290 



The Vineyards of the Ohio. 



Vol. XIL 



towering and spreadintj over the tops of the 

 talle^^t trees, abundantly loaded with fruit, 

 justifies the idea, that the better and finer 

 gorts would flourish here also. How or from 

 whence these were to be obtainf'd, or what 

 sorts would prove adapted to the soil and 

 climate, would remain a matter of slow in- 

 quiry and experiment. This must, of ne- 

 cessity, mainly depend on emigrants, in after 

 time, from vine-growing districts, without a 

 knowledge of the soil and climate, bringing 

 with them old and valued sorts, and applying 

 their old and accustomed modes of cultiva- 

 tion. These emigrants brought with them 

 a strong natural prejudice against native 

 sorts, and a different mode of treatment. 

 Before success could attend them, old preju- 

 dices and predilections must be abandoned, 

 and a new practice, and native sorts sought 

 to occupy the place of old friends unsuited 

 to their new locations. These were hard 

 struggles, which required time to bring to a 

 successful issue. 



Early attention was drawn to the subject, 

 and efforts were attended with more or less 

 success. None of tliese were, however, of 

 much importance, until about the year 1796 

 or 7, when John James Dufour, a zealous 

 Swiss, came to Lexington, Ky. Having 

 previously looked up all the vine cultivators 

 east and west, the smallest of them not es- 

 caping his notice. He succeeded in form- 

 ing a joint stock company, for the purpose 

 ot extensive operations. The first difficulty 

 presenting itself, was a want of plants. 

 These were at much cost, collected partly 

 about Philadelphia, New York and Balti- 

 more, with some he had brought from Swit- 

 zerland, to the amount in all, of thirty-five 

 sorts, all foreign varifties. Most of these 

 were brought to fruiting, and some speci- 

 mens of wine were produced. "This was 

 drank by the stockholders," I presume with 

 much satisfaction. Unfortunately, however, 

 these vines soon after perished with the mil- 

 dew and other diseases to which the Eu- 

 ropean sorts were foimd subject, except a 

 few stocks of two sorts, the Madeira and 

 Cape. This was so discouraging, that after 

 a few years efforts to increase the stock of 

 these, the former, in the mean time, sharing 

 the fate of the rest, the project was aban- 

 doned, and the little band dispersed. After- 

 wards joining themselves to a small colony 

 of their countrymen, who had commenced a 

 settlement on the banks of the Ohio, in the 

 then territory of Indiana, some fitly miles 

 below Cincinnati, where they had com- 

 meticed the cultivation of the vine in 1802 

 This location was afterwards named Switz- 

 erland, and the town Vevay, in honour of 

 their fatherland. Here, uniting their force, 



and adding their dear-bought experience, 

 they commenced vigorous and successful 

 operations with the Cape grape, [Alexan- 

 der's or Schuylkill Muscadell.] As there is 

 some doubt and dispute about the origin of 

 this grape, I will here add Dufour's account 

 of it. He says he procured it of one Le- 

 goux, residing at Spring Mill, near Phila- 

 delphia, who informed him that he imported 

 it from the Cape of Good Hope. There, he 

 supposes, it must have been carried by the 

 Dutch settlers, and thinks it hence a Eu- 

 ropean grape.* Be this, however, as it may, 

 unportance must always attach itself to it 

 as the foundation of a successful effort to 

 cultivate the grape in the valley of the 

 Ohio, for the munnfdclure of wine. Time 

 will show whether for good or evil, to the 

 morals of our people. 



Here these indefatigable strangers perse- 

 vered in their efforts, and produced, for many 

 years, a dark red wine, too harsh and astrin- 

 gent, however, to receive general favour, 

 which confined its use mostly to the German 

 and French population. Its harshness was 

 probably owing to tl;e age at which most of 

 the cultivators found themselves obliged to 

 sell their product. Bottled samples of it have 

 been kept until it had attained an age of 

 some years, which were pronounced, by good 

 judges, to resemble and equal fine Burgundy, 

 showing what ii is capable of making, with 

 care and age. The average yield, per acre, 

 in their early operations, was 180 gallons, 

 and the market price $2. This price, how- 

 ever, was greatly reduced by importation of 

 French wines, so that they have been driven 

 out of the market, and their operations aban- 

 doned. The fruit of their vineyards not 

 possessing the rich and pleasant flavor to re- 

 commend it to public favour for the table. 



Experience conclusively showed that it is 

 the native sorts on which reliance must be 

 placed; as the foreign sorts, with no excep- 

 tions, (unless the Cape be such,) have proved 

 a failure, and disappointed all expectations. 

 Although the culture of the vine was yet in 

 its infancy, sufficient had been done to prove 

 beyond dispute, that the soil and climate of 

 thi.s valley are well adapted to the grape; 

 and all that was necessary to complete suc- 

 cess, was some suitable native sort. This 

 had not been lost sight of, while the suspen- 

 sion at Vevay tended to develop and to make 

 room for a more varied and diffused system 

 of cultivation, with different and better sorts. 

 Of these, the Catawba has taken and main- 

 tained the lead. So successful and profit- 

 able has its culture proved, that I shall not 

 be above the truth to set down the number 



* It IB unquestionably an American grape. 



