The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1879-10-09


from too much tsItaric acii, 1t NAV be
cmeliorated by the addition of potash
and lime, which would form insoluble
compounds with the acid and be deposi-
ted In tho cask, aa argal or cream of tar.
tar, or eafiiciency of water is added 10
1 reduce the sonrness of ths fluid to an
| agreeable standard, then quantity OF
sugar is added TO make the mixture show
@ pei Isentege Of saccharine matter suifi-
cipnt 10 generate alcohol In quantity
equal to that. contained ia the wine
which this fabricated article is TO siniu-
late. These processes have been in use.
| In more or less degree, for ages. pliny
makes mention OF the mixture OF honey
with grape juice to strengthen it, and
Aristsas taught this method. Different
substances were used, "salt, sea water.
ashes, chalk, gypsum, ra;sins, end, later
yet, potassa, brandy and water.n The
use of these articles were secrets Of the
trade, carefully Kept and handed dowr,
| IS heirloons ia the family.
From the year 1868 TO the year 1849,
French, English and German scientific
men were interested in the faS.--::ssation of
wines, and at this day nearly all the
wines of the world are Chaptalized or
Gallized make, by processes advised by
Chaptal and Gall, being simply an addi-
tion of water and grape sugar, made from
potatoes, to grape must. These fabrica-
ted wines possess great similitude to nat
ural wines of the better class, and ere
often in taste and quality supposed to be
better than natural wines from the same
grapes.
Still another variety Of so-called wines
is made by the fermentation of succu-
lent vegetable matter with sugar q I'd wa
ter, chemical products being added to
give agreeable qualities, oftentimes with
no grape juice in the mixture, its nnanth-
ic ether being derived from the distilla-
tion of castor oil with potash. We may
cali this spurious wine: oft large guam
titles arc made and consumed in Ger
many and France. one half of the nl,an-
tity OF the vino consumed in in Paris
being spurious. .. ss3refi
these various processes or amelioration,
fabrication and adulteration, may be
more or less employed distilled liquors
may. be added, as in Madeira, sherry and
port, the wine may be impregnated with
carbonic acid gas, as in champagne, Ell
ther by natural or artificial processes, or
with laughing gas; the mash may be
boiled TO syrup and then fermented. or
the wine may be made form some fresh
juice, sweetened with sugar and diluted
with water.
We essay to speak only Of natural
wine, Of which some fair specimens have
been made in this region. The great
difficulty, however, is to produce from
the same vine in the same locality fo- n
lcngthened term Of years, a wine which
vii: approximate any given standard of
excellence.
It is an acknowledged fact that lusts
s,nt.rs ss,e:ts end hys:sttss arc &c: as per
manent in their existence as their parent
stocks. There is wide opening for re-
search in these matters, as we'll as into
the true period Of the life of plants pro-
pagated by cuttings, cuds, layers and
gratis. Such Investigations would have
practical bearing in illustrating many
agricultural aud horticultural subjects /;
for instance seed Of the Nfio Labrusca, q
variety Of grape indigenous to America,
uncontaminated, should perpetually re-
produce itself. But the original plant
ircm which the seed came must, Ia the
course of nature and years, die. We
have ne right to suppose tina. plants from
this original, propagated by cuttings,
buds. layers or gratis, would outlive the
parent stock, circumstances being the
| Same.
It is supposed that the CatawE., once
| SO popular, was a sport, hybrid of the
.Vitis Labrusca, in which case the cuttings,
buds, lagus or gratis from the original
| Catawba, should follow it's career and
| live M lnngar than its immediate parent.
and not 50 long as its remote parent, the
Iitis Ldbi1.sca, unless its parent from the
| other stock was longer lived than the
Vifis Lrabrusca. We can, with no GER
! tainty, expect that plants from Cataw.
| ba seed, unaffected by pollen from an
other variety Of grape, will be identical
with the original Catawba, it being, az
assumed, q sport or hybrid; but the 70.
| snitipg plant may De new vcgiety, pos.
eibly weaker in vitality than the Cntnw.
ba, its status having bean lessened by its
original abnormal gefetation, while a
hyhridi2ed seeding might 7ary still moro
and suffer greater deterioration, or posi-.
bly, be strengthened by the plant supply
ing the pollen.
In view of these facts, hypothetical
though they may be, we need have no
great srrpr'ss at the failure and death of
our Catawbas, and of otter varieties, by
analogous processes.
AS set forth in Mr. De Caradeucs let.
! ter, about the year 1862 q gene. I'll failure
/ of the vines of the country commenced,
which has continued up to the present
time, as evinced by the numerous articles
/; in h the !. g Son the::a agricultural journals,
wherein one experienced vine-grower
| suggested q new set Of vines every eight
years, another shallow planting, some
advocating close pruning, others that
the vines should run Mt will on trees.
some, proposing the adoption Of Pasteur's
system ofripening vines, aud Others that
of De Id Henreuse.
| In foreign countries the life and pro-
dnctiyenass of the grape is variable the
Oidium and the Phylioxnia committine
great ravages, while all tile vines in tile
Island Of Madeira have died in recent
| years. Vines were planted there In
1920, and have frequently been replant-
A vine said to be tha l,.reest in the
world grew. at Santa Barbara, California.
| and ehowing by its decay that its
term. Of life hid been almost nc,
complished, it was dug ip, and
ti5o at II fiiit.iei
phia, in 1876. From reliable acconnts It
was but 90 or go years old, while cnt-
ting from il now grows nc Santa Barbara
being 10 inches IN diameter three feet
from the ground yhen 16 years old.
This extraordinary growth is abnormal.
aud should otbe considered in forming
an idea as to the age or size grape vine
may reach. The size of the vine. how.
ever, seryts 20 general 10 assist in asti-