152 



The Grape Gulturist. 



CATAWBA. 



1868, b}^ E. Baxter, Nauvoo, Ills., 

 grade 83i 



1866, by A. Engelman, Shiloh, Ills., 

 grade 88. 



1867, by A. Engelman, Shiloh, Ills., 

 grade 84. 



1868, by A. Engelman, Shiloh, Ills., 

 grade 74. 



1868, by Golden Bluff Vineyard, 

 Warsaw, Ills., grade 73J, 



1868, by Louis Winter, grade 73^. 



1868, A. Burtin, Nauvoo, Ills., grade 

 75. 



Cunningham, 1868, A. Engelman, 

 grade 86. 



Norton, 1868, E. R. Mason, grade 

 861. 



Norton, 1868, E. R. Mason, grade 

 861. 



Norton, 1867, A. Burtin, grade 661. 



Clinton, 1868, E. Baxter, Nauvoo, 

 Ills., grade 68^. 



DUTY ox IMPORTED WINES. 



X>r. L. Murse, President of the Mississippi 

 Valley Gra'pe Growers'' Association : 



Your committee, to Avhom was re- 

 ferred the subject of import duties on 

 foreign wines, beg leave to submit the 

 following brief report, and to recom- 

 mend that copies thereof be sent to 

 the members of Congress representing 

 the districts embraced b}^ this Asso- 

 ciation : 



Since the close of the late war, the 

 culture of the grape in this region has 

 extended far more rapidly than it had 

 ever done before. The ratio of vine 

 planting annually increased so long as 

 the price of gold continued to be high. 

 Under the operation of the ■practically 

 higher duties which the cost of gold 

 afforded, the wine interest of the Mis- 



sissippi "Valley was being rapidly de- 

 veloped, and the total consumption of 

 wnne greatly augmented. 



The indirect reduction of duties 

 caused by the decline in gold, has so 

 far reduced the cost of foreign wines 

 as to discourage the further planting 

 of vineyards by the producers of 

 American wines; and, as a conse- 

 quence, the falling off in this year's 

 planting is fifty to seventy-five per 

 cent, below the average of the last 

 feAV years. 



The wine growers, as a class, cheer- 

 fully contribute to the revenues of the 

 government; and while they are com- 

 pelled to pay a much higher rate for 

 labor (an important item in the cost 

 of producing wines) than is paid by 

 their European competitors; and while 

 they pay indirect taxes on articles of 

 consumption, such as clothing and 

 othei' dry goods, groceries, imple- 

 ments, etc., etc., they ask only for 

 such a distribution of the burdens of 

 taxation, as shall give them a fair op- 

 portunity to compete with the pro- 

 ducers of foreign wines. 



Hoi)ing and believing that our ex- 

 cellent paper currencj' will soon ap- 

 proximate ver}' closel\' to gold in 

 price, and thus still further virtually 

 reduce all import duties, jovly com- 

 mittee are of opinion that to maintain 

 the former rates of taxati(^n, under 

 Avhich the grape interest was so flour- 

 ishing, a re-adjustment of imposts on 

 wines has now become necessar}-. 



In conclusion, your committee recom- 

 mend to this association the indorse- 

 ment of the pro})Osition — which they 

 have been informed is now before the 

 Congressional committee of ways and 

 means — to impose a specific duty of 



