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


GRAPE CULTURE IN AMERICA. /.
The History of ghree Centuries OF .Unsuc,
cessfui Efsort-wi,nt are tho Constituents
In Grapes Necessary 70 tho ProGuetior,
fof HVine-Tho Cost and Profit o. Vine
| Growing. l,s
By DR.. G.pB., La,4ig,ic. Blacstissc, S. @. +
Grape culture and wiue.making, from,
the earliest periods. in our history, have
received great attention: The Spaniards
callef: the country Florida; the French
named in New France, impressed with
its great resemblance to their native
wine-growiDg countries.
In 1867, in the charter from Charles II
to the Lords P7oprietors, wine. silk.
raisins, currants, oil, olives and amonds.'
produced here and exported 10 England.
were free from customs duos. Free pas.
sage was granted ai the same time to
Frenchmen skilled in making wine. with
their families and goods. BY 1852 five
kinds of native vines had been described.
good wines had been made and MANY
vineyards planted with imported vines.
In "Oldmixon's Carolina" (Iiondon.
1908 he conveyed tho idea that wine.
making was not profitable. In 1868,
Madeira wine and punch we're the COM
mon drinks of the inhabitats;" vet few
gentlemen were without their French.
Spanish and Portuguese wines. In the
exports of l747 and 1748 there were no
native wines, whilo largo quantities of
foreign wines were sent to England.
go From Ponce de Leon's discovery of this
coast in 1912, to the middle Of the Eigl-
teenth Century, numerous we'll directed
efforts failed to make this wine produc-
ing country. In the succeeding hundred
yeaT5 the results were not encouraging,
In letter recently received from Mr.. A.
liDe Caradeuc, now Of Charleston, he
says: "For making :-....ne the grape cul-
ture was commenced in 1842-43 by DIR.
Mcdonald and myself near Aiken 9TH
,ers followed. On account of the Difficult
ty in procuring cuttings, and of the scant
means at our disposal, it was several
/ years before we made wine, and even
| then under immense disadvantages. The
vines we cultivated were of American
species; although, at the time. several
were known under foreign names, but
with better knowledge of them, 1 soon
traced their origin to be American.
I'VE also imported some forty or fifty
European varieties, French, Spanish,
Italian, German, all of which invariably
died out after two or three years onesor
two sheltered from our too heavy dews.
under piazza, continued to bear fruit
for four or five years. Some valuable hy-
birds have no doubt haan obtained at the
present day, bat know little of them.
Until 1861 the culture Of the grape
was eminently successful and promising
in our State, the fruit matured to perfec-
ton without rot or defects, the Juice of
all, with the exception of the Scupper-
nong, containing all Ingredients necesaa-
ry for first quality wine. Iney-
er added sugar or spirits to my best wine
it kept we'll and improved with age.
The largest and best crop was in 1861;
the yeild was abundant, the fruit superb,
year the grapes commenced to rot, and
seems to have been general throughout
the country-North, South, East and
West. considered the cause as climatic
and not in the soil, as fruit sheltered
from dews never rotted. at first il was
thought California was exempt from it,
Could remedy be found for 1t, 70 CROP
would pay better, and none would be
more pleasant to make"
Cen Nagliee, of San lose, Ca.lifornie.
and experienced vine culturist, stated in
1872 that in two years out of FIVE the
i grape crop In his State was failure. a
writer in the Plantation, an AGRICULTURAL
journal recently publish in Georgia, after
forty years experience, say "Grape cul-
ture in all the Southern States Is q dead
failure" and almost every one of the
i many who has written on the subject
4 during the last, fifteen years virtually ac.
knowledges this, in stating that the vines
are short-liyed, that the grapes fot, that
they have too much acid ine them and
i too little sugar. ManyJi0f the writer's
have had contradictory TesElts,, as their
j experience, in.theb different processes 81
i planting, cuitiyating, pruning, manuf-
ing and trai,:ag, and IS to. tho yarjat1
best suited to each locality.
To discuss these matters, to attempt to
reconcile differences, and to deduce
correct conclusions as to the most
proper course, would be an onerons un.
dertakiDg. Yet with these facts before
US, we would be recreant to our trust
were we, without grave consideration. to
endorse by action, or encourage by words,
gsape culture as one of the approved in.
dustEies OF the country. Changes In tie
industrial pursuit Of any country must bo
gradnal, a::. . introduce a new agricnI-
tnral industry il must be ADAPTED to the
soil, the climate, and the genius of the
people. 81 500 3fS'sis ,,'ls's =
First, va assume 1t as an established
fact that wine in the Southern States X
not yet one of the staple productions,
Now We would inquire If It is possibla
70 make it SO, and then /. ould it 80 prof.
tablet - lo,.-
Of.the variols,fnids called wines. that
which Is the simple fermented iuice az
the grape, to which nothing has Been I'd
ded, and fgo:.44 which nothing has been
taken By other than natural processes.
may be called Natural wine ., ON chem.
icl, analysis yielding water, alcohol.
tannin, cream of tartar or bitartrate OF
potash, tartaric acid, grape sugar and
nananthsn either T'his nat..si ..:- :
may bo considered the type of all true
/ wines, although its various specimens
are very dissimilar. OF this we must he
lieve the Lord partook at the 'sI.ast sli.5-
per" and of such, We presume, would all
Christians partake in the celebration Of
that holy sacrament.
Wines Of this kind were at one time
the common productions of all Crane
G. SrosFi nc 70 cpuntrise, 4: present it Is
difficult 4nntter'to procure specimen OF
it. l,151 -
In 1851, Mr.. "a. Haraozthy, authorized
| by the State of California, travelled over
Europe 20 report on grape culture and
/ wine. king. At HochheiIn. in gar.