The Evening critic., 1882-08-03
Speer's Vineyards.

Just on tho outskirts of this city, on Mount
Prospect Avenue, botter known as the "Notch
Road" leading to Little Falls In the notch In
the mountain, are three OF Mr.. Speer's vine.
yards OF the Oporto grape, from vines orIgl-
nally imported from vineyards on the banks
OF the river Doura In Portugal, whore tho
original and finest port wines were made.
But few people know to what extent Mr..
Speer's twenty-five years OF experimenting on
ried In this country. We made a hasty trip to
his Mount Prospect vineyards q few days ago,
and while going there we passed his Concord
nue., near the M. E. Church. This is known as
the "First Vineyard" About a mile further
on, after turning from bloomfield avenue to
the right on to tho Notch Road, we came TO tho
second, third and fourth vineyards, about
nfty.four acres in extent, covering Mount
Prospect.
The vines are trained on wires about 800
ench end and stapled to intermediate posts
fifteen feet apart. There are four rows OF wire
lis, the top wire being about seven feet from
the ground; these trellis or rows are about six
feet apart, leaving ample room for sun, air
these rows form what Mr.. speer calls q section.
There are q great number OF these sections
upon which there must be over two hundred
miles OF wire stretched. Tho drive avenues
for teams and carriages run across the
vineyard at right angles to the rows
OF wire trellis and are throe hundred feet
apart; they run between tho ends OF two Sec
tions and arbors are built over Thorn high
enough that top carriages may drive under
them without touching the grapes or vines over
head. There are over two miles OF carriage
drives under these arbors, and q handsomer
sight We never saw; for two miles we drove
under these shady canopies, tho luscious fruit
hanging In abundance on every side; Vines
thick with clusters hanging overhead and all
around, and as far as We could SEQ up and
down thousands OF gangways wo passed were
loaded with grapes; no disease, no worm or
insect OF any kind has yet attacked Mr.. Speer's
vineyards and the prospects are that there Will
be much greater crop than over before.
We saw men working in every part OF the vino
yard, some blowing, some hoeing, others break.
Ing out the suckers, or supernuous vines, and
still others tieing up tho vines to the wires.
In our drive we met the foreman OF the vine-
yard. He estimates the yield this year Will be
nine thousand baskets OF Concord grapes for
market and six hundred barrels OF oporto
grape wine, besides the Burgundies and clarets.
The Oporto grapes are allowed to shrink some
before being gathered for port vino, by which
they lose considerable OF their watery prin-
ciple, and form greater amount OF sugar.
The Juice ia thus reduced In quantity, but
heavier and much richer in quality, making
the rich port wine that has become 80 cele-
Tho new wine cellar that Mr.. speer was
building for the nine large wine tons that
tons nave been laid and le1 By rscking
some OF the port OF last years vintage from
the barrels on the second floor OF his ware.
house, the wine passing from the barrels to
the tons through hose to prevent Its coming
In contact with the air.
The wine is to remain In these tons from
three TO four years before racking to tho inner
cellar, where tho Oldest wines are fined and
bottled. The inner cellar Is kept at nearly q
uniform temperature the year round. Persons
who understand the labor and expense con-
nected with the making and four years care OF
such excellent port vino rs Mr.. Speer pro.
duces cannot be surprised ut Its being higher
In price than other wines, nor should
physicians DO surprised at the superior effect
OF this wine in restoring their patients. Mr..
specrs wines are extensively used in Wash
ington by tho foreign legation and members
| OF Congress and the Cabinet. He also has or.
ders from London, Dresden and Paris, and
from San Francisco, Cal. The iron contained
in the brown stone shay soil Of this locality is
| Just adapted for the growth OF tho port wine
grape, and for the making OF port and Bur
gundy Wines Mr.. speer says no does not
think there is any place In the United States
where the Oporto grape can be raised 80 sue
cessfully as the Eastern slope OF our noun
tains down to the Passaic River.