1871 



THE WESTERN POMOLOGIST. 



31 



There are shipped to New York and other places, 

 as fruit for the table, 700 to 800 tons annually. Of 

 the other portion of the whole crop, the larger share 

 is made into wine, some into brandy. The propor- 

 tion varies with the season — some are far better 

 than others. This season is rich in promise for the 

 vigneron, at this date nothing has occurred (save a 

 local hail storm) to interfere with the splendid 

 growth of vine, an abundant crop of well-ripened 

 grapes such as has not been seen since 1804-5, in 

 earliness and perfection of ripening. The vintage 

 will of course be more than double that of eitlier of 

 those years, reaching in 1870, it is supposed, 6000 

 tons of all varieties, in the entire area given above. 

 " The Pleasant Valley Wine Co. Manufactured 

 in 1865 20,000 bottles sparkling, 15,000 gallons 

 still wine, 1000 gallons of brandy ; in 1866, 40,000 

 bottles sparkling, 20,000 gallons still wine, 1200 gal- 

 lons brandy ; in 1867, (iO,000 bottles sparkling, 25,000 

 gallons still wine, 1.500 gallons brandy ; in 1868, 

 - 90,000 bottles sparkling, 81,000, gallons still wine, 

 1800 gallons brandy ; in 1869, 130,000 bottles Spark- 

 ling, 28,C00 gallons still wine, 1100 gallons brandy. 

 In 1870, at this writing, have bottled 150,000 spark- 

 ling, and will make 100,000 gallons still wine, the 

 grapes for which are in part already purchased. 

 The capital invested in the manufacture of wine in 

 this locality is about !^800,000. The estimated val- 

 ue of vineyards, $2,500,000. These comliined inter- 

 ests give employment to no less than 2000 persons. 

 Another incident is the manufacture of boxes for 

 shipment of grapes. Not less than 500,000 bo.xes 

 have this year been made. " 



The prices obtained for grapes in 1864-5 averaged 

 growers 12c a lb. net. In 1866 there was a .slight 

 decline, averaging about 10c net for following 

 years. This year, 1870, the crop being so fine, the 

 wine makers have bought all the early wine grapes, 

 paying therefor 10c a lb. 



Wine nrlthont Fermentation. 



1. Having removed all unripe or decayed berries, 

 mash the grapes with the hand, or otherwise, being 

 careful not to crush the seed. 



2. Press out the juice into a suitable vessel, pre- 

 pared with a fawcet near the bottom. 



3. Add alcohol (the deodorized is best) at the rate 

 of a pint to the gallon. This will eflectthe precipi- 

 tation of the fecula and the preservation of the juice 

 perfectly, but if you want a stronger wine add more. 



4. Cover the vessel with a elotli, and allow it to 

 stand forty-eight hours. 



5. Draw oft' first the clear juice and then the sed- 

 iment, passing both through the sand Alter, but keep 

 them separate, if practicable. 



6. Put the wine into a cask and close it perfectly 

 air-tight. It may remain there till wanted for use, 

 or be drawn ofl" after a few weeks and bottled. 



7. Digest the rtiarc (skin, seeds, &c.,) one or two 

 weeks in a mixture of equal volumes of alcohol and 

 water, in a close vessel, and press the filter as be- 

 fore, for a strong cordial. 



8. Care must be take that nothing be u.sed in the 

 manufacture out of which the alcohol can extract 

 any flavor, or the wine will be injured. 



9. The evaporation of the alcohol, after the pro- 

 cess is completed, must be carefully guarded against, 

 by the close stoppage of the cask and bottles. The 

 latter should be sealed with a composition of Bur- 

 guudj' pitch, wax, and tallow, using enough of each 

 to make it a proper consistency — neither too stifl" 

 nor too brittle — melt it over a slow fire, and dip the 

 end of the bottle into it. 



Deodorized Alcohol is alcohol carefully filtered 

 through animal charcoal, and thus rendered as pure 

 as possible. It may be obtained from all chemical 

 labratories in our large cities, or easily made by 

 any one who can procure the proper articles. — Su- 

 ral Cwrolinian. 



CUeap Grape Trellis. 



Those who read the first volume of the Pomolo- 

 GIST will recollect an interesting article in the No- 

 vember number, from our valued correspondent, J. 

 Gr. Mask, ofWest Virginia, in which he describes a 

 very economical and at the same time ornamental 

 method of training the grape. In a late number of 

 the Country Gentleman, Mr. Mask describes (with 

 illustration) another method still more simple and 

 cheap, and which we copy : 



"Plant the vines in rows, at suchdistances-apartas 

 the character of the soil or growth of the grape 

 requires. Set a stout stake, say three inches in 

 diameter and seven feet high, in the line of the row, 

 between every two plants. Let the stakes have a 

 fork at the top, and lay along in these forks poles 

 such as are used for Lima beans. Then set similar 

 poles firmly in the ground to the right and left of 

 each plant, lean them over to the stakes, and fasten 

 them at the top by nailing, tying, or in any other 

 way which may be deemed best. After the vine 

 has been pruned, tie up the cane left for bearing to 

 one of these poles, and as the branch intended for 

 bearing next year proceeds in growth, train and tie 

 it ui) to the other pole ; and when it reaches the top, 

 train and tie it to the horizontal pole, where it can 

 be kept out of the way and from dangling about. 

 By this mode of training, the bearing cane will not 

 be smothered up with the den.se foliage of its own 



