FARMERS' REGISTER— OBSTACLES TO VINE CULTUR K. 



479 



result to this inquiry cannot be obtained belbre the 

 experiment has been carried on in various sites, 

 soils, and expositions, and at considerable distances 

 from each otiier. The particular kinds of grapes 

 suitable lor the diflerent soils and situations, is also 

 a subject ot' no trilling difficulties, and the solving 

 of them requires, of course, many and very care- 

 liilly made experiments. The efi'ect of the insul- 

 ficiency of experiments on this particular subject, 

 has been a hasty conclusion, that foreign grapes 

 will not do in this country, thereby discardmg at 

 one fell sweep, a whole, and probably the best 

 families of the vine, from which success should 

 have reasonably been expected. I do not intend, 



our middle and southern Atlantic States than a nu- 

 merous population of honest, industrious and sober 

 people? Il' it be not one of the principal duties of 

 govenmients to aim at producing such a state of 

 things, in the name of common sense, what were 

 they instituted for? Were they ibrmed merely to 

 pilier, worry, ve.x, render criminal, and punish 

 poor simple man? If such be their objects, give 

 me anarchy and the savage state. 



Taking things as they are, however, may we 

 not succeed in some degree in cultivating the vine 

 to advantage? Time and perseverance will undoubt- 

 edly effect what might have been done by more sure 

 and speedy means; and let us endeavor to correct 



by this, to intimate that we cannot hope for success our errors and proceed as well as we may in our 

 from our native vines; for I believe that many are j circumstances. On examining carefully this fruitful 

 very valuable — and especially, great expectations! subject, we find that, in some localities, several of 



may be formed Irom vines raised from the seed ol 

 native vines, impregnated with good foreign ones: 

 but the fault usually found with the imported vines, 

 is also frequently found (in unsuitable situations) 

 with some of the native ones; some of which will 

 rot, decay, or otherwise fail in the same manner 

 as those imported. By thus rejecting, without 

 sufficient cause, all the imported vines, we give 

 up the chance of producing those fine and elegant 

 wines, for which foreign couuti-ies, and particularly 

 Europe, are so celebrated. To take a detail view 

 of these numerous experin)ents, is almost certain 

 to produce an abandonment of the difficult task; 

 for each of them requires many years to afford a 

 satisfactory result, and several of the trials can 

 only be made one alter the other. It seems to 

 follow, from all this, that these experiments are 

 above the means and perseverance of men in their 

 individual capacities, unless |:ossessed of great 

 wealth, and an unchangeable determination to fol- 

 low them on to a successful termination. I have 

 long come to the conclusion, tliat experiments of 

 this nature should be undertaken at the expense, 

 and under the protection of government, or of 

 large and wealthy patriotic associations, capable 

 and willing to pay competent men to cany them 

 on in the various soils and situations of tiie country; 

 and, with sufficient means, they (or most of them) 

 may be undertaken simultaneously, by which, time 

 and expense would be greatly economised. First 



the varieties of the vine which have been cultiva- 

 ted here, not only succeed well, but very seldom 

 lail of producing a plentiful crop. Whether this 

 be due to soil, exposition, or other cause, we ought 

 to be satisfied that whatever may be, and is actu- 

 ally done on a small scale, cannot be absolutely 

 impossible on any scale, soil, &c., being suitable. 

 As for the cost necessary to obtain such a result, 

 (if it can be obtained by any means in our power,) 

 if success could be once tolerably certain, it would 

 be of no consequence; for what could be too ex- 

 pensive that would produce fi-om ^500 to .^ 1,500 

 per acre? We must next consider whether the 

 object is worthy of the efibrt. Not taking now in 

 the account the great and public advantages, or 

 the possible great pecuniary profits, merely hinted 

 at above, some of the individual advantages may 

 be detailed. A farmer, a country gentleman, or 

 even one residing in a town as a professional man, 

 or a man of wealth retired from business, may cul- 

 tivate, in hue leisure moments, by himself and his 

 house servants, from one-eighth of an acre to one 

 or two acres of vines, according to his means, his 

 industry and his zeal; and from this source of 

 healthf'ul, interesting, and most innocent amuse- 

 ment, he will obtain in usual seasons, a most abun- 

 dantsupplj- of a wholesome beverage, a wine which 

 he will know to be pure and unadulterated. He 

 will be able to make at least two kinds of wine 

 from the same grapes, and gradually improve in 

 ascertain that a particular culture is desirable and i the qualities of each as he acquires experience in 

 its advantages great, (and those from the culture j the making of them. The^e wines will excite in 

 of the vine are incalculable, in moral, political, and him an honest pride in regaling his friends with 

 financial points of view,) and, after this, Avhy liesi- the product of his own industr}', and protract and 

 tate to adopt adequate means of success? invigorate that health which he, will have estab- 



I know it will be said, that it is contrary to the lished by the cultivation of his vine.s. He will 



spirit of our governments and instuutions, to un- 

 dertake any thing of this sort at the public expense, 

 and that the enterprise of individuals will soon ef- 

 fect it, if it promises profit to them. It appears 

 to me, that the expense and care of an enterprise 

 should be incurred by those who are to derive the 

 advantages — and the countrj^- is to derive them; for 

 is it not a public benefit, that the citizens should 

 be temperate, industrious, moral, and the country 

 itself increase in a denser and happy population? 

 It cannot be doubted at this day, that drunkenness is 

 comparatively unknown in wine countries, and that 

 the cottage of tjie vine cultivator is the abode of 

 industry — therefore of honesty and hapjiiness: 

 that each individual can cultivate only a limited 

 extent of vineyard, hence a dense population is 

 the necessary consequence. Is there an}- thing 



form in his family and domestics, habits of indus- 

 try, useful exercise, sobriety, and consequent hap- 

 piness, and his posterity will blei;s his memory. 



As you seem disposed, Mr. Editor, to republish 

 one or more pieces of mine, formerly published in 

 the American Farmer, it may not be unnecessary 

 to say a word concerning the discrepancies thai 

 seem to exist between my present observations and 

 some in former pieces. Not that I care for what 

 is usually understood by oonsisu-ncy, for I sincere- 

 ly wish to be only consistent in my attempt at 

 sitating thetRitJi, and in doing whatever little good 

 I may have in my power. It will be found in 

 some of my former writings, that I reject tlie idea 

 of any very great difficulty attending ths culture 

 of the vine; and, notwithstanding all that I may 

 have said above. I still sav the same thing. The 



more desirable in any country, and particularly in I knowledge of the thing, trifling though it may ^ 



