July 17, 1806. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



49 



with tho Grape from which most of tlic Hook is made. These 

 lands have a gradual slope down to tho river, and a fine 

 southern exposure. Tho land3 aro of a good quality, and 

 havo been used for tho purpose of raising Grapes for more 

 than a century past. 



Among tho most celebrated in this section for tho Hock 

 wines are tho graperies of Mr. 1'abstman, known as tho Victoria, 

 and ono belonging to tho city of Frankfort. Tho extent oj Mr. 

 Pabstman's I should think not over twenty acres, lying in a 

 body, but ho has many other little tracts near by, not contiguous 

 to each other, used also for this purpose. 



Many other persons own little strips of land varying from 

 an acre to two or three acres each, lying in a square form, or in 

 the shapo of a parallelogram, also running down to the river 

 bank, devoted to the culture of the Grape. None of the owners 

 of those lands live upon them, but they and the labourers have 

 to come a distance of from two to five miles every day to work 

 them. The residence of tho owners or of tho workmen is gene- 

 rally at some village not far distant. 



Several proprietors of vintages, owning a dozen or more acres 

 of these lands, have them cut up into as many pieces, not any 

 two of which adjoin each other. This small division, it seems, 

 came from the frequent partitions of estates among numerous 

 heirs, and you can always depend upon a German family being 

 large ! Some of these tracts are tilled by tho owners, while 

 others are let out to tenants, who either pay a fixed rent in cash 

 for the land, or deliver a certain quantity of wine. 



It is said that there does not average more than one year in 

 five favourable to the production of wine, or known as good 

 wine years. Looking back for a period of about fifty years, 

 tho best for wines were 1811, 1822, 1834, 184G, 1857, 1858, 

 18B1, 18G2, and 18C5. 



These wine lands are very valuable here, and are worth not 

 less than 2500 florins the acre. It is not uncommon for the 

 proprietors to expend on manure from 80 to 100 florins per year, 

 and even then they yield in some years a profit of from five to 

 ten per cent. 



On the high rocky hills, below on the Rhine, or further up 

 tho Maine, where the Vine is also extensively grown, the lands 

 are not so good or valuable, nor are the wines there made as 

 good. A proper slope and exposure to the sun seems neces- 

 sary for the successful cultivation of the Vine, in order; to get 

 all the sun possible. I think in all my travels I never saw any 

 Grapes growing on level land. There is never too much sun- 

 shine in Germany, and all there is seems to be required for 

 the Grapes. The year 1865 is, however, an exception, and the 

 summer will compare favourably with America. During a part 

 of July, and even of September, the mercury has been for days 

 among the nineties, a fact which has not been before known in 

 the recollection of the oldest inhabitant. During the whole 

 month of September and up to the beginning of the second 

 week in October, not a drop of rain has fallen, and hardly a 

 cloud has been visible iu the horizon. It has during all this 

 time, from morning until night, been one continuous beautiful 

 sunshine. The barometer has stood for weeks at an average of 

 28 inches, and has hardly varied. 



In July and part of August our summer would compare 

 favourably with the northern part of the United States. For 

 days and days in July and August the thermometer stood at 

 28°, which was up among the nineties by Fahrenheit's scale. 

 Generally speaking, when it was so hot in the daytime it was 

 cool and pleasant in the evening. The effect of so much sun- 

 shine and so much hot weather has been to make the Grapes 

 both rich and sweet. The quality will be very fine, but the 

 quantity very much less. It is reaily believed that the produec 

 of this year will not be equal to half of that of 18G3 or 1804, 

 which were unfavourable years, having been too wet and cold 

 during those summers. 



The wine merchants, however, have a way of making both 

 ends meet, and they are honest enough to own to some very 

 harmless adulterations, such as mixing the sour wines pro- 

 duced in wet years with the sweet wines of warm seasons. 

 They allege, however, that with sufficient age, this mixture be- 

 comes very fine wine and very palatable. 



The wines of 1865 will only bo able to be bought and drunk 

 by princes and " merchant princes." 



The dark-skinned Grape generally ripens sooner than the 

 white, but it is not so sweet or fragrant, and, in consequence, 

 it is not so generally produced. The Burgundy Grape is said 

 only to flourish well in clay soils ; and from this Grape, which 

 is grown to a small extent in the Rhine Gau and the Palatinate, 

 is made the famous red wine known as Asmanhausen and In- 



gelhoimer. Tho people of this country do not drink tho red 

 wine so much as the white. 



The I luck vineyards do not contain, all told, more than 75 to 

 80 acres, and in ordinary and good years tho produce is not 

 over OOO " stuck," (a -tuck is about 1500 bottles), which Rives 

 ua a total of 900,000 bottles; yet we are assured by reliable 

 men engaged in the wine trade, that there arc sold every year at 

 tho auctions no less than CO00 stucka, all purporting to bo 

 genuiuo Hock. 



The kinds of Grape mostly grown in these great vineyards are 

 the Reisling, Traminer, Gut Edelen, Roland Orleans, Clevern, 

 Fleisch, Oestreith. From the Reisling variety are made those 

 wines so celebrated and well-known throughout the world, such 

 as the Johannisberger, Steinberger, Catinet, Raunthaler, Berg, 

 Liebfraumilch, and Marcobrunner. Very good wines are also 

 made from the Traminer. The Fleisch is a red Grape; the 

 Clevern a reddish purple colour, but is moro grown in the 

 Palatinate than here. The Gut Edelen and Fleisch have very 

 thin skins, and are only used as table Grapes. The Reisling 

 never produces in quantity as much juice as any of the other 

 varieties, but it brings a much larger price. The Oestreith 

 seems to be the general favourite for ordinary wines, and 

 from this Grape is made most of tho sparkling Hock and 

 Moselle. 



For the Johannisberger and other celebrated wines, in con- 

 sequence of the demand for them, the wine merchants are un- 

 able to fill tho orders ; so they obtain wines produced in other 

 localities, which assimilate to the taste of the respective wines, 

 and label them with these popular names. They are sometimes 

 nearly as good, though an experienced wine merchant will de- 

 tect the difference at once by the taste, as quickly as he discerns 

 the growth of one year from another. 



At most of the hotels the label does not indicate what the 

 wines are, nor, in fact, can they afford them at the ridiculously 

 low prices marked, such as from 15 to 30 cents a-botttle. 

 Poor wine — that is, of a bad year, is even cheaper than vinegar. 

 This latter article ought to be cheap and good in a wine country, 

 but I am sorry to say it is not. — Frankfort (in Cincinnati 

 Gazette.) 



WOEK FOR THE WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



.Take advantage of dry weather to eradicate weeds. Aspara- 

 gus, as the production of strong heads next spring will depend 

 mainly on the present summer culture, let the beds, after being 

 cleaned, be mulched with short grass or half-rotten manure. 

 Liquid manure, in which a portion of salt has been dissolved, 

 should then be applied freely for the next month or six weeks, 

 or the salt may be spread over the beds, so as to be washed in 

 by the rain3 and waterings. Artichokes (Globe), and Sea-kale 

 will be improved by similar treatment. Celery, the main crops 

 must now be put out without delay ; let the plants be well sup- 

 plied with pure wfiter, and shaded for a few days if necessary ; 

 the early crops should be liberally supplied with liquid manure, 

 and the soil about them frequently stirred with a fork, but by 

 no means make any attempt at moulding them tip, until they 

 have nearly attained the desired growth. Cauliflowers, water 

 freely. Carrots, make a small sowing, if they are in request for 

 drawing young ; sow also a few more Onions for the same pur- 

 pose. The Tripoli answers best. The autumn-sown Onions 

 transplanted in the spring are very fine this season, and will now 

 be attaining their full growth ; as soon as this is perceived, lay 

 the tops down with the back of a wooden rake for some time 

 previous to pulling. Cabbages, make another sowing for fl.nt. nTnr> 

 use. Lettuce, water this and Radishes, or other vegetables 

 which require being grown quickly to have them crisp and 

 tender. We need scarcely remark, that in all cases vegetables 

 will be improved in size by giving manure water, if it can be 

 procured for all purposes in sufficient quantities. Peas, con- 

 tinue to earth-up and stake. The last sowing may be now 

 made ; the Early Frame is recommended, but Knight's Dwarf 

 Marrows will also succeed, if the season prove fine. Potatoes, 

 the spaces between the rows to be deeply forked up and planted 

 with Brussels Sprouts, Kale, Coleworts, and other winter and 

 spring Greens ; they will not interfere with the well-doing 

 of the Potatoes, the lifting of which will be of great benefit to 

 the plants. Turnips, keep up good successional sowings ; a 

 large breadth may now be put in. Remember that charred 

 refuse suits them well, and that dry wood ashes sprinkled over 

 them when they are wet, is a good preventive against the fly. 

 Scarlet Runners, earth-up and stake, unless they are required 



