130 



FARMERS' REGISTER 



[No. 3. 



It is to invite such observations that we have offered 

 this hasty comment on our correspondent's remarks. 

 It is astonishing what little attention the writers of de- 

 scriptive travels (and even those who exhibit their 

 knowledge of geology, mineralogy, chemistry, and 

 botany,) have given to the composition of the soils o! 

 the regions which they described. Except from some 

 incidental observations, or minor facts, it is rare that 

 their readers can learn any thing, even indirectly, on 

 this important subject. 



But it is time to close these remarks, which are al- 

 ready too extended for their place, and yet too slight 

 for the subject. 



CALCAREOUS SOILS NECESSARY FOR VINE- 

 YARDS. 



In some former remarks introductory to extracts 

 from Bushby's Journal of a recent visit to the princi- 

 pal Vineyards of Spain and France, we offered the 

 opinion that calcareous soil was essential to the perfec- 

 tion of grapes, and for obtaining from them wines of the 

 finest flavor; and that to the want of calcareous mat- 

 ter in all the soils used for that purpose in the United 

 States, was probably owing, in part at least, the gene- 

 ral ill success of our culture of the vine. The opinion 

 of the superior fitness of calcareous soils for vines, 

 was partly founded on a short passage of the work 

 above named, which described the soil that produces 

 the celebrated Hermitage wine, as being highly calca- 

 reous. For that, and other extracts then given, we 

 were indebted to a review of the Journal, (never hav- 

 ing seen the entire work) — and in another review, just 

 now met with, we find the following extract from the 

 same work, presenting a statement of facts on this 

 head, and more direct and full proof of the truth of 

 the opinion which we before advanced. 



When the author speaks of "calcareous soils" it 

 may be inferred from the context (here and in the ex- 

 tract formerly published,) that he means highly calca- 

 reous — either actual chalk soils, or otherwise such as 

 effervesce freely with acids. But it may be presumed 

 that many if not all the other soils, which he speaks of 

 as not calcareous, though producing good "sweet 

 wines," have lime in some form. He does not seem 

 to speak with much precision on this point — and the 

 soils which he considers not calcareous, may contain 

 more lime than any vineyards in the United States. 

 But without this supposition, it is stated expressly that 

 two-thirds of all the vineyards of France are on cal- 

 careous soils, and all those of both France and Spain 

 "producing dry wines of reputation." Is not this 

 statement (putting aside all theory and supposition,) 

 enough to induce the making the soil of some vineyard 

 in this country calcareous? There is scarcely an acre 

 of soil, naturally calcareous, in any of the Atlantic 

 states, and probably not one vineyard, if even one 

 vine, has yet the benefit of a heavy cover of calcareous 

 manure. Yet, from the small space occupied by a 

 vineyard, and the great value of the products, marl or 

 lime might be profitably used at an expense very far 

 exceeding what would be justified by any other crops. 

 If our view is well founded, if it cost $100 to make an 



acre of vineyard calcareous, it would be a profitable 

 expenditure, compared to the culture, for a number of 

 years, with the usual degree of success. Being a per- 

 manent improvement, the cost would be only equal to 

 the interest of the outlay, or six dollars a year — which 

 m improvement of quality of the wine of only a cent 

 in the gallon would greatly overpay. We earnestly 

 r;commrnd the consideration of this matter to stveral 

 of our subscribers near Richmond and Petersburg who 

 have vineyards, and who could, at very little expense, 

 make the trial. But enough of mere opinion. We 

 proceed to give the author's facts as well as his opin- 

 ions, in his own words. 



"Having recorded with so much minuteness my ob- 

 servations on every vineyard and district through 

 which I passed, I will avoid adding to the length of 

 this journal by offering many general remarks. I can- 

 not, however, refrain from observing, that, from the 

 albarizas of Xeres, the most southern vineyards of 

 any reputation in Europe, to those of the chalky hills 

 of Champagne, amongst the most northern, I met with 

 no vineyard producing dry wines of reputation which 

 was not more or less calcareous. Although it is ac- 

 knowledged that two-thirds of the vineyards of Fiance 

 are situated upon soil more or less calcareous, by Chap- 

 tal, and other writers upon the subject, they have 

 stated that, provided the soil is porous, free, and light, 

 its component parts are of little consequence; and they 

 enumerate granitic, schistose, argillaceous, flinty, 

 sandy, and calcareous soils as equally well qualified to 

 produce, and as actually producing, in different parts 

 of France, wines of the finest quality. It appears 

 evident to me, however, that these writers have, in 

 many instances, been misled by the representations 

 which have been transmitted to "them: as, for instance, 

 when Chaptal and Cavoleau cite the wine of Hermi» 

 tage as an instance of the excellence of wines pro- 

 duced upon the debris of granite; while the fact is, 

 that the wine of the hill of Hermitage owes its supe- 

 riority over the wines of the other hills in its neighbor- 

 hood only to the circumstance of the granitic soil of a 

 part of that hill being mixed with calcareous matter; 

 and, but for this circumstance, I am satisfied that the 

 wine of Hermitage would never have been heard of 

 beyond the neighborhood where it grows. I am there- 

 fore of opinion, that the finest dry wines owe their 

 superiority chiefly to the quality of the soil; and I am 

 much mistaken if it be not found that the soils of all 

 vineyards producing dry wines of superior excellence 

 are strongly calcareous. All my observations have led 

 me to this conclusion, and I know of no instance to 

 the contrary. It will be observed, that I here only 

 speak of dry wines, for sweet wines of great excellence 

 are produced in a variety of soils, and in fact, owe 

 their qualities more to the variety of the grape, and 

 the manner in which it is treated, than to the soil. 

 The sweet Muscat and Old Mountain wines of Malaga 

 are celebrated all over the world; but though they have 

 the same varieties of vines at Malaga as at Xeres de 

 la Frontera, and pursue a similar practice in making 

 the wine, the best of their dry wines, produced on a 

 soil consisting of decomposed slaty schist, are insipid 

 and flavorless when compared with the Sherries which 

 are produced on the chalky hills of Xeres. The 

 sweet wine of Rivesaltes, the most celebrated in France, 

 is produced on a granitic soil covered with pebbles; 

 and the sweet wines of Cosperon and Collioure, in the 

 same department, are produced on hills of schist, as 

 nearly as possible resembling those of Malaga. But 

 though the diy wines of both these soils are well 

 known, they are not distinguished for their fineness or 

 flavor. Their excellencies are their strength and rich 

 color, which make them valuable for mixing with the 

 weak and light colored wines of the ordinary growth* 



