The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1880-12-03
THE VINE, THE GRAPE, THE WINE

to us from remote ages-through Bible
story, through fairy tale and table,
through Hydrologic lore and modern
prose and verse-a history in which there
is intertwined much of good and much
of i'll to human kind. Volumes might be
written on the subject of either, and yet
the half would remain untold.
1t has been the good fortune OF the
writer to seek, in limited way, an init
mate acquaintance with all three-to
make a study of their habits-,a pursuit
both instructive and fascinating.
From the time the first tender bud
peeps forth, with seeming hesitation,
from the ground, and the vine pursues
its graceful way, until it protects with
its sheltering leaves its clusters of lovely
fruit, wealth of purple or amber, of
green or gold, it is an object of interest
There is a query the consideration of
which may become of interest to us, of
great Importance perhaps, as Americans
and as Tennesseans "Shall the culture
of the grape become to us source Of
gain as well as INTEREST,"" 1t is entirely
pertinent when we remember that the
phylloxera is ravaging the vine-clad hills
of France, of Italy and of Spain, and that
terrace after terrace is giving way before
the attacks of this minute but hitherto
invincible foe. So far as the fruit itself
is concerned as an object of gain, we an
swer, comparatively, "No." But if the
form of the query be changed" May
we hope to produce wines capable of
competing successfully with those of for
eign GROWTH" we answer, Eve think we
may" Why it has not been done here
tofore is part of an unsolved problem.
In a bottle of the right kind of wine there
is more of temperance than there is in q
whole river of water. One they will
learn to like, the other they will not
touch.
A good wine, for general use, us one
which partakes of the nature of a good
claret. an acid wine which affords gen.
tie stimulance without any diagreeable
after effects. With us the majority of
persons call such wine "sour," but ii is
missnamed, for its acidity is due to the
natural acid of the fruit, and not to any
acetous formation. Many of the domes-
tic wines made in this section are, strict
ly speaking, either vinegar or cordial,
either of which contain an untold his
tory of headaches to come. 1t is won
der then that we hear, frequently re-
peated, the remak, Il do not like native
wines %
The remarks which follow on the sub
ject of wine making are drawn from our
own experience, which has necessarily
been limited. They apply to the region
of Kentucky and Tennessee, and are
offered as an introduction to the advanced
efforts of others.
In wine making there are many points
which, although apparently trivial in
themselves, may exert considerable infu-
ence upon the product. We cannot
afford to neglect single detail, it mat
tiers not how unimportant it may seem.
In the first place, we must get every
thing ready before the grapes are ripe.
The wine press and its attachments
should be placed in good order. We have
never seen press which, constructed on
q small scale, seemed entirely worthy of
commentator. The kind needed is one
which will do the work rapidly and well,
and in which the grapes must come in
contact with metallic surfaces as little as
possible.
Then, again, the picking boxes should
be looked after. Those we have answer
the purpose very well. They are closely
iointed boxes, about forty inches long,
fifteen deep, and fifteen wide at the top,
sloping down to twelve ut the bottom
These can be loaded into light wagon
and admit of economy of space i'll pack
ing. In planting a vineyard the space
between every seventh and eighth rows
should be left wide enough to admit the
passage of wagon. These picking
boxes should bewell soaked before used,
to prevent loss of juice in the seams
caused by dryness.
Then the casks and barrels should be
overhauled thoroughly. II new, or those
which have contained liquors. they
should he filled with water three times,
twice with boiling and once with cold,
which should remain in them for twenty
ty-four hours without change each time.
If the casks are old they should be care
fully examined. If they have been at
tackled by worms they should be thrown
aside. If they have sour or musty
smell they should be treated with lime
huu WuVti tii'i huNO pSNVAiAS
sweet should be fumigated with burning
sulphur. Those that smell like vinegar
should be discarded. Too much atten-
ton cannot be given this point. A sin
gle worm hole or sour or musty smell
may cause the loss OF the entire pack
age.
We will now suppose everything to be
in order and readiness, and that we have
a good crop of growing fruit. 1t should
be allowed to grow as ripe as possible.
The ripper the grapes, the better the pro-
duct. In this climate we are compelled
to contend against difficulties, many of
which are not met with further North.
Consequently we cannot always allow
our fruit to become thoroughly ripe; but
we must do the best we can.
In gathering, there is little imple-
ment which may aid us materially. 1t is
q grape gathering shears, which cuts and
holds The branch at the same time, there
by allowing one hand to sometimes do
the work of two. Some persons think 1t
advisable to pick all the berries off the
stems before pressing. If this be done,
the product may be little better, but