WINE-MAKING IN THE WEST. 



317 



Adlum, in the garden of a German near 

 Washington city ; where obtained from, he 

 knew not. It is certainly a native ; and it 

 is said that one exactly similar was found 

 near a town in Pennsylvania, which they 

 named after the town : the name I do not 

 recollect. The leaf, the stem, the aroma, 

 proves it of the Fox family. I have had 

 native grapes sent me from different points, 

 almost exactly similar ; but the wood is of 

 less luxuriant growth, the bunches and fruit 

 not quite as large, and not as abundant 

 leaves. AVhere seedlings are raised from 

 this grape, they evince a disposition, not to 

 improve, but to go back to the type — the 

 parent Fox. We have raised some white 

 grapes from the seed. I have seen no seed- 

 lings equal to the parent. 



It appears Mr. Adlum had a proper ap- 

 preciation of the value of the Catawba grape. 

 In a letter to me, he remarks, " In bringing 

 this grape into public notice, I have ren- 

 dered my country a greater service, than I 

 would have done, had I paid the national 

 debt." I concur in his opinion. 



The Lerioir, Mr. Guigxard wrote me, was 

 a native grape of Sumner county, in South 

 Carolina. Mr. Herbejiont thought that the 

 Lenoir was believed not to be a native of 

 Carolina, but to have been raised from a 

 seed of a foreign grape, by a person of the 

 name of Lenoir, near Statesbury, South 

 Carolina. 



The Herbemont was originally supposed 

 by M'Call, Herbejiont and Guignard, to 

 be a native of South Carolina, from its hardy 

 character, and the resemblance of the plant 

 to some of their wild grapes. They were 

 compelled to abandon this belief, and to 

 consider it a foreign grape of the Pineaii 

 [Burgjindy] family. For the grape was 

 first got from the garden of Gen. Huger of 

 South Carolina, where it was called an 

 English grape, and was said to have been 

 imported about the year 1797. Mr. M'Call 

 assured me that he imported the same grape 

 from Madeira ; and a French gentlemen, 

 who imported what he supposed different 

 grapes from France, declared the\' were all 

 the Herbemont. This I doubt : a common 

 observer would pronounce the Herbemont, 

 Lenoir and Ohio, all the same grape, judging 

 merely from the size of the berries. 



The Ohio grape cuttings were sent me in 

 a segar-box ; by whom, or where from, I 

 could never learn. Mr. Affleck, of Wash- 

 ington, Mississippi, writes me it is identical 

 with their Jack grape, which he says was 

 raised from the seed of a foreign grape, by 

 a Spaniard or Portuguese of the name of 

 Jack. Another correspondent writes me, 

 its proper name is the Jaquish grape, from 

 having been raised by a person of that name 

 from seed. I received two plants of the 

 same grape from Biloxi, Mississippi, where 

 it is cultivated as a native grape ; but the 

 gentleman from whom I got it, says it is not 

 the Jack grape. I hope soon to have the 

 Jack grape, and be able to settle this point. 

 The Ohio grape is of no value in the neigh- 

 borhood of Eoston. [It also proves inferior 

 to the Elsingbnrgk here, Ed.] It does not 

 even succeed well out of our city : the rea- 

 son I know not. Mr. Prosselet, a French 

 gentleman of Natchez, imported vines from 

 France, Avhich he states were identical with 

 their Jack grape. 



The Missouri I got from the elder Prince, 

 as a native of Missouri, more than twenty- 

 five years since. His son recently sent to 

 me for cuttings of it. Here it is a delicate 

 grower. In Newark, New-Jersey, in a poor 

 soil, it grows very luxuriantly, and bears 

 well, and is hardy. 



5 Q. How much champaigne wine did 

 you make last spring? What addition is 

 made to the pure juice ? How much will 

 you make next spring ? At what price will 

 it be sold, and when offered for sale ? 



A. I made about 6000 bottles last spring. 

 The best of loaf sugar is the only article 

 added to the wine. Where we make a drj' 

 sparkling wine, no addition is made. The 

 wine is better, for having a portion of old 

 wine added to the new. Another objection 

 to making it wholly of new wine is, it is 

 apt to break the bottle. It requires expe- 

 rience, to know what quantity of old wine 

 can be safely added. We shall be com- 

 pelled to throw '2000 bottles back into the 

 cask, as too much old wine was added ; and 

 the consequence is, the wine has not suffi- 

 cient life. Last season, the early promise 

 of an abundant crop of grapes was truly 

 flattering ; but the rot came, and our vine- 



