96 
SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
Germans. They labor in them with their wives and 
children, the cultivation is li^ht, and after the first prepar- 
ation of the ground, all the members of the family ca)r as- 
sist. Each acre so cultivated, will produce, one year with 
another, three hundred and fifty gallons of wine, at a low 
estimate, worth one dollar per gallon. The average of 
some vineyards is far above this, some below it; but this 
is a fair average and a safe one for our calculations. Sup- 
pose it to be only half that or one hundred and seventy- 
Sve gallons. My head vine-dresser, himself a German, 
and experienced in the business, tells me that a man and 
his family will cultivate 3 acres with little difficulty and two 
and a half acres with ease. Take the lowest estimate, and 
we have ST37 ; this on two and a half acres, without 
hired labor. But this calculation will be considered by 
those more versed in the business, ridiculously low. 1 
put it so to show with what certainty on how .small a por- 
tion of land an industrious family may make a support. 
Seven hundred dollars would be a much more reasonable 
calculation of the value of their produce, leaving out the 
ordinary productions of a kitchen garden. It it is for this 
class that the introduction of the vine culture will do the 
most. The class who tire of living from hand to mouth, 
tending corn on rented land, and who finally with their 
families and a cart, wend their weary way to the swamps 
of Arkansas, Missouri and Texas — or worse still, give up 
in despair, and take to politics and the grog shop. 
Passing by the amateur (who will cultivate his vineyard 
as he does his roses, profitable or not), the man of capital 
has every inducement to embark in this buiness as a 
Source of profit. The annua! ex{»ense per acre of cultivat- 
ing a vineyard has been estimated with the utmost accur- 
acy. It amounts to about sixty dollars. Independent of 
tlie wine made, the sale of cuttings each year nearly pays 
ihe expense of cultivation. The crop has been estimated 
above in a rough manner. Three liundred gallons are 
very safely calcttlated on Mr. Buchanan one year made 
eight hundred and eighty-four. His average for seven 
years was over four hundred gallons to the acre. When 
the wine is prepared and bottled, it will nett 150 percent, 
upon these calculations; but every thing is put at the lovv- 
est, as when sold from the press, after fermentation. 
We can ha.rdly conceive the immense addition to the 
wealth ofTennessee — or its capacity far increased popu- 
lation and power, siimdd it be found that its soil ar.d cli- 
mate are adapted to this culture, and its citizens encour- 
aged to pursue it. 
There is every reason to hope that we are peculiarly 
v/ell situated in this respect. We have the climate of the 
South of Europe, and our calcareous hill sides afford the 
elements of soil every where thought most desirable. The 
vine flourishe.s under more varieties of climate and soil 
than any other plant intended for the use of man, I l>eiieve, 
Indian corn not excepted. From the sunny plains of 
Persia, to the cold and misty shores of England, it has 
pushed it.s way through Europe, becoming better at this 
place and worse at that, but pervading every country, 
and hailed, as a blessing. In mir country it is indigenous. 
Nature herself lias marked out our adaptedness. 
Its cultiu'e has not heretofore been genera! for several 
obvious rea.'<ons. In the first place, we were not wine 
growing emigrants, and had too much which it was more 
profitable to do, to take time, to learn. Not until the pre 
sent jreneration, has the immigration from wine producing 
countries been very large, and the application of their 
own habits of agricultural management is just beginning 
lo attract attention. 
Quite early, however, in the West, intelligent and far- 
seeing men had turned their thoughts in this way, and 
many experiments were made to introduce the business, 
with but little success. We had not learned enough, and, 
more than all. had not found the right kind of grape. It 
lays at our feet, and we were striving to acclimate the 
European grapes — they theniselves, being strangers in 
Europe, old natives of Persia. They tefused to cross the 
ocean after that, died out, and became barren, and almost 
ruined all hope ofour wine making at all. Daniel Web- 
ster declared that we never could; we lacked the volcanic 
element in our soil, and would have to give it up. We 
were loth to think so. Mr. Longworth, of Cincinnati, 
especially, hung on to the idea of acclimating the grapes 
of Europe. It is admirable to read of the pertinacity with 
which he struggled after this object regardless of expense, 
and hopeful after defeat. Hear what he says : 
“There never was a year, for twenty years, that I did 
not collect foreign grape roots from some of our Eastern 
cities. 1 also imported over 5000 grape roots from Ma- 
deira, of all their best wine grapes; as many from the 
middle part of France and from Germany. All lived and 
'were cultivated for a few years, and finally discarded. As 
a last trial, I imported 0000 roots, composed of 24 varieties 
of grapes, from the mountains of .Jura, in the north part 
of France, where the vine region suddenly ends. Their 
vineyards are for-months covered with snow. My suc- 
cess was no better than with vines from a warmer cli- 
mate.” 
Discouraging enough to drop the Kellie at last! but 
Mr. Longworth had. the trueg/iL and hit it at last with a 
native grape. He has earned the name of the father of 
wine making .in the West. 
Coming nearer home to our own State and city, we 
find that the same spirit has been operating here. Many 
have been impelled by the same hope of acclimating the 
foreign grapes, to make long and expensive elforts. The 
most remarkable and noteworthy of these was made by 
our fellow citizen, Dr. Felix Robertson, nearly half a cen- 
tury ago. It becomes a matter of historical interest, which 
I hope will be my excuse for publishing, in full, a letter 
lately received from the Doctor on the subject. Every 
portion of the letter is interesting — not the least so to me, 
his cheerful God speed at the end. 
Nashvjllr, August 30, 1856. 
Mr. John R. Eakin — Dear Sir : — I received afew days 
since your letter asking information on the subject of the 
cukure of the foreign grape. I believe I wa.s the first 
person in this vicinity who made an attempt at the cul- 
ture of the vine to any extent. I cannot be precise as to 
dates, having notJiing bui memory to rely on. I think it 
was in 1810 that 1 commenced. There was no means of 
obtaining slips at that time nif^her than Glasgow, Ken- 
tucky. I ordered a quantity of slips from there, sufficient 
us I supposed, to set ten acres They were broughtdown 
in cold, dry weather, and from the carelessness of the 
wagoner, (who neither gave them water or protection,) 
they arrived in very bud condition, and caused it to be 
two or three years before I had the ground fully set. I 
planted them, I think six feet by four, a stake to Ccich, six 
or eight feet high. I did not prepare the ground as was 
diiected, by deep and tnorough spading and turning. It 
was prepared as well as could be expected with the plow. 
I think my collection only comprised four or five varieties. 
A large and small cape grape, Madeira and Bordeaux. I 
do not at present reeoliectany others, all said to be foreign. 
The Long Cape is what is now called by some the 
Schuylkill Mu.seatel, and is, I believe, by many, claimed 
as a native. This is decidedly the best table grape I have 
yet tasted. The Small Cape was something over half the 
size of the larger; round, black berry, and quite sweet, 
it bore in short, compact bunches. The Madeira was 
much such a looking grape as to color and size as the Isa- 
bella, but I think ,a purer sweet. The Bordeaux was a 
large, round berry, in short and very compact bunehes. 
About the time the vines first commenced bearing, I 
