The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1867-07-31
wine nah1nE ON an IsIand in Lahr
Erie. H

EElts
A letter to the Ohio State Journal
gives the following account Of grape
growing and wine-making on KAley's
Island on Lake Erie:
Grapevines were planted on the Is
land more than twenty years ago, and
are yet in good bearing condition-in
fact the Oldest vine on the Island Is to-
day as prolific bearer As any of the
more recent vines. The varieties OF
grapes planted are the Catawba, Isabel
Ia, Delaware and Concord; many other
varieties are represented by few vines,
bat nine-tenths ofthe wine msde on the
Island is made from the CatATba. IN
1853 Mr. Charles Carpenter hsd one
acre in grapes. He sold grapes from
the crop 10 the amount Of 500. Nine
| rows al IsabeIla vines yielded him 80
pounds OfRrapes, from which ne ms1e
300 gallons of wine. He gathered 2,-v
pounds of CataWbas, but sold most OIL
Them for table use, and from the re
maiuder be manufactured 100 gallons
| ~ wine. In 1857 the first quality OF bis
! Catawba unjust" showed a specific
I gravity Of "a degrees, and with the addi-
| lion OF six ounces of sugar, showed ~
degrees. OF this quality he made Sjl
gallons. His No. 2 Catawba "must
showed 81 degrees, but with the aoci.
ton Of twelve ounces Of sugar was lVO
degrees, oil t1ls ne maze 40 kdIlOI9s
The Isabella Unjust" showed IS de-
grees, with eight ounces Of sugar, %
degrees, 245 gallons. Mr.. Kelley IN
1857, made $50 gallons. In 1887 there
were about seventy acres in grapes on
the Island, one-hRli Of which were set
out that spring.
The leading wine-groWers on the
IslSnd more than year ago formed a
Joint stock company OF 100000 capital;
go. 900 of the capital has been taken,
and payments amounting 10 thirty-nVe
per cent. have been made. The Com
pany have contracted for the grapes on
$50 acres, the must of which must
De equivalent to a standard of IS de-
Hrees. The Company owns wine
cellar with n storage OF 800 600 gallons.
There are now some 1900 gallons OF
wine on hand in it, and they intend TO
NIL il with the vintage OF this year.
The Company has employed a very in
iellIgeut German from near the Rhine,
who from youth Was brought up to
wine-making. he was employed last
wear, and his manufacture of the vim
IaRe of 1866 gives hatteriDg promise Of
being the best wine ever made in Ohio;
it certainly is very far superior to that
made here in former years. To me it
is very evident that much Of grape cul-
ture and wine-making is yet to be
learned before Ohio will produce wine
in every respect equal to that made by
that toilsome, patient and somewhat
stolid tribe OF the Teutonic race-the
Swabians on the Rhine.
Aside from the company's cellar,
there are eight other cellars on the
island, whose aggregate capacity does
not exceed that OF the COmpany's alone.
The Company have made preparations
and arrangements TO manufacture a
first-class article OF CatawbA brandy.
Wine and vine.growing must be fully
as remunerative as petroleum stock.
When / first visited the island in 1858,
there were several men employed as
laborers, working for Sl2 10 SIS per
month; with the savings Of these linn
tied earnings they purchased several
acres Of land, planted them in grapes,
and today have not only comfortable,
but really elegant homes, are free or
debt, and have an annual income of
from 60 600 to IS, 600. About that period
of time a German landed on the island
with 5000 in cash-his entire worldly
fortune. he paid $500 of il for a few
acres, planted them in grapes, and l
Am told that he is now worth over $780,
OOO-alI made out of his few acres OF
grapes, by indOmitable perseverance,
unIiring industry and unyielding en-
ergy. Is not this an example well wor.
thy of imitation? Kelley's Island
and the lake shore are not the only
places where a sure reward awaits
earnest and patient industry. am
willing to admit that the lake Itself Is
of considerab bic advantage in modifying
the meteorological influences for grape
growing; but there are many other
points in Ohio where grape growing can
be made just as profitable as here.
The success which seemed 10 hover
around every one who engaged earnest
ly in yine-cuIIure or wine making,
produced, as may well be imagined,
quite IA mania for vineyards. Put-in-
Bay Island is being raEidly converted
into large vineyard; North Bass
Island is rapidly filling with the vine;
the Peninsula has many acres, and
round about Sandusky possibly one
thousand acres are in grapes. do not
approve of "guessing," but could gain
no definite statistics; and can only say
in support of the "thOusand-acre''
guess, that on the road from SAndusky
City to Venice there is literally almost
II continuous vineyard for u distance OF
about five miles, aud the entire suburbs
of Sandusky City are simply a vast
vineyard-here nifty acres, there ten.
there twenty, over there ffty-four, here
six, there twenty-five, DC.
At no period since grape growing was
commenced has there been promise OF
SO bonnIiful yield of grapes as the
present season gives. Those best stu
ated for the manufacture of wine are
of opinion that not more than half OF
the crop, should the present promising
condition be fully realized at the gath
erinH," or harvest, can possibly be
made into wine; the grapes on Kelley &
Island alone will make 24O, 900 gallons.