294 



The Grape Culturist. 



experienced and intelligent vignerons 

 who agree witli me. I made some last 

 jj^ear with very little sugar (I4 lbs. to 

 the gallon must), and although the 

 grapes were not near so ripe as they 

 should have been, it has fine body. 

 Most })ersons who taste it can hardly 

 be made to believe that a great deal of 

 spirits have not been put in it. So 

 thorough was the fermentation last fall 

 that it showed but a very slight fer- 

 mentation this spring for a few days, 

 when it became and has remained as clear 

 as crystal; except a slight golden tinge. 



The white Scuppernong is propagated 

 by rooted layers. Cuttings will very 

 seldom ,grow, and the seeds, when 

 planted, 99 times out of 100 produce 

 black grapes, similar to the wild Mus- 

 cadine, some better, others worse. 

 Even with roots it is delicate for the 

 first year, and requires skill in planting 

 and careful culture afterwards. But 

 those that survive the first year are ex- 

 tremely healthy and thrifty when in 

 suitable soil. They commence bearing 

 the second or third year, and increase 

 annually with the spread of the vine. 

 At eight or ten 3'ears of age they get 

 well into bearing. It is not known how 

 long they will continue, but until they 

 are fifty years of age or more . 



Their yield, after rightly in bearing, 

 is from 750 to 1,500 gallons per acre. 

 The must is worth $2 per gallon at the 

 press. The labor and skill is nothing 

 for their culture, compared with that of 

 the bunch grape. There is no pruning 

 and no more labor while the vines are 

 small, and less when large in cultivat- 

 ing. For profit. Sambo and King Cot- 

 ton could not beat this in their palmiest 

 days. There is money in it, and no 

 li^-tle, beyond a doubt. 



It is called by some the lazy man's 

 grape. I admit the charge, and prize 

 it the more on that account. The pre- 

 paring the land and making the scaf- 

 folding is required to be done in winter 

 and earl}^ spring, when the weather is 

 cool. We can get under the vine to 

 chop up the grass when it is hot. You 

 never know and appreciate the mean- 

 ing of the Scriptural expression of 

 " resting under his own vine and fig- 

 tree" until you feel the cool shade made 

 by a Scuppernong arbor. Even the 

 fruit is gathered in September, when the 

 weather is pleasant, and in the shade 

 at that. As slavery is removed from 

 the South, this divine and umbrageous 

 gift, with nectareous wine, appears. 

 And this " Sunny South," which, under 

 the system of slavery, would in a cen- 

 tury or two have become a second 

 Africa, will, in time, equal France and 

 Germany in its rich wines, and be more 

 celebrated in song than " the blue skies 

 and vine-clad hills of Italy." 



Health in this section good. The 

 search for rich lands to raise cotton has 

 made our lands unreasonably cheap. 

 But these, by manure and proper cul- 

 ture, may be made extremely productive. 



The feeling of our people towards 

 those who come from the North to be 

 one of us, and cast their lot among us, 

 and to help build up our country, now 

 ruined ly the war, is entirely friendly. 

 Our soil on an average will compare 

 favorably with that of the great North- 

 west. We can raise a greater variety 

 of fruits and vegetable.*, whilst our 

 climate is so mild we seldom have 

 snow. Come, then, industrious farmer, 

 to the South, 



"Land of l)i-iglit rtowcrs— land of the sun." 

 J. H. Carlkton. 



ElDorado, Ark., Autjust, 1SC9. 



