The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1886-06-17
HOW TO MAKE WINE.
Interesting Statistics About an Important
Subject.

Interesting Statistics About an Important
Subject.
WASHINGTON, May 22.-The Hon. 81.
L. Lyman, of Virginia, told the National
viticultural Convention yesterday that
the soil, climate and rainfall of Virginia
corresponded to that of France. He
spoke of his State, Tennessee, and the
.Carolinas as naturally adapted to the
grape, and by carefully collected infor.
nation on the subject Of the national
conditions of this belt of country showed
that it has great possibilities in wine
growing. He suggested the planting Of
grape colonies, and wondered that capi-
talists of the East did not open their
eyes to the opportunities presented to
them to utilize the idle labor of the
country in this industry. An examina.
ton of the records of Castle Garden, he
said, showed that very few of the immi.
grants who come to this country were
from the growing districts of Eu'
rope. The latter statement is significant
and is in line with the argument and
information of Mr.. Westmore, of Califor'
mia, who points to the fact that the peo-
pie of the wine.growing countries are
contented and happy, and show but little
desire to emmigrate. Why is this so?
1t has been proved by the accurate sta
tistics, CLEANED by Mr.. Westmore as the
official representative of his State, as
given in my letter yesterday, that the
wine growers are thrifty, cheerful and
contented people. In their esteem their
own district or department with the
Frerch) is not equalled by any country
in the world. Ask Freedman where he
is from, and he will with pride tell you
thathe is from such or such a department,
without stopping to think that you are
inquiriug into his natioDality-that is,
whether from Germany, France, or else
where. 1t would be unreasonable to as.
sumo that these French people are salts.
fed and contented at home simply
because they have plenty of cheap wine
to drink. If they did not live easy, and
their abundance of wine was mere
Improbable luxury that required great
exertion in other fields of labor to supply
it, then it is not likely they would stick
to the wine business, and take such a
pride in it as profitable industry.
Wine-growiug in France is falling far
short of what it used to be, but this is
owing to the attacks of fungi upon their
vines and not to any decrease of the
demand for their products or to the
unpopularity of the consumption of wine
by the people. This falling off of their
wine trade is owing merely to the
unhealthiness of their pampered and pet
ted vines which have been cultivated for
ages, and the circumstance is one that
gives the American States a chance to
improve-for America to catch the Ssh
while France is putting fresh bait on
her hook. Let the reader then stick
pin at this point, and, if he has not
already done so, dispose of the question
of the evil or beneficial effects of the use
Of wine. Does the average American,
or say the Carolinian, for it is he for
whom am writing, know what wine ISL
Doubtless the masses of the Southern
people think OF wine as sort of luxury,
or the means of hilarious indulgence
that only the man of leisure and wealth
is at liberty to enjoy. Three or four out
of FIVE of our Southern people know wine
as highly colored, doctored modification
of alcoholic spirits that is merely dressed
up or toned down in a skillful way to
make it sell, and believe that its use is
prop:rtioned according to the religion
and moral long. facedness of the indiVid.
ual who drinks it. This is due, to some
extent, to the fact that but few, very few,
of the liquor dealers and barrooms of
the South offer to their customers any
thing but the adulterated stuff, made of
chemical ingredients that have in them
nothing that has been extracted from the
grade, and that are made largely from
compounds that are positively poisonous
to the human system. There may be
exceptions, of course, but it can be stated
truthfully that the Southern people, and
a large proportion of the people of the
North and East, have never had the
chance to indulge in the use of pure
wine. The few people of South Carolina
who make the home supply have, as
rule, never learned to make wine without
the plenteous use of sugar by which alco-
hol is increased and drunkenness produc.
Ell with those who use it regularly. They
have not found out that the natural
grape juice of South Carolina, as taken
directly from the most common varieties
of the grape, contains more sugar than
is desired in a good and wholesome wine.
When Carpin, in Greenville, commenced
to make wine without the use Of sugar
some people said he was crazy.
According to Husmann, the renowned
Californian, something less than twenty.
FIVE per cent. of saccharine matter Sugar
is all that is needed toproduce sufficient
alcohol in wine. I have learned here
that even twenty per cent. of sugar is all
that is considered necessary in good
mild wine Now, on the other hand
what does the pure juice of say the Con-
| oord orona oontain2 0nr Greenyille