, 1873-09-20
NATIVE WINE.
Are. Grapc.culturo mud Winc-Dlaking q
Failure in tEis Country {?
A Model Vineyard.


france and Germany, causing tllo loss of no
leHB than two-thirds Of tho prosu,nnble crop for
1878, togothor with the oft-ropoatod failnroB
which nsaNii tho yintner of those countrioB,
through early and lato froata, rot, mildow. in
heots,-of which the phyloxora Ia no moan inGi-
vilual, l,-naturally raiao tho above question in
tho mind of Americans who would prefer to roly
upon tho productions OF thor own conn-
try for gontlo and agreeable stim-
ulant. now propose to oxamino
and anawor 1t to tho beat Of my
observations and practical oxperonco, for tho
satisfaction OF my friends who dosiro to con-
tinue In this line Of business. There arc gront
many progressive unloubters who will bo sur-
prised by tito caption undor which I write. To
doubt tho ability to grow grapes and to mako
native winos is something beyond their compre-
honsion, and Hmncka strongly of-lot us say it
agrcat doal OF ignorance with what haa boon ac-
oomplishod within tho Inst twenty years. will
say Mt onco, to rolove tlloir minds, that tho
question is. not whoshor grapes can DO grown
ind vino made, but whether it. Gun bc mado to
pay. We know but too we'll TINT many hive bcon
seyoro losers, others nttory yruiue in tho 1a,dablo
effort to nationalizo grape-culturo aud vino
making; yet, from experience, I sincerely bo-
levo 1t can DO mado to pay; In fact, I know it.
But, boforo show, how TINT result, in my osti-
nation and experience, is to DO reached,' lot uB
consider, briefly, tho many causes which havo
workod dotrimontally to rotard or arroet the
healthy growth Of TINT now branch Of buainoRs.
Knowing many OF tho causcs which l1ayo boon
an impedimont, wo may, in a measure, guard
against their repetition.
Let uB begin With the viueyardiss, and 500 tho
many errors in tho vineyard First, tho dll-
Guilty to know whothor ho wanted o wino-grape
Or tabla-grapo for handy marriott: Tho Cataw-
ba, having already met with ccrtain success II,
eolle portons Of tho country, WINS choson, and
planted everywhere, ut random, lin low la1rtlB
side hills, mid table lands, Tho risk Of tho soil
being unsuitable wnB freely taken,-in ma,ly
demand, plnnts wore mado Of sound or diseased
wood, as tho caHa might be of ripo and green
cuttings Tho aamo was done Of tho many now
planta which curricd public favor; and worso
were made to furnish tIelr own quota Of plants'
-woak, foeblo, worthloss plapta. Then they
were subjected to atylo Of pruning, cutting,
broaking, elashiug, pfnching,. etc., which only
proved tho immenBo recuporativo energies Of tho
vino tho wondor was and is that thoy wore
not killed outright. But, to finish them suro,,
deep plowi,lg, tearing and mangllng tho roots
out of tho SOIL wore rosortcd to. in and out Of
aeason in times Of drought with dog-day sun,
the soil being bakcd az lard as d bricK. whilst d
crop, double tho size it should be,. was making
tho reckless attompt to mature on woll-ab1,Bod
vines. And people wondered that their vines
became Bick1y, subject to rAlher light frosts,
rot millew, insects, ETC., and in 1nauy instances
within tho last fow years, failed to come up ut
nll,-uttorly ruined, dead.
Next: with the viuner, tho trouble WAS his in
experience In wine-,nakng; grapes not suii-
oiontly ripe, unsuitable OF musty barrels; thon
tho porniciouB theory of gallizing, which l4as
dono more to destroy the reputation Of native
winos thnn all or any other cauHe wllnlevor
wine made with sugar and wator, under .prete1t
a 1a-
yor,-mnkiug beverage no luuger continuing
the hoalth(ul eloment, in due proportion,
Intended by careful and bonotleent
no longer In & condition to ltoop,--oftcn turning
sour on thohanIs Of the vintner, or Boon aftcr ho
sold it, especially If tho purchaser kept it on tap.
llAe beer, without ico,--shich ofton proved to
be tho fucs, instead Of having it bottled, az all
good wines should DO. Add to tha the natural,
however absurd, prejudice Of foroignerA-our
now-made citlzons-hsaiubt drinking anything
in The uhapo OF vino that is nntive, pref forring
their own, .ofsen-adultoratea wincs simply be-
cauHe thoy. are French dermnn, or ltalan
wines; and our own people being Huffi-
GENTLY foolish to believe TINT no vino ia
good or Fashionable unlnss it be European.-
Preforring tea or cofToo, the products Of foreign
climes, for q table-drink, and common aud poi
sonous corn-whiBky for q Btimulant.-a you
have some ot.the many draw bucks which haYc
caused thousands Of acres to be returned to
gtnsa or corn Tho picture il certainly not ex-
aggorated. Let us quietly inquire how it could
| bo improved aud mado to pay.
/. have now in my mind MI experiment which
has boon carried on for the past six years by MI
intimate friend, with intelligence to direct md
means to establish, and will rofor to him and
his vineyards to demonstrate the truths wish to
imprcss on my readers. The first tlllng that ut
tracts the attention Of tho stranger il the nlnir
nbIe selection Of eol and situltlon OF these yne-
yards, known as the White ELK Vineyards, aud
! etuRtod some miles north Of Keokuk, on the
| bluffs which skirt tho western shore Of tho Mis-
sisBippi aa far as. MontroHo, and facing tho
river, which thoy almost reach by a. stoop do
ing and naturally drained. This is no
prairie, with q 1ovc1 surface. and q
asnk On the
the soil IL Of a light-colorad clay-loam, with
m ad.nixturo Of sand from tho sandy marls OF
the loeas which forms that dry, oalcareouH
| soil which d long experience has proven to bo
/ we'll adapted to tho growth Of grapes, 81 it alao
contains q sufficient quantity Of the oxides Of
| iron, which ought neYor to DO absent from those
winos which hayo !heprotonBion to bo medicinal.
There a.e r. y acros in er9Pe.,-chiei1y Concord
| The work is done under different squads of mon,
everything systematically aud at tho proper
time; thore il no slashing. breaking, or evon
| pinching dono during time Of growth; tho prun-
| ing il lone Hoon after tue crop is gathered; tho
plowlng and cultivation are thorough. but
! OF D light charaetor; the soil il always
loose, aud no woods arc suffered; and. iu
anticipation Of mildow, the vines aro regularly
Noswondor Tint, with this systematic caro- and
treatment, tho vincs arc full Of ygor and Of fruit
notwithstanding the trying weather and other
miHeries which vines have lad to encounter for
tho paAt fow ynars, Az vineyard, 1T IL sue
cess . worry limitod loss Of vines, and great
production Of fruit,-tAe Concord for . rod-wi.lo,
and tho Catawba Tor 3 white vino, prodoninat-
ing,-they being, without doubt, our preferred
national wlnes. Tho press.llonAe aud collars arc
q model Of convenience and Hoatncas +; the aRlne
orderly spirit which commands over the Vineyards
IL to be aeon t,oro; the collars havc capacity
OF 10000 gallons. 1t ID tho object md pride Of
the owner Of those vineyards to turn ont notll-.
ing but puro natiyo wines. DIR. Gall has no foot
ing there ; the vines aro real wneH, and not, Like
p good deal of stuff in the market, a mere mix
ttlre Of euyar and water. Those I tasted cs-
tcem q puro, well.1na1o artiolo much to be pro-
terred to many imported .winca; they appear to
contain sufficient body, and tho NECESSARY quantl-
ties Of aola 30 refreshing 10 tAp inpor man these
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