Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1867-10-29
The Cultivation VI LAe urape.

We have in several papers spoken OF the
adaptablllty of Virginia to the cultivation OF
the grape and the manufacture of wine. She
occupies the happy middle latitude, where the
golden sun will achieve all that is needed In the
agency Of ripening the grape, while it is not SO
ardent as to produce the>exhaustlng effects up
on the energies Of man which disable INN Tor
the active pursuits OF tlliage aud manufacturing.
She possesses the fruitful plains which are
ada pted to the cultivation of every description
of fruit, including considerable variety OF
grapes-such, for instance, as the escuppernong-
while there are the mountain slopes of the CHS
and trans Allegheny, which afford the finest ex-
posures and most congenlal soil to a large num-
Der of other descriptions OF vines. We think
it may be asserted with truth that OF all the
States on the Atlantic shed, tie State OF Vlr-
eina affords the best field for the successful
cultivation OF the grape.
Yet We see that in latitudes far less congenial
to the growth and abundant yield of the vine
Its cultivation has b. en- pursued with wonderful
success. La OHIO, on the north bank OF the
ONO river for number OF years the grape has
been cultivated with great profit, and very large
fortunes have been amassed In the manufacture
Of the wine from the grapes there produced.-
And we now learn that even still further north
vineyards have produced results that have nat
uraily occasioned very grent surprise. In the
StateOf New Yurk, on the borders OF the Ca
yuga and Seneca lakes, the grape has been cul-
tivated with great profit; and on the sleeps
overlooking lake called Crooked Lake, about
thirty-eight miles south of Geneva, N. T., on
the Central railroad, there have been even
greater returns from the culture than anywhere
else in the State. Such is the magnitude OF
this culture there that grape fair has been
gotten up and carried through with great eciat.
This fair was held at Hammondsport, little
town upon the Crooked lake. The occasion
drew together large crowds, and had the accom-
paulnent OF the village dance, that Innocent
merry making which Is an inspiration OF the
grape aud which even the Puritan must per-
force regard with torglving Impulse.
The description of this fair which is before
us states that while the scenes Of festive char
acter were transplring there were "a large
number Of persons who sought the calculation
''ot the problem why the hills of Crooked Lake
grew the grape so luxurianty'; lit was a
positive victory Of the vine-Anacreon and
''Plutus walking hand in hand. The delicious
''wine, the lnxurlant vines, the rich result, and
''the profitable traffic-a clear case of the pur-
''ple vine and the golden reward
1t appears that the richest vineyards of this
Crooked Lake locality are upon hill 700 feet
above the valley, upon such stony soil that no
''pOiite man would have so lnsulted his COW as
''to request her to find pasturage there !" We
all know there are a plenty Of such accvities
on our own mountains Yet the Crooked Lake
vineyards produced wine that met with especial
conmendation at the World Fair in Paris
There is wine house in Hammondsport where
the business Of manufacturing the WINE is still,
in great degree, an experiment. In some varie-
ties a complete result has been achieved, while
in others the wlncmakers are still cropping after
the trumDh which will certainly reward their
perseverance,. The grapes cultivated there are
the Iona, the Catawba the Diana, and the
Delaware. These clothe the hills, says our re-