230 



The Grape Culturist. 



annual cost of labor, $80=$121.50. 

 Leaving net profit in favor of vine- 

 yard of $128. 50. Or, taking for grant- 

 ed, as we have done in this calcula- 

 tion, that a man can manage three 

 acres, a profit on his labor of $385.50. 



Where is the field crop, or the agri- 

 cultural product, which will produce 

 more ? Yet these figures are the low- 

 est average in yield of the Concord, 

 and the cost averaged at the highest 

 rates. We have not included the 

 grape wood, nor the jdeld the third 

 3'ear, which is generally about half a 

 a crop, and will fully pay for the labor 

 the third summer. 



We did not, of course, say that they 

 would jie\d $250 clear profit, as our 

 friend seems to infer, but that they 

 would pay $250 per acre per annum, 

 and we think in this estimate Ave are 

 far below the general average. 



His next objection is to our asser- 

 tion " that the consumption of wine 

 will become immeasurably greater, 

 as soon as the laborer is enabled to 

 purchase good light wine at $1 per 

 gallon." He seems to think that ^'this 

 time has alrcad}' arrived^ that Cataw- 

 ba and Concord are already sold at 

 that price, and that the ungrateful 

 millions are slow to avail themselves 

 of the opportunity." To this we re- 

 ply, that onl}" in a very few grape- 

 growing districts can wine be had at 

 this price yet ; in fact we know of no 

 place where wine can be had by the 

 keg or a few gallons at that price. We 

 would further remind our friend that 

 it takes a long time before any reform, 

 Avhether it afi^ects our social or politi- 

 cal customs and habits, is generally 

 adopted. We remind him of the 

 change in regard to beer, the fore- 



runner of wine. We can well remem- 

 ber the time, and so can he, doubtless, 

 when our American friends could not 

 imagine how the Germans "could 

 swill beer, smoke a pipe, or suffer so 

 much hair to grow on their face." 

 Now what is more common than to 

 see them drink beer? What more 

 fashionable than the meerschaum and 

 the full beard? These changes are not 

 effected in a few weeks, it takes years 

 to accomplish them ; and he will cer- 

 tainl}^ not deny that already twenty 

 glasses of wine are consumed to-day 

 where hardly one was drank five 

 years ago. 



He asks, " Why should our native 

 wines be cheaper in future than the}' 

 are now?" We answer, to make them 

 the common drink of the mass, and 

 thus enable us to sell all we raise. We 

 assert that the profits of the grape- 

 grower, who has grown reliable varie- 

 ties in suitable soil, have been much 

 larger than they need be; that his 

 returns can be much lower and he can 

 still make good profits at the business ; 

 that our vineyards on an average will 

 be more productive than they have 

 been heretofore, because we plant 

 more reliable varieties, and have 

 learned better how to work them; 

 that there is not native wine enough 

 at present to meet the demand, were 

 the countr}' thoroughly canvassed for 

 its sale, and that native wines are 

 scarcer in the market now than they 

 were a year ago, although wo have 

 had a very abundant crop last year. 

 All this we can prove by facts and 

 figures. 



We agi'ee with him in the point he 

 makes, that wine can be made with 

 more advantage at 50 cts. per gallon 



