The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1872-10-07
Gtape Culture for Vine.
0uaAsPlrlaslpAia PrtssJ


The culture o. the grape with the view
70 Wi1e mixing seems destined to nc
great Success. And yet the failure s very
REMARKABLE Naturally AmsrieA b the
home OF the grape There is DO part Of
the country where Il i not found In 9
Wild Stste, and generally 10 8 state Of
greAtluXuriousoesS. The species are M.
meruUs, though none Of them are exactly
the same Is the wine gTSpe Of Europe.
But this Is scarcely indigenous 10 that
county. Supposed TO have had It's origi.
nal home 10 Asia, it has been transported
70 the gardens and vineyards Of Europe,
while rs natiTe place, cleared Of il forests
probably again and again by cultivation,
has been lost Yet this exotic plant co.,
tinUeS 20 hold its Own In these countries,
While al our eforts 70 bring up our native
kiHdsto compete with It ind in disSp-
pointmeat
It Was natural that or ioIeiIihers,
noting bow well the grape grew in our
woods and waste Paees, should believe
they had found really the Ind Of the
vine. There has scarcely been 3 settle
ment Of any size in the cOuotTy which
has not Of some time or another endeAv-
Ored 10 make wine culture & success. The
schuyldl river WAS supposed to be pecu.
lisrly adapted 70 It several generations
ago; and Vineyards along iS banks, above
the city Of Philadelphia, were Of consid.
efAb!e extent Bat gTLntuGlly they hsd
70 be abandoned. Further up, in the
DeighboThoOd Of Reading, the German
population, with that dOgged perseverance,
II al their undertakings for which they
are 50 famous, continued il their efforts
almost 10 our time, and the traveller along
the line Of the Reading railroad will still
See occasional tracts Of vines, once well
cared for, now going TO decay. The Gin
cinnsti effort, with The wealth and energy
Of LoBgworh and Buchanan, msde more
show Of an enduring prosperity; bat we
hear les and les Of Cincinnati wine man.
utsciure every year, and it will probably
die out entirely in time, Is 90 many other
Is noted efforts have done.
Those who have regarded this branch
Of industry as likely 10 take root in our
sol have, however, fallen back on the
line Of the Missouri river Is the tract
AboTe Sll calculated for success. Not
only we're the soil and climate supposed
10 be admirably adapted 10 the growth Of
the vine, but that region Is mainly settled
By an intelligent and industrious German
population, IN whose hands, if any ones,
success should be assured. Hundreds Of
men went into the business, both individ.
usl!y and in companies, but one after an.
other they have failed; and recently We
noticed thst one Of the most determined
OF the companies, containing in ia man
sgeuent such men as HussmAn, Miller,
and others who are well known for their
writings and their la5ots, has given up
The ghost
Tie Button Wine Company, Of Ms
our, 10 which we refer, vas looked Up 10
IS the great fact Of all facts, that the cul.
ture Of the grape for wine purposes was 8
profitable and accomplished thing with
Us. The Virginia Wine Company, also
at one time one Of brilliant prospects, Is
now no more; and, 50 far as we know,
there is not single large American wine
company in existence, that is believed BIZ
its best nicr5s 10 be doomed 10 live long
in the land.
Almost oil the cultivated varieties Of
grape fails after few years, but the Con-
cord seems 10 keep itself in good heari,
and TO bear well everywhere. One would
suppose that with this isct Eine.m.king
would succeed; but there sppears to Be
srOtte. great enemy in the cEespaess
with which wine Can be Manufactured out
o. foreign matter, and with which the
grape cannot compete. Al the present
time the Concord grape can be bought ct
the vineyards along the Missouri Tor two
cents per pound, which will yield bat
gross return Of but twenty OF thirty dol
lars On scre; bu: when the years Of wait
ing and bad years are taken into consider.
s,i0n this will not bear competition even
with corn.
We suppose there are some Of our tenn
perzrcs friends who would not object 10
nai-Te sc;iug the part Of & second Ly-
cC!gu:, who, Is King q Sparta, rooted
o2t 81 he grape vines tom his donin-
i0-s II o;der 10 MAKE bis people sober;
bat s9uehow the wine flowed in az freely
iron oiher countries Is it formerly flowed
01t Of the Spartan vine presses, and no
good vas done. Fo: on part We must
say thst, Irrespective OF any Temperance
aspect g-sPe culture msy have, If wine Is
TO be bought and drank q; all, we should
rstbeE see the money spent on cur own
Eoil in il production than 10 know that il
al goes abroad, and We cannot but regre;
the continued failure OF ell these enteT-
p:iSes.