crop. He is to send to the proprietor some
days before the vintage, three baskets Of the
finest grapes. He is to lodge and board dur
ing the vintage a man sent by the proprietor
to superintend the harvest; and he pays half
the necessary repairs in the walls Of the en-
closure and of the terraces.
''Such is the law, but the fact in the pres
ent case has been, that the yigneron attends
to the vines in his own way, manures as it
suits him, buys the manure where he wishes,
when he wishes, and at his own price, con-
ducts the vintage without any warning, and
with no one to verify the quantity Of wine OBJ
tanned pays the taxes; finally sells the wine,
without ever consulting the proprietor, to
whom, and at whatever price may seem good
to him. He then reports himself, bringing or
sending the proprietor's share of the money,
without in any instance having waited for a
settlement to be requested, and, above all,
without ever having had the least dispute with
the proprietor. In word there has never
been any kind of control over the actions of
the vigneron, nor over the culture OF the
vines, nor over the harvest, nor over the
sale of the products. 1t is enough for the
proprietor to know that the vines are in per-
feet order, that the returns are enormous, and
that the vigneron is growing rich.
The first vigneron, who took charge in
1903, as poor as job, found the money
for the working of the vineyard as best
he could, and died in 1920, nc longer
owing anything, and in possession of pretty
house at Epesses, also of very fine cellars,
and already having some vines OF his own.
He left my fathers vines in charge OF his two
sons 'who continued to be the vignerons of
the family until 1851 or IS. One died unmar-
ried in 1850; the other is yet living, man Of
wealth and consideration in his village; and
when he gave up my fathers vineyard to the
charge of his eldest son, he presented to each
of his four other sons farm Of vineyard or
other lands, bought by him higher up on the
mountain, each of the four having upon it a
nice dwelling house. The vigneron now has
moreover, a larger vineyard of his own, than
the one of which he has the charge, He has
very lately been chosen deputy to the grand
Council of the Canton de Vaud, but this does
not prevent his working harder than any of
his workmen, and his domains are not suffer-
ing under the new dignities he has acquired.
Thus in sixty years a vigneron has made
five very pretty peasants fortunes on less than
two acres and halt of land. And the for
tunes of the peasants of the Canton de Vaud
are considerable; without knowing exactly
the lehgth of purse Of these good people, L
am convinced that my fathers present vigne-
ron possesses a clear fortune Of his own, of
not less than sixty or seventy thousand francs
(say $4,000 to $14,000.) Thus | cannot tell
exactly what the product of a hectare of vines
is to the vigneron, but you will see that it
must be enormous"
Erhe writer then proceeds to say that he
can give the exact returns to the owner OF
the vineyard, and presents table OF them for
each wear since 1882. The amount which his
father had received during that time, which
was over and above the large profits reaped
as above by the vigneron, and after paying all
cost of taxes, repairs, and keeping up the
condition of the vineyard-indeed all eXpen-
SEES of every kind whatever-reaches the
large aggregate Of nearly twelve thousand
dollars-being an average, after adding In the
value of the three baskets of grapes, which
were worth about SIS per year, Of 1880
frances or $31S, which is equivalent to about
$135 per acre per year. This is the average
return for the past SO years. The average for
the eight years included since 1858, is con-
siderably higher-possibly owing to higher
prices for wine, as well as better crops. The
aggregate for these eight years is 20,660
francs, or 81, 1873, which is $5l7 per year; the
value of the ''three baskets Of grapes" put
down as averaging SIS per year during the
whole 80 years, has been nearly twice as
great for some time past, and we may fairly
call the average annual product since 1854,
S54O, which would be equal to $3.50 per acre
as the proprietors share alone! The writer
asserts that the profits of the vigneron are at
least as great as those of the proprietor, and
more than intimates that there is room for
them to be very much larger. So that we
shall not be far out Of the way in considering
the net return Of these vineyards Mt from
$3.50 to $500 per acre above all expenses OF
cultivation, repair, wine-making, taxes, &c.
This profit would pay an interest OF per
cent. upon an outlay of between six and seven
thousand dollars an acre; or, taking the rate
of interest current there, which is probably
not more than 3 or l2 per cent, the pur-
chase Of the land at the same price would
probably be considered good investment fol
the owner, for his portion only of the ineone
it will bring. w
The writer of the letter in the Journal ther
goes on to show that ''these enormous profit,
are not obtained on account of any peculiarly
in the lands themselves. There are hundred,