THE VINEYARDS OF OHIO. 



421 



Ohio, in the then territory of Indiana, some 

 fifty miles below Cincinnati, where they 

 had commenced the cultivation of the vine 

 in 1802. This location was afterwards nam- 

 ed Switzerland, and the town Vevay, in 

 honor of their fatherland. Here, uniting 

 their force, and adding their dear-bought 

 experience, they commenced vigorous and 

 successful operations with the Cape grape, 

 [Alexander's or Schuylkill MuscadelL] As 

 there is some doubt and dispute about the 

 origin of this grape, I will here add Du- 

 four's account of it. Ho says he procured 

 it of one Legoux, residing at Spring Mill, 

 near Philadelphia, who informed him that 

 he imported it from the Cape of Good Hope. 

 There, he supposes, it must have been car- 

 ried by the Dutch settlers, and thinks it 

 hence a European grape.* Be this, how- 

 ever, as it may, importance must always at- 

 tach itself to it as the foundation of a suc- 

 cessful effort to cultivate the grape in the 

 valley of the Ohio, for the manufacture of 

 wine. Time will show whether for good 

 or evil, to the morals of our people. 

 j^'^Here these indefatigable strangers per- 

 severed in their efforts, and produced, for 

 many years, a dark red wine, too harsh and 

 astringent, however, to receive general fa- 

 vor, which confined its use mostly to the 

 German and French population. Its harsh- 

 ness was probably owing to the age at which 

 most of the cultivators found themselves 

 obliged to sell their product. Bottled sam- 

 ples of it have been kept until it had at- 

 tained an age of some years, which were 

 pronounced, by good judges, to resemble 

 and equal fine Burgundj'', showing what it 

 is capable of making, with care and age. 

 The average yield, per acre, in their early 

 operations, was 180 gallons, and the mar- 

 ket price S2. This price, however, was 

 greatly reduced by importation of French 



• It is unquestionably an American grape. — Ed. 



wines, so that they have been driven out of 

 the market, and their operations abandoned. 

 The fruit of their vineyards not possessing 

 the rich and pleasant flavor to recommend 

 it to public favor for the table. 



Experience conclusively showed that it is 

 the native sorts on which reliance must be 

 placed ; as the foreign sorts, with no excep- 

 tions, (unless the Cape be such,) have pro- 

 ved a failure, and disappointed all expecta- 

 tions. Although the culture of the vine was 

 j-et in its infancy, sufficient had been done 

 to prove beyond dispute, that the soil and cli- 

 mate of this valley are well adapted to the 

 grape ; and all that was necessary to com- 

 plete success, was some suitable native sort. 

 This had not been lost sight of, while the 

 suspension at Vevay tended to develop and 

 to make room for a more varied and diffused 

 system of cultivation, with different and 

 better sorts. Of these, the Catawba has 

 taken and maintained the lead. So suc- 

 cessful and profitable has its culture proved, 

 that I shall not be above the truth to set 

 down the number of acres now covered with 

 it in this vicinity, at four hundred. Of 

 course it will be understood that only a part 

 of these have come into fruiting. With all 

 this quantity under cultivation, such is the 

 desire for wine-making and its profits, that 

 few markets where there is any pretension 

 to cultivate the vine, are more deficient in 

 the supply of the fruit than ours, at the high 

 price of three to five dollars per bushel. 

 The reasons assigned for this, are, that the 

 bushel of good fruit will yield, on an ave- 

 rage, four gallons of wine, and this readily 

 commands from one to one dollar fifty cents 

 per gallon from the press. It should be borne 

 in mind, that the extension of the Ohio vine- 

 yards, thus far, has been limited only by 

 the supply of plants. From this, (as the 

 plants are now multiplied with great facili- 

 ty and at low prices,) should their product 



