Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1868-1875, 1871-12-21

| q alba. and satisfied Tennessee can pro-
du e grapes Of the finest quality from my
own experience. But as this experience is
confined to the Cumberland plateau, will
sDnfne my remarks TO the same.
zee that grape culture is successful in
the valleys Of Giles and Davidson, and 9TH
or counties in the State boast of fine vine
yares. And the experience Of vine growers
IN those sections are now being published.
heartily recommend the same to all in
terested in grape culture on bottom lands of
our State. WEr
But the section of Tennessee known as
the 'smountains" is as well, and ! believe,
for several reasons, better adapted to the
vine than rich valleys, where cotton and
corn flourish. In the first place, the vine
grower can procure land ON Cumber-
land plateau for, say two dollars per acre,
while twenty-five dollars per acre !
should judge, would be low estimate on
our bottom lands convenient TO a railroad.
What a glorious task is before us, toconyert
the Thousand of rugged hillsides into smiling
neyards, to make the once considered
worthless portions of our State TEEN with
pl 'nty, and as valuable as any. The plateau
converted into vineyard, and five hundred
dollars per acre is low estimate on its
yalue. Near the fated Chicago wild lands
are valued at $500 per acre, and vineyards
at 81 900. I claim that an acre Of vineyard
on the Cumberland mountains, properly
conducted, viii pay ten per cent. interest
on one thousand dollars after all expenses
are paid. Read the @Real Estate Bulletin"
of this paper, and you win see that there is
$4,000 acres now for sale of this very land
1 now am referring to, the price, | should
judge, on an average, to be one dollar per
acre, paying revenue TO the State, on val
uation, Of probably 100000, while con-
verted, say one-half into vineyards, would
pay the State revenue on millions. There
fore, say, the task before us is glorious,
and, what Is more to the point
with most, it is profitable. In Missouri and
Ohio vinegrowers' associations are formed,
who buy up land and furnish vines and
lands for their poorer brethren and the
emigrant, who pay rent in "must" or wine,
and the association as well as the tenant
are making large profits. Mr.. George Hus-
man, of Hermann, No., gives us detailed
statemei1ts of the profits per acre in his
neighborhood- which even leave
King Cotton and tobacco far behind. But
the notion has prevailed among Americans
that no one but q Frenchman or a German
can manage vineyard, and that there were
some kind of secret about it that they
could never learn. Now all this is non
sense; the pruning and general attention of
vineyard is not only very simple, but pleas
ant and light labor. Any smart boy ten
years old can learn in year how TO dress
an ordinary vineyard of Concords, Ives
Seeding, or Hartford Prolifcs. Where a
great variety of grape vines are grown,
different pruning will be necessary for the
different kinds, and an experienced vine
dresser will be indispensable. But the be-
giRner will soon learn the different pruning
adopted with Delaware to that of Con-
cord as the farmer who grows only few
apple trees knows that the "Bele Flower"
needs different trimming to that of the
"Grafenstein.''
As this article has already become of
greater length than intended, shall in
another give full and particular estimate OF
the cost of vineyard the first, second, third
and fourth year, when it should give at
least half crop. Also give the probable
profits of the same after fully established.
The editor of the Enterprise has promised
us all helping hand who wish to inaugu-
rate any enterprise; / hope to see grape
growing inaugurated in Tennessee. am so
well convinced of its success from my own
experience that | have written this, and will
write more, to induce men of means to form
associations and assist us to make the
mountains of Tennessee as famous as those
of Johannesbergen of Germany.
VINE GROWER.