The daily gazette., 1881-09-14
Cultivation Of the q scuppernong
Grape I'm the South.

| Ine souppernong vine grows in any
kind Of soil, from the highest and dri-
est sand hill to the lowest swamp land.
fruiting abundantly in all these soils
and never indicating disease. The
best soil, however, is sand underlaid
by clay and naturally drained. The
vine roots are planted two in two, In
holes four feet square and two feet
deep, filed three fourths full with top
soil and one-fourth of compost as rich
as possible. Planting should be done
In December, covering the roots four
inches deep later planting, six inches
deep. After the vines have commence
Cd growing the first season all the side
sprouts are pinched off, only the main
shoot being permitted to- grow. This
Is done in summer, and while the wood
is green. The scuppernD Dng
WILL NOT BEAR WHIT TER PRUNING.
A limb quarter of an inch thick,
pruned from half grown vine, will
cause it TO discharge gallon of sap in
a day, which will fatally impoverish
its strength. During the second year
the vine will have grown so rapidly as
w AS1esAo cuPPoibs "A bClpoIdII dIuOE
Dor Of four at the corners Of a square,
ten feet apart aud supplied with the
requisite cross pieces, will suffice to the
end Of the third year. The vines are
| caIefully spread out upon this frame
work, and he fresh side shoots should
be plnched off as they appear. In the
fourth year wire arbot is made over
the whole vineyard, fastened upon
posts nine feet high and tive nty feet
apart. 1t Is important that the vine
be spread equally in all directions to
give full access to
AIR AND SUNLIGHT,
uniformly ripening all the fruit
Grapes impereectly ripened make the
wine too sour. This is the work of
December. In the third year the pro-
cess Of maturing commences, which is
repeated every two years. The roots
OF the vine spread out as far as the
vines on the arbor. A trench is then
dug around the outside roots, two
spades wide and one spade deep, and
filed with compost. With these pre-
cautions the vines will meet each other
in nine or ten years, being planted
seventy feet apart. Each vine in the
third year will bear about peck of
grapes ; in the fourth year two bushels;
in the Afth year five bushels; and
when in full bearing they will average
from 400 to 500 bushels per acre, from
VIII ch $500 gallons OF juice may be
expressed. The Scuppernong is the
only vine in the world that will pro-
duce this quantity of grapes or wine,
and the only vine that has been known
for
TWO HUNDRED YEARS WITHOUT DIS
EASE.
Vines are In existence in some por-
tions OF tho Southern States that have
reached the venerable age of one hum
dred and fifty years, and cover one and a
half to two acres. A vine of this age in
Nash county, N. c., covering two acres
of ground, yielded orly-eight barrels of
wine, although Its supports were dlIpid-
ated, and not cent had been expended
In cultivation. Mr.. Froelich, of Halifax,
county, N. o., vineyardist of forty
years experience, tweuty of which were
spent among the vineyards of the Rhine,
Is an enthusiast in the culture of the
Scuppernong, of which he has some ten
different varieties. He Is very careful in
GATHERING THE GRAPES.
He spreads upon frame twelve feet
square a strong cloth, with an orifice In
the center about foot in diameter, un.
der which is placed barrel or box. The
grapes are then gently shaken into the
cloth, sinking through the orifice. Six
hands will gather In this way one thou-
sand bushels per day. The grapes are
then mashed In grape mill, construc-
ted in such q manner as not TO crush
the seed or brulse the skins, thus avoid
iDg the bitter oil of the former and the
peculiar acii of the latter. They are
then put in an open cask, with a false
bottom, through which have been bored
about three dozen halfinch holes. In six
hours juice amounting to two gallons
per bushel is obtained. This Juice will
make
AN EXCELLENT WINE.
without any qualifying substances. The
mashed grapes are then pressed In
mill, and will yield two GALLONS more of
wine per bushel. This is made into
fine drinking wine by gallizing. Mr..
Fr0elicb, however, proposed to manutac-
ture what comes from the press into
brandy and vinegar. II the juice, either
dripped or pressed, shows so of sugar, it
will make normal, good wine. From
9 to Q Of the acid indicate pleasant
wine. If the acid Is too great the wine
must be thinned with water down to the
standard. If Oeschle's scale shows less
than 80, sugar must be added to bring
the Juice up to that figure.
AFTER THE MUST Is REGULATED
1t is put into clean casks, leaving clear
space of fingers length from the bung
hole. A curved fermenting tube is then
fastened air tight IN The bung hole and
its outer end Immersed In water, per-
mitting the fermenttng gas TO escape,
and preventing the entrance Of the ex
tarnal air. This prevents the conver-
sion of large proportion of the grape
sugar into acid, instead of alcohol, and
the loss of bloom and flavor, all of
which are the result Of common bung
hole fermentation. The wine also fer
ments more equally and perfectly In
large casks, with stout stayes and heads,
than in small, thin barrels. The loss Of
wine oozipg through the latter is esti-
mated at five per cert. per annum.
THE FERMENTING PERIOD
lasts three weeks; the tube is then taken