576 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



trained on a house, I made twenty-two gallons of wine. In the 

 vineyard I let the vines fall from the top of the frames and take 

 root, and some of the vines appear like a mass of fruit from the 

 ground to the top. I made 1,500 gallons of wine from a trifle 

 over three-quarters of an acre of the Isabella and Catawba. I 

 spread my manure on the surface every year, principally pou- 

 drette, and take great care not to pack the earth, even by walking 

 through the vineyard. My oldest vines are eighteen years old. 

 I never disturb the oldest roots, and trim very sparingly. I 

 keep the ground full of roots, growing the vines with roots at 

 both ends. These small end roots I dig up and remove when 

 necessary, but I am sparing of the knife, and do not want the 

 ground disturbed in the bearing season. I am even so careful 

 of packing, that I lay down planks to wheel maniu-e upon. I 

 use clean sand as a top dressing, and consider it very valuable. 

 I am careful in picking the fruit, but after that it is handled 

 roughly, being hauled in a wagon to the crushing vat, wJiere it 

 may be crushed by any sort of machinery. I have used a sugar 

 crushing mill. I add about one pound of sugar per gallon, and 

 nothing else. At the request of some medical men I tried the 

 experiment, last fall, of making pure brandy. If I use pure 

 juice it takes five gallons of wine for one of brandy, which 

 \vould make it too expensive. But in wine-making there are the 

 grape skins and the lees of the wine casks and wine tliat could 

 not be bottled without filtering, all of which can be distilled, 

 and thus make the business profitable, and yet give the public a 

 pure article. There is nothing but the pure grape juice in my 

 wine or brandy, except the sugar. No alcohol is added. And 

 such wines as I make, and they have certainly been highly ap- 

 proved and have taken first premiums, I can sell at the follow- 

 ing rates, which afford such a profit tliat I am only waiting for a 

 location to extend the business of grape growing : 



Price of Whies. 



Three years old, op draught, per gallon $2 00 



In bottles, per dozen 9 00 



Five years old, on draught 3 50 



