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

the fall. Should this be so, it, with its
good qualities preserved and its imper-
fections removed, may prove the most
valuable of all grapes to us, and produce
in great perfection and abundance a
sparkling wine; a quality of which,
highly esteemed, can be made at present
from it.
Our inquiry as the possibility of max
ing vine-growing one of the established
industries of the country, has so far re-
suited only in prominently bringing for.
ward the positive necessity of presence of
lime and potash in the soil in sufficiently
large and valuable quantities. The i'm
portance of this must be recognized, 9TH
erwise no progress can be made; but we
never can expect that all localities will
be equally suitable for wine, as seem to
have been the vain hope of the great ma
iority of those who have planted vines.
Can wines be proftably produced by us
This question cannot properly beanswered
with no established market, with prices
so variable, with cheap beers, mean Ii
quors and spurious wines in competition.
For the production of pure, natural
wines we may thus roughly approximate
the cost:
Land 200 half Of which for
general purposes and the other half
in grapes, at $40 cost per acre.......$ 1000
Necessary dwellings of all kinds on
the farm, at least. ................ 5000
Amounting to......... ...............$ 1000
This being unproductive for at least
three years, add interest at 10 per
ccnt...... lUO
For preparing the ground, plants,
planting, fertilizing, training, prun-
ing, for three years, $40 per acre.. 1000
Showing as expended in three years
without income. ................."..Sl3,l lUO
In five years bearing, current ex-
penses thus:
Interest on $13, 100, say at Z per cent.
only e. f'oso
Ten dollars per annum per acre, for
cultivating, manures. repairs, post
stakes, work, resetting, &C., &C.,. 5000
One thousand dollars per acre, for ex
penses of yintage...."....."." 5,OOO
Amounting TOM. .$27, ,es5
During the term of eight years, this
sum has been expended and possibly
more, with no return from the invest
ment; the wines being unsold because
not yet mature.
These estimates may not be correct, but
are near enough to calculate that if the
average production yearly amounted to
200 gollons per acre, in FIVE years the
100000 gallons produced would have cost
at least 81 cents per gallon.
Should then market be found and the
sales of wine commenced, even at the
rate of so cents per gallon, the vintage
of the first year, 10000 gallons, would
realize $4,000; In four the sales will
have amounted to $4,000, which will
have repaid the original investment with
all interest and the current expenses,
leaving one years production of the first
five years on hand, increased by the pro-
duction of four years more, making 10O,-
900 gallons, worth say $4,000, as clear
profit, in addition to the original invest
ment.
This is an encouraging exhibit for
pure, natural wines but we are constrain-
ed to note that the husks and pulps may
have had in the meantime added to
them about LAC, 900 gallons of water. with
100000 pounds grape sugar, made from
potatoes, alta cost Of materials and labor,
say twenty thousand dollars, thus pro-
Guiding about 1SG, 900 gallons Of fabri-
Gated wine, worth as much in market as
natural wine; o wine which only the
most expert of modern chemists can dis
tinguish from the nrst product, and as
far as human judgment has been able to
dertermine, as good. Even this product
can be increased by another doubling.
This most extraordinary exhibit,
equaling in apparent extravaganza the
description of the visit of Sinbad the
Sailor to the valley of diamonds, may in
time be realized, but only by wise adap.
tation of means to the end. Individual
effort, ill.advised, with inadequate means,
and with limited time in which to re.
alize an income, almost surely will
result in disappointment; but capital
directed into this channel, properly
guided, may, earnestly believe, be used
to great profit.