The Charleston daily news. [volume] (Charleston, S.C.) 1865-1873, 1866-10-13
LETTER. FROM G. W.. w.
LETTER NO. II.

Lyons will convey you in ten hours three hundred
miles through picturesque and interesting por
ton Of France. q On this route the SOIL Is nue.
better, and in higher state of cultivation tnan
between Brest and Paris. have seen notnlns ~
France to compare with the barrennoss oi po.oi ~
stricken Brittany. A traveller LOOKS III Yain ~,
neat and comfortable farm-houses. 1no iioqu0n0
wars in France made it necessary, IN the cary
settlement of the country, for the innaoieanes "
live in villages. The French are famous Tor clng-
ino tn old habits The farmers live in low houses
The stables cow-stalls, and pig pens all under tne
aama enclosures. Instead of neat flower gar.
dan . hnre MACS of manure is piled up IN front
of 9 The door. The people generally look cheer!ess
and comfortless, as it they found it hard WORK 70
keen soul and body together AS you approach 9
town avenues Of majestic poplars line the splen-
did macadamized roads on each side, and you are
prepared m to find stately mansions; but when you
iook at these trees, nearly q century old, mount
ing hs1 sdad
high, surrounded by scrubby weeping willows, it
looks ike descending from the sublime to the
ridiculous. 5.5j tsofl'55f=5 s
On our route we passed through Burgundy
and Champagne, the celebrated wine. dis
triots of France. Naar Dijon begins the
chain Of hills, averaging about 1000 feet in
height; these are covered with vineyards,
which ascend in rows on the sunny sides OF
GQ6 ulleS, Auu,HepI0Aul alpuA 5khU40 Aauo VI
the summit. The yinasl are planted lin trench
es tWofeet, apart, and are trained on poles three
to four. feet high. It is said the quality of the
grape improves with the age OF the vine The
young vines produce larger quantities, put OF IN.
1erior quality. An acre OF ground VIII yled aDout
400 gallons OF vine. Potatoes, clover, grass ana
maize are interspersed With the vineyards, ana the
cherry. prune, almond and walnut trees are DOT
ted over che fields: For the red wine, grapes are
thrown into troughs and are trodden by men ana
women with heavy wooden shoes til the grapes
are broken. They are then transferred to yats,
into which the juice Of the grape, as It runs from
the treading,' had been conveyed. Fermentation
takes place generally in few days; as il slackens
the liquor begins to- subsde, and finally sinks
..ithn the top Of the vat. The stalks and skin Of
the grape float on the top. The wine is then
drawn of into large hogshesds and barrels, but is
not generally offered tor, sale until it is Two or
three years old.
The champagne wine ID made from small but
ration is much more difficult and expensive than
that nf the ordinary wines. After the champagne
is bottled. second fermentation is produced BY
nnttinp into-eaoh bottle 4 small glass of sugar
Dandy dissolved in wine; The bottles are closely
watched. and the temperature Of the air carefully
regulated. often By the uae of ice, to promote or
check fermentation Is'E said at least ten per
cent. Of the bottles burst from fermentation. The
hieh price Of genuine champagne may be ac-
cnnn4ei for Nv 2he ioas from breakaee and the
cost nf msdnfaeture. and: the immense demand
for IN, Yon seldom see the Frenchmen drinking
+ ehannnaona The oheap claret and beer are their
cnnafant drinka. s., 80. 80 81
A we proceed Sonth. Wd pass through num-
her 81 fartle valleys. filie with orchards and green
s neatnraa IN which aome fine herds of cattle and
ssheaN ora II ha iaaa,1 and frenuently immense
so1,