The Burlington weekly hawk-eye. [volume] (Burlington [Iowa]) 1860-1876, 1863-12-26

1t is expected that this $500 viii be re-
turned on the third year, OF at least, that
the profits will pay expenses. On the
fourth year there win be full crop, as
well as all following years. With the
grape mentioned they get 500 gallons TO the
acre, which was selling, new, when | was
there, at 81 per gallon. In the Spring 1t
will sell for s. gallon, but thus far they
have had none on hand at this season, SO
great is the demand. F
] know very we'll that the grape growers
Of Cincinnati will laugh at this estimate of
500 gallons to the acre. In conversation
with Robert Buchannon of that city, who
has seven acres three miles distant, he said,
that for seventeen years his vineyard has
averaged only 500 gallons to the acre, and
that it sold for 81 80 gallon. The follow
! is his account with the seven acres: In
| 1859, he had 40 gallons; 1860, 5000 gallons
! 1861, 1850 gallons, 1862, 4S5 gallons; 1868,
| 2, l64 gallons. Mr.. BuchannOn is a most
trustworthy gentleman, and is the author
of a work on this subject of great value
However, he recommends the Catawba.
The reader will be surprised to note how
very little wine is made in some of the
years mentioned. The reason is, they have
/, the Catawb grape. and some years it is
almost q total loss on account of the black
rot. Myow vines last year, in Southern
| Illinois, fruited as much as half bushel
each. About the 1st of July they began to
| rot, and did not have a single ripe berry.
Except on the Ohio Lake Shore, I look
| upon the Catawba as wholly unworthy of
| cultivation. Still, money can be made
with It, but offer this statement in COM
parison with some other grapes, which are:
Herbemont, and Hartford Prolific. Still,
all these, except the Norton, have been
known to suffer with leaf blight or rot,
| though in very slight degrees. Mr.. Hus-
man places the Norton above all others
for vine grape, but in his little work on
the vine, he says that the grape most suita-
BILE for everybody to plant is the Concord,
and mainly agree with him.
| Now, according to our present knowl-
edge, either of these grapes being mostly
free from rot, and the Norton wholly so, is
certain to yield at least 500 gallons to the
| acre, and this is not much when they do
not rot. Eight pounds of grapes to the
vine is not large yield. L believe the
average is nearer ten pounds it is often
| 10 or 20. The number of pounds of the diff
| ferent kinds Of grapes required to make a
gallon Of wine was stated to me by many
| wine makers as follows:
IA 10 Norton's Virginia, gallon.
| u ID Catawba, gallon.
| II ID Concord, l gallon.
| II 10 Herbemont, gallon.
Is tb Delaware, gallon.
| The last is not a very certain estimate,
because little wine as yet has been made
| from this grape. Let it be understood that
when / mention wine l mean nothing
whatever but the pure juice Of the grape.
There are mixtures OF sugar, spirits, and
the like; this is cordial-not by any means
wine.
Wine from the Concord and Herbemont
is not quite so good as that made from Nor
toms Virginia, nor is that from the Cataw-
ba, to my taste at least; nor does either sell
for so much. The great advantage in the
Concord is that it sells well in market, and
is certain to bring iat least nine cents a
pound, Wholesale. Large crops have been
marketed at twelve cents. 1t is manifest
that if grapes sell for less than eight cents
pound, it is more profitable to make them
| into wine. The Hartford Prolific is the ear
Hest OF all, is certain to bring Is to 20 cents
pound, and south of IS deg. does not drop;
| north OF this it does to some extent.
After making all proper allowances for
| unforeseen casualties, and cutting down the
| estimate of the profit of an acre of grapes
one-haV, which grape growers will call
monstrous, with a grape that does not rot,
1 think 1t is quite safe to say that an acre,
planted as / have attempted to describe,
and well cared for, will, after the fourth
year, and during ones natural lifetime,
bring in annually the sum of five hundred
dollars, / am confident that often it will
bring a thousand dollars annually.
There is one other item Of no little conse-