The Pascagoula democrat-star., 1883-03-30
SOUTHERN wINE1SDUsTRY
What Other States Can Do Can Better be
Done Here The New Tariff Fayo' De-
Velopment.
New Orleans City Item.

Representative of the Item yes
ter,lay dropped into the Gulf Vine
yard Wine Cellar Of Mr. William
Fayers, No. 81 Royal street, and
found the proprietor busily engaged |
in bOttling wine of his own produe- |
ton, and labeled American Ma
deira.r
Alr. Fayers has a vineyard Of ten !
acres at Mississippi City, and |
guarantees that the wine he pro
duces, chiefly from the scuppernong,
cannot be excelled, either in purity
or flavor, by any wine OF similar
class produced in any section of the
United States, leaving the decision
to any impartial connoisseur of
wines.
ado YOU think, Mr.. Fayers,' said
the Item representative, "that
grape culture can be made profitable |
in this section of the countryi'
al am certain of it; l do not |
mean to say that q man ran become
rich in this branch of industry, but
with practical knowledge and pro
per attention he can make com.
Portable living. The trouble with
our people is that they take up a
new enterprise whether of com
merce or agriculture, with the hope
aud expectation Of ut once making
fortune; they are not generally
satisfied with comfortable sup
port. have ten acres Of vines; they
are young, but expect to produce
forty barrels of wine this season,
which | will sell at one dollar and
twenty Ave cents per gallon; the
wine that sell ut this price is abso.
lutcly the pure juice Of the grape,
and have no hesitation in saying
that an imported wine of similar
class and an equally fine grade, is
not sold less than two dollars per
| gallon; what is true Of wine of my
own production is true Of domestic
wine generally of similar kind.
"Are not our people lacking in
experience in this line otindustry n
Yes but that they can gain If
they try. Capital, experiences and
patience are required in this bust
ness. Ten years are required to
bring vineyard to its full fruitful
ness. Vines begin to bear in Three
years, but the yield is light, so that
for several years your capital is
making no return. Then you find
that u certain variety of grape, from
popularity of the climate, viii
quickly rot, and from experience
aud trial you finally find variety
that the climate does not affect in
this manner-this have found, and
have overcome this drawback. You
must know that the grape is very
sensitive in it's demand for q pecu-
liar soil and climate q grape that
flourishes in a certain locality will
perhaps prove a failure five miles
away; yet another variety OF grape
might prosper where this one failed.
Birds have been another source OF
annoyance, but the skin OF the
variety l now cultivate is so thick
that the birds do not trouble them.
Mr.. A. V. Davis, of Pass Christian,
has eighty acres under cultivation.
| can't say that he has made the
investment profitable thus far, be-
cause he knew nothing of the busl-
ness when he began, and has been
continually paying for experience
and gaining practical information.
lie will doubtless do better now,
while others will profit by this expe.
rience.p
ado you think Louisiana soil Ii
adapted to grape cuitureW
~ think so; | never saw finer
grapes than | have seen in thi'
State. If you have passed through
southern Ohio, or southern New
York or Missouri, you must have
noticed what an important industr,
this has become; thousands 0
families live in comfortable and in
dependent circumstances with n,
other income than from their vine
yards; and to the people Of CalifoT
MIA it has become one of the creates
. sources of support. We have al
!. advantage over the Northern States
in the mildness of our climate
while they are more fortunate il
having a class of people with
!; !, practical knowledge of this business
Germans, who bring some expo
! rience from the old country, and g
! into the business, first to provide
= for the necessities of life, and, afte
! overcoming obstacles, to max
= money, which they generally dc
, Our local advantages are create
thar those of our Ohio friends, bu
|. we cannot reasonably expect to &C
$ enough out of the soil in one year t
!, pay our expenses to Europe th
i next. Some people did this in .th
o days before the war, but / doubt
s even then they could afford it.'
t "I notice the new tariff la
b places the duty on imported win
at fifty cents per gallon, an increas
of ten cents"
1 Eyes; this viii tavor the win
y growers of this country, and. ] b
| lieve in protection OF home indu
n tries. In five years from now con
1t paratively little imported wine vi
be consumed In the United States