Editor's Letter Box. 



131 



EDITOE'S LETTER BOX. 



McAuTiilK, Ohio, Feb. -JOth, 1870. 



Mr. Geo. Husmann, Editor : 



Dear Sir — I am a subscriber ai,d 

 reader of 3-our valuable journal. Am 

 engaged in the vine3'ard business to 

 some extent ; made last fall about 1,300 

 gallons of wine, about two-thirds of 

 which is Concord, and one-third Ca- 

 tawba ; followed the directions in your 

 book. The Concord is very clear, and 

 doing finely ; but the Catawba was made 

 late, and the temperature has been too 

 low to promote fermentation, and is not 

 entirely clear yet. I have only a com- 

 mon house cellar, and no good way to 

 warm it up. I am a new beginner at 

 wine-making, and lack experience in 

 that business. I wish to inquire in re- 

 gard to Mr. R. D'Heureuse's air treat- 

 ment. If it can be applied to advantage 

 to wine after it has gone through the 

 first fermentation, is there any danger 

 of acetic fermentation ? I have some 

 notion to send for an air-pump, and try 

 the experiment on a small scale. 



I will say that I bought one Concord 

 vine about fourteen years ago at $5.00, 

 and it was the best investment that I 

 ever made in my life. I presume that 

 the progeny- of that vine now will amount 

 to more than one million. I have raised 

 about half that many myself, besides 

 what others raised to whom I sold vines. 

 The original vine produced 100 pounds 

 of grapes in 1<S68, and a fair crop in 

 1869. It is now the best vine I have, 

 and I esteem it as the goose that laid 

 the golden egg, though at first it caused 

 me to be the butt of ridicule many a time; 

 but I bore it all patiently, and trusted 

 to fortune and diligence, and have not 



been disappointed, though I have made 

 many mistakes ; yet have succeeded bet- 

 ter than could be expected under the 

 circumstances, for the first vineyard I 

 ever saw I planted myself, and it was 

 a success. My motto has been — Go 

 ahead. 



Respectfully, yours, 



E. P. ROTIIWELL. 



[We think you can do no better than 

 leave the Catawba alone until warm 

 weather sets in ; as soon as it begins 

 to ferment, shake up the lees well, so 

 that they become thoroughly mixed with 

 the wine. Rapid fermentation will then 

 set in. Leave the bung of the cask but 

 loosely on it, until fermentation ceases, 

 and treat it in all respects like new must, 

 racking it as soon as it becomes quiet 

 and clear. You will have to wait some- 

 what longer, but it will be good wine in 

 the end. Glad to hear of your success. 

 You should take care of said "goose," 

 and test its longevity. We have a no- 

 tion that a healthy Concord vine prop- 

 erly cared for, will last a lifetime. You 

 will find an article on air-treatment in 

 this number. — Editor.] 



UOCKINCHAM ViNEYAKD, SCOTT Co., lOWA, ) 



March Uth, 1870. j 



Editor Grape Culturist : 



I see in an article of the last Febru- 

 ary number, that you seem to be op- 

 posed to the root-piuning of the grape- 

 vine. I take the liberty to hold a dif- 

 ferent position from you, and I will give 

 my reasons for it. I v\ ould not advocate 

 root- pruning because our forefathers 

 did it ; I have learned the rudiments of 

 the art of grape -growing and wine 

 making on my father's place, in Alsace^ 



