VINEYARD CULTURE IN OHIO. 



409 



Pruning. — The first year after planting, 

 cut the vine down to a single eye, (some 

 leave two ;) the second, leave two or three ; 

 and the third, three or four. After the first 

 year, a stake 6^ or 7 feet long must be 

 driven firmly down by each plant, to which 

 the vines must be kept neatly tied with 

 willow or straw as they grow. Late in 

 February, or early in March, is the right 

 time for spring pruning in this climate. 



Summer pruning consists in breaking off 

 the lateral sprouts and shoots, so as to leave 

 two strong and thrifty canes or vines — one 

 of which is to bear fruit the ensuing sea- 

 son, and the other to be cut down in spring 

 pruning to a spur to produce new shoots. 

 These may be let run to the top of the 

 stakes, and trained from one to the other, 

 until the wood is matured, say in August 

 or September, when the green ends may 

 be broken off". One of these vines is se- 

 lected next spring for bearing fruit, and cut 

 down to four to six joints, and bent over 

 and fastened to the stake in the form of a 

 bow. The other is cut away, as well as 

 the fruit-bearing wood of the last year, 

 leaving spurs to throw out new wood for 

 the next, and thus keeping the vine down 

 to within 1^ to 2 feet of the ground. Nip 

 off the ends of the fruit bearing branches 

 two or three joints beyond the bunches of 

 grapes, but do not take off any leaves. 



If both the cuttings grow, take one up, 

 or cut it off under ground, as but one vine 

 should be left to each stake. 



Culture. — The vineyard must be kept 

 perfectly clean from weeds and grass, and 

 hoed two or three times during the season. 

 Keep the grass in the avenues mowed 

 down close. About every third year put 

 in manure, by a trench the width of a 

 spade, and three or four inches deep, just 

 above and near each row; fill in with two 

 or three inches of manure and cover up 

 with earth. 



Wine-making. — Gather the grapes when 

 very ripe, pick off the unsound and unripe 

 berries. The bunches are then mashed in 

 a mashing tub, or passed through a small 

 wooden mill, breaking the skin but not the 

 seed, and thrown into the press, and the 

 screw applied until the skins and pulp are 

 pressed dry. 



Fermentation. — This process is very sim- 



Vol. iv. 29 



pie. The juice is put into clean casks in 

 in a cool cellar, and the casks filled within 

 about four or five inches of the bung, and 

 the bung put on loosely. The gas escapes, 

 but the wine does not run over. In from 

 two to four weeks, generally, the fermen- 

 tation ceases, and the wine clears ; then 

 fill up the casks and tighten the bungs. 

 In February or March, rack off into clean 

 casks. In the spring, a moderate fermen- 

 tation will again take place ; after that, the 

 wine fines itself, and is ready for bottling 

 or barrelling. Use no brandy or sugar, if 

 the grapes are sound and well ripened. 

 Keep bunged or corked tight, and in a cool 

 cellar, and the wine will improve by age 

 for many years. 



Statistics. — Cost of my vineyard of six 

 acres — fourteen thousand four hundred 

 vines: 



Trenching, two feet deep, S55 per acre, $300 00 



.Sodding avenues, ,i( J 00 



Cost of 30,000 cuttings, at $2.50 pur thousand, 75 00 



Planting, •■ 70 00 



Fourteen thousand five hundred locust stakes, at §3 



per hundred, 4:35 00 



.Setting fourteen thousand five hundred slakes, 55 00 



$1,0-5 00 

 Cost of attending the first year— vine dresser, $216, 



and a hand for one month, $15 231 00 



Second year— vine dresser, $216, a hand for two 



months, at $15 per month, 2.56 00 



Cuttings alter first year, to replace failures, say, 20 00 



Hauling, carting, &e., 68 00 



Contingencies, &c, "» "" 



Average cost, say $300 per acre, §1,900 00 



The third year the vines will produce 

 grapes enough to pay the expenses of that 

 year — generally more. 



For the fourth year, and a series of eight 

 or ten years in succession, the experience 

 of the past would indicate the following 

 calculation to be something like a fair one: 



Sav. six acres, average 250 gallons, at rates heretofore, SI 



per gallon,.. *!,*» 00 



Deduct cost of vine dresser per annum, 9940 



Assistance, hoeing, Ace, 00 



Gathering grapes and pressing, 150 



Net profit per annum. $1,050 00 



To attain this, the vineyard must be fa- 

 vorably situated, and well attended by a 

 competent vine dresser, and free from dis- 

 astrous visitations of the rot. 



The wine press is made something like 

 th£ " screw cider press." An iron screw, 

 two to three inches in diameter, is fitted 

 into a strong upright frame ; a tight box 



