451 



every three years, on alternate blocks, about 1 worth of chemical 

 fertilisers, or, say, an expenditure at an annual rate of 7s. per acre. 



FOURTH YEAR AND AFTER. 



From the time of pruning to vintage, inclusive, the cost, when 

 the vineyard is in full bearing, would be: 



s. d. 



Pruning, tying, picking, and removing cuttings 1 10 



Two ploughings ... ... ... ... ... 100 



Hoeing round vines and scarifying ... ... 2 



Sulphuring and manuring ... ... ... 150 



Picking 1 four tons grapes and carting to cellar 2 10 



Interest on capital at seven per cent. ... ... 2 10 



10 15 



Or, on a 100-acre vineyard, ,1,075, bringing the cost price of the 

 grapes up to 2 16s. per ton. 



This does not include interest or sinking fund on purchase 

 cost of the land and plant and on cost of supervision. 



Cost of Manufacturing Wine from produce of 100 Acres of Grapes 



Class C. 



One ton of grapes gives from 125 to 135 gallons of must, 

 allowing a shrinkage of from 25 to 35 gallons to represent waste, 

 evaporation, lees removed, racking, etc., up to the time when the 

 wine is distilled a very liberal allowance. We see that one ton of 

 grapes yields at least 100 gallons of marketable wine ; or one acre, 

 yielding four tons of grapes planted with Class C grapes will 

 produce 400 gallons of wine; and 100 acres, 40,000 gallons. 



In a well-equipped wine cellar, the cost of crushing, pressing, 

 fermenting, caskage, racking, and housing for one year is 

 well within 4d. a gallon ; for one acre, at 400 gallons, this amounts 

 to 6 13s. 4d., and 100 acres, at 40,000 gallons, equals 666 10s. 



Total^Cost at per Gallon per Acre, and per 100 Acres\of good, 

 sound Wine for Brandy making. 



From the above data we see that the cultivation of one acre of 

 vineyard, producing four tons of grapes, delivered at the cellar, will 

 amount to 10 15s. The manufacture of same into 400 gallons of 

 wine amounts to 6 13s. 4d., or a total of 17 8s. 4d.; or, for 100 

 acres, 1,770, which makes the cost of the wine, at per gallon, 



Of course, it should be borne in mind this only applies to vine- 

 yards planted with vines yielding large crops of grapes. 



COST OF BRANDY MANUFACTURE. 



I have not considered the amount of capital required for pro- 

 viding cellarage accommodation and distillation plant for manufac- 

 turing the wine from a 100-acre vineyard into brandy. The amount 



