158 



The Grape Culturut. 



cing real Champagne, that is, spark- 

 ling wines made by the old French 

 method. French and German immi- 

 grants, skilled in its manufacture, 

 were engaged, and our American 

 Catawbas, etc., changed into spark- 

 ling wines of high and deserved popu- 

 larity. Prominent among the firms 

 making this class of genuine spark- 

 ling wines in the United States, are 

 Boyen & Sons, Work & Co., and 

 Botteler at Cincinnati (the Long- 

 worth Wine-House and its famous 

 "Golden "Wedding" have ceased to 

 exist); the <^ American Wine Com- 

 pan}"" at St. Louis, Landsbergor in 

 California, and two or three compa- 

 nies at Hammondsport, New York, 

 among which that of the Pleasant 

 Valley Wine Company is pronounced 

 by impartial judges and connois- 

 seurs as fully equal to the best im- 

 ported. 



It would be a mistake, however, to 

 believe that the import of foreign 

 Champagnes has thereby decreased. 

 The consumption of this favorite 

 drink with the rich and luxurious 

 American people has so much in- 

 creased, that notwithstanding the an- 

 nual increase of our own production 

 its importation has also increased, as 



will be seen from the following state- 

 ment: 



IMPORTATION OF CHAMl'AGXE FROM FRAXCE TO THE 

 rOKT OF NEW YORK FROM 1861 TO 1869. 



Years. Doz. bottles. Years. Doz.bot. 



1861 37,720 1866 119,958 



1862 80,808 1867 87,500 



1863 103 487 1868 92,948 



1864 101^565 18G9 126,000 



1865 51,636 



It may be hoped, however, that 

 with the constant improvement of 

 our home production in this line, our 

 native sparkling will gradually take 

 the place of the foreign Champagne, 

 and millions of treasure be kept at 

 home. 



[We had the pleasure of tasting sam- 

 ples of sparkling wines "Carte Blanche" 

 and '• Paris Exposition," made by the 

 Pleasant Valley Wine Co., of which 

 Messrs. Isidor Bush k, Co. are sole 

 Agents for Missouri, and think that 

 they deserve fully the high praise given 

 them by connoisseurs of the article. 

 Our own preference is for still wines, 

 but to thosj who fancy the sparkling — 

 and they are very numerous we well 

 know — we think these native wines can 

 be more safely recommended, than nine- 

 tenths of the imported, and besides, 

 they are much cheaper. — Editor.] 



SEEDLINGS OF JAMES H. EICKETTS. 



RARITAN. 



Delaware crossed with Concord. 

 Plant moderatelj' vigorous ; hardy, 

 short-jointed ; bunch medium, shoul- 

 dered; berry medium, round, black, 

 but not as dark as Concord ; leaves of 

 medium size, thick, lobed, veined or 

 corrugated; flesh juicy and vinous; 

 ripens about the time of Delaware, 



and commences to shrivel as soon as 

 fully ripe. 



SECRETARY. 



Clinton and Muscat Hamburgh. 

 Vine vigorous, hardy; bunch large, 

 shouldered ; berry large, round, very 

 black ; flesh juicy, tender, meaty^ 

 slightly vinous; foliage like Clinton, 

 but thicker, and about the same size. 

 A very pi'oraising table grape. 



