The daily Gate City. [volume] (Keokuk, Iowa) 1855-1916, 1866-03-06
2. A CLEAR, DRY ATMOSPHERE


summer is clear and dry. The air not only
clear, but the vapor is so free from impurities
that there is a white appearance whenever
seen, which is not often seen III other places.
We often have three months without rain,
and have seldom known q summer without
portions of it being without rain for two
months together. have been here twelve
years, and last season was the first in that
time that was wet in August. the very month
that dry weather is required for grapes. In
1858, there was great quantities Of rain, but
1t was in the early part Of the season. 1t did
no harm to grapes.
1t is impossible to have first class wine from
grapes grown and ripened in a wet, or even
situated in this particular than Ohio, Missouri,
or the East. No place except California
equals this in that respect so far as my OBJ
servation and reading extends.
Again, experience has proven that large
bodies of water near vineyards have a good
effect, if situated in dry climate, and if the
water is moving as in river, SO much the
better. The effect is to purify and equaize
the air, retain more electricity than other
wise would pervade the atmosphere We
have these a1yai tlges. Our Mississippi rush
ing its waters along at the rate of six and ten
miles an hour over the rapids with its surface
a mile wide, gives US all that any people can
have to help them in this particular.
Another very important circumstance in
our favor, we seldom have any fog 1t is not,
on an average, once in a summer that we
have fog from the first of May to the first oil
November that settles upon the ground and
remains there until the sun Is an hour high
1t is supposed that the influence Of the water
passing over the rapids, and its vapor, is The
cause. Whether or not that is the cause. il
matters not, but the facts are in our favor
which is great influence in favor of this To-
cality for vineyardists.
8, SUFFICIENT HEAT.
Although we may have all the other favor
able conditions, and not high degree oi
heat, We can raise no grapes that will make q
good wine.
All good authorities, I may say oil authori
ties, agree from the Roman days of ANTIQUITY
to the present, that it requires a high degree
of summer heat to mature and ripen grapes
for vine. And actual observations in Europe
for three hundred years. and In this country
for sixty eight years, show that it requires a
mean summer heat Of 7oo to grow grapes for
good wine. and that for the last month. say
from the formation of the seeds to the ripen-
ing. not less than 6G.20.
All good authors upon the subject agree
with Boussngault, viz:
THAT in addition to a summer and ar
autumn sufficiently hot, II is indispensable that
at a given period-that which follows the ap
pearanee of the seeds-there should be 6
month. the mean temperature of which doe.
no. fall below 6G. = Fahrenheit
We find that all intelligent and practica
writers upon the subject agree that it takes
G6.2o of heat to ripen grapes suitably to make
good wine. We then must start out with
this proposition that if we cannot get tha
amount of heat in the ripening season We hac
better give up the idea OF engaging in the bus
ness OF vine growing.
/ Have we this condition Of heat?
At Fort Armstrong, Rock Island. Illinois
meteorological and isotherel observation,
have been taken for many parts of the coun
try. Among them we will name West Point
). y. y, Cincinnati, Ohio, ST. Louis, Mo
Athens, Illinois, Fort Madison Iowa. &c.
For fourteen years they were taken fol
Fort Madison % miles above us.
The tables of observation are matters o
interest. can only state here, that from
these tables, we find that at this place ,h,
average heat of June has been -. 209: O
July, ~. 50'; of August, 77.j00; of Septem
Der, 71.500. This gives mean heat of 10
Az for the four months that make the grapes
and the important month-September-t
ripening period has heat of II. 50o, which
is .S0o warmer than St. Louis for thi!
month. April and May are warmer there
The heat for the ripening month, of yer,
early grapes, Is yet greater, because after
passing into September the heat becomes less
daily.
Now, for the purpose of comingto NOR
complete showing, let us compare this pac,
with the wine districts ofFrance, Spain, Italy
Ea oh lar II 4
States where they make the best OF wine, Lis
bon, Marseilles and Naples. The heat il
these places are alike, within degree: there
fore, we will give them together as one, fe
the purpose of brevity.
We will take the same months we took a
Fort Madison. June has 7o.80-4.12' les
than here; July has 76. lo-6. 50o less; Angus
has 6.30-l.470 less. September has 60 So
247o-haying 2 a mean OF 73 l20 our mear
heat being 3.30o greater. Their heaiin Octo
Der is 70 greater than it is here therefore the
can ripen late grapes when we cannot. whlcl
is an important matter for us to recellect.
Thus we see that with grapes that ripen il
September we can make as good wine as il
Europe, provided, we get as good a grape
This Is the opinion of the most approved
authorities.
Here allow me to quote from Mr. Lippen
cot. Ag. Rep. 1868, page 49S:
"Our table shows that at Fort Madison
Iowa, the mean for September stood at II. sos
Here comparison between this part of tn
Valley of the Mississippi, and the South c
. France, the vine regions of Portugal, Spain
Italy and Madeira. will show that the temper
ature OF the warmest month in the Mississippi
Valley is identical with that of the latte
named places, so famous for their genial sun
mers and generous wines, while the autum
months are equally propitious."
See also pages 484, 4o5, 4S6 and 487.
: Thus you see that with early grapes, tn
ripening season, September, we have an ex
: cess of 548o of heat. Giving us margi
for plenty of heat in cool month whic
. some years occurs, to ripen grapes thorough
ly, dissolve the pulp and reduce the tartar
acid, and eradicate the malic acid, for tn
I production of the best of wIne There is
large amount of evidence that can be produt
ed to show these facts, but enough is give
for our purpose, to see that so far as climat
or heat is concerned we have it, adequate t
produce wines equal to the best in Europ,
provided we can find grape that ripens
September, and of sufficiently good qualit,
G 1t now remains for us to speak of the var
ety OF grapes that should be cultivated her,
r On the eastern continent there are oyt
!. iVO different varieties In cultivation. Tn
has been the work of thousands OF years, "
but lew OF them are In general cultivation
and these few they use in different locahtie
e but not more than a half dozen diferel
e kinds are generally used in the same localit
II In this country there has been offered
II the public. for sale and recommended high
J, over 1T0, and it is said by good authority tn
= not more than dozen are worth planting
g any one locality
II Foreign varieties, as is well known, W