AND WINE MAKING. 12] 



CHAPTER XXVII. 



VITICULTURE IN SOUTHERN TEXAS. 



F. M. HALBEDL, SAN ANTONIO. 



Texas is just beginning to comprehend the importance 

 and vast possibilities of viticulture within her borders. 

 Seven years ago I contemplated a visit to California with 

 a view to locating there, but changed my mind and trav- 

 eled instead through Texas, gathering information and 

 examining the soil. I found what I wanted along the 

 Southern Pacific railroad, near Harwood, nine miles east 

 of Luling, in Gonzales county. I bought land at $10 an 

 acre and planted a vineyard and an orchard. The first 

 year I set out 10,000 cuttings, nearly all of which took 

 root and made luxuriant growth ; since that I kept on 

 enlarging it from year to year. The soil is partly light, 

 partly dark, sandy loam, covered with Post oak, Black- 

 jack and hickory timber, and having a clay subsoil at 

 moderate depths varying from eighteen inches to three 

 feet. 



My original intention was to raise grapes for wine, and 

 I therefore planted chiefly Herbemont, Black Spanish, 

 Black Eagle, Black July and Concord, all of which do 

 well in Texas. But I soon discovered it to be more 

 profitable to raise table grapes, and therefore imported 

 from Newcastle, Cal., the leading California varieties 

 for a trial. Of these I determined upon five as having 

 given the best results during three successive years. 

 They are the Fontainebleau, which begins to ripen about 

 the 24th of June, and forms perfect bunches and berries 

 free from disease; the Flaming Tokay, which makes 

 immense bunches, and berries as large as my El Paso 

 plums ; Malaga, Black Prince and Black Morocco. I 

 sent specimens of my Malaga to my brother-in-law, who 



