24:4 THE GKAPE. 



acres are occupied with vines, mostly of the Catawba grape, the pro- 

 duce of which is made mostly into, what is there termed, " dry wine," 

 much resembling the better class wines of the Rhine. The culture of 

 the vine and manufacture of wines, is only now in its infancy ; and 

 ten years, we doubt not, will incre'ase ten-fold the present amount. 

 Large establishments for the manufacture are now existing at Cincinnati 

 and St. Louis. At the latter place the manufacture of the ' Still 

 Catawba," into sparkling champagne, is conducted by the Missouri 

 Wine Company, upon a large scale, and upon the most intelligent 

 principles. 



Medical men have looked upon this establishment of vineyards in 

 our own country with favor, in a point of view as relating to health. 

 Prof. Kirtland, in 1842, says : " During an extensive practice in the 

 medical profession, for more than twenty-five years, I have frequently 

 found it important to employ wine and other diffusive stimulants as 

 medicines ; and while I am disposed to go as far as any one in excluding 

 strong drinks from the daily use of people in health, I must express my 

 satisfaction at finding we can produce, in our own country, a pure, 

 healthy wine, well adapted to medicinal purposes, and far superior to 

 the poisonous foreign compounds, that often find their way to the 

 bedsides of the sick, under the names of ' Lisbon,' ' Madeira,' &c., &c." 



Most of the earlier planted vineyards in this country were of foreign 

 vines, which, not succeeding, native varieties were adopted ; and at 

 this time only two, the Catawba and Schuylkill, are advised to be 

 planted to any considerable extent. 



Notwithstanding the borders of the Ohio and Missouri rivers have 

 thus far taken the lead in production of wine and extent of vineyards, 

 there is no good reason to suppose that the boundary where success 

 may be had. On the contrary, abundant sites may be found through- 

 out the entire West, where, by application of manures suited to the 

 wants of the vine, and found deficient in the soil, equal success would 

 be had. Georgia and North Carolina have lately produced large 

 crops of the Catawba. 



The whole extent of Western prairies, rich in all the constituents 

 if the grape vine (if we except potash, and, possibly, in sections, the 

 phosphates), are yet destined to be tenanted with immense vineyards, 

 and at no greater outlay of expense for constituents toward success- 

 ful culture, than the vineyards of the " Rhine of America," which 

 have thus far been made dependent on the natural inherents of the 

 soil, and have already shown failure, i. e., decay by rot, -where food, 

 in the form of potash and bone dust, has not been supplied. 



North of latitude 42, however, it may be doubted whether saccha- 

 rine sufficient can be obtained from the most valuable wine grapes 

 yet known, to make wines in competition with those grown farther 

 South ; but as this subject is one so extensive that, if thoroughly 

 written on, would more than occupy the number of pages intended 



