The Placer herald., 1868-05-02
NUMBER 36.

about high wine prices, proving incontestably
its counterfeit character" And adullerated
and chemical wines. are quite common 10 alp
the Atlantic cities.
THE VINEYARDS.
l visited the viney yards-the original vine.
yards-pIan' ed long before any grape grow.
ing was introduced into California bv our
citizens, and was not a little astonished ut
the stunted dwarflike character Of the vines
~ compared With ours Of the same varietv.
Catawba and Isabella. for example, vines
planted BY Mr.. Longworlb, Mr.. Yeatman
and Others, pioneers Of the business, twenty
and thirty years ago, have not a growth
equal to what ours will attain in four years
from the cutting. and for years past they
have failed to yield Temunerative crops and
vineyards planted on terraces-vines four
feet apart, stake to each. five feet high,
that have been frequently misunderstanding
originally from $500 to 5000 per acre, ara
now renting for a mere nominal sum, $l2
and SIS per acre. The cellars in the city
keep up their supply Of wine by sending to
KeIIy's Island and the northern lake shore
for their grapes. paying 5000 per ton in
1866. and $l2O in 1867, delivered in Gin,
cinnati by railroad. Why this falling off-
this almost total failure of the grape crop
along the Ohio. while it continues abundant
on the lake shore, is not very apparent.
Mr.. Ysatman, highly intelligent and
practical wine culturist, and a co-worker
with Mr.. Longworlb, told me that portions
Of bis vineyard that once made thousand
gallons to the acre. now yielded less than a
bu ndred, and he ascribes the cause, not 80
much to the exhaustion of the soil as to the
change Of climate. Thirty and forty years
ago the ice on the river at that point would
serve as bridge for four horse teams for
weeks at time every winter; Of late years
the river is never frozen over, while the
nights in the summer time are unmistakby
colder than formerly.
OF CALIFORNIA OVER THE EAsY-
ERN STATES.
A lake shore vineyardst stated 10 me that
bis land cost him 500 per acre; that the
cost Of planting, stalking, cultiva'ng, and
the interest on each item Of outlay up TO the
time the vineyard became self sustaining,
amounted in the aggregate TO 5000 per acre,
and he had no less than 90 acres of vines.
| state these facts, in the hope that they may
serve as useful practical hints to the hun
dreds Of industrious and enterprsing men
in our State who have invested largely, and
many Of them their all, in wine culture.
And | should tell them further, that in this
State (New York; find that cane sugar
enters largely into the composition of their
"native winss." One vineyard, that yielded
5000 gallons at the vintage of 1866 re-
quired an outlay Of 1000 for sugar 10 make
the wine; aud still it is sold for "pure Juice
Of the grape;" and the gentleman who owns
that we'll known vineyard, informs me that
every berry that be allows to be used for his
choicest wine, is carefully picked out from
he unsound and unripe berries on The same
cluster, BY hand, Of course.
Now, this shows what an enormous ad-
'antsge the California wine. maker enjoys
,ver those Of Ohio and New York, and other
northern countries or colder climates than
,urs We need no sugar, and pure wine
,annot be made Of juice 40 poor in saccharins
matter as TO require additional sugar for it's
and notwithstanding the fact
bat their labor here costs but about one-
'alf what we pay per month. The greater
mount Of labor required to produce given
mount OF wine, to say nothing Of the cost
# sugar, gives US an advantage over the
Eastern producer that the difference in the
'rice of packages and transportation will
'ot balance by far.
DULL SALES OF WINES IN THE EAST.
The sales Of wines, both foreign and do,
nestle, as we'll az every other luxury, and
verythng indeed that consumers can pos
IDLY dispense with, has never been so dull
n this city, as during the past winter, since
657. Even the sugar refneries are discour.
ged, and several have suspended business.
But Of the general distress and commercial
depression you are we'll informed through
'ublic channels. Yet. in spite Of all this,
.reat deal OF California wine is being sold,
md rapidly gaining in public favor. Perkins,
'tsrine & Co.. have done more than any
'thsr firm to introduce our wines, and judg.
ug from the business-ks appearance of their
arge establishment, they must be realizing
lucrative and merited return for their On.
erpriss and energy in that direction. But,
nough Of wines ard business for The present.