The Cultivation of the Native Grape, and Manufacture of American Wines

Part 1

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THE CULTIVATION OF THE NATIVE GRAPE,

AND

MANUFACTURE OF AMERICAN WINES.

GEORGE HUSMANN,

OF HERMANN, MISSOURI.

GEO. E. WOODWARD, PUBLISHER AND IMPORTER, Art, Architectural and Rural Books, 136 CHAMBERS STREET, NEW YORK.

ORANGE JUDD CO., 245 Broadway.

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1866, by GEO. E. & F. W. WOODWARD, In the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States, for the Southern District of New York.

TO THE GRAPE GROWERS OF "OUR COUNTRY, ONE AND INDIVISIBLE," THIS VOLUME IS DEDICATED BY THEIR FRIEND AND FELLOW-LABORER, THE AUTHOR.

INDEX.

PAGE.

INTRODUCTION 9

GRAPE CULTURE.

Remarks on its History in America, especially at the West; its Progress and its Future, 13

PROPAGATION OF THE VINE.

I.--From Seed 27

II.--By Single Eyes 30 The Propagating House 31 Mode of Operating 32

III.--By Cuttings in Open Air 37

IV.--By Layering 39

V.--By Grafting 40

THE VINEYARD.

Location and Soil 43 Preparing the Soil 45

WHAT SHALL WE PLANT?

Choice of Varieties 47 The Concord 48 Norton's Virginia 48 Herbemont 49 Delaware 49 Hartford Prolific 49 Clinton 50

PLANTING.

Planting. 51 Treatment of the Vine the First Summer 56 Treatment of the Vine the Second Summer 57 Treatment of the Vine the Third Summer 63 Treatment of the Vine the Fourth Summer 69 Training the Vines on Arbors and Walls 71 Other Methods of Training the Vine 75 Diseases of the Vine 78 Insects Injurious to the Grape 80 Birds 84 Frosts 85 Girdling the Vine to Hasten Maturity 86 Manuring the Vine 91 Thinning of the Fruit 91 Renewing Old Vines 92 Pruning Saws 93 Preserving the Fruit 95 Gathering the Fruit to Make Wine 96

VARIETIES OF GRAPES. CLASS I.--VARIETIES MOST GENERALLY USED.

Part 2

Concord (Description) 97 Concord (Plate) 111 Norton's Virginia (Description) 98 Norton's Virginia (Plate) 87 Herbemont (Plate) 99 Herbemont (Description) 101 Hartford Prolific (Description) 101 Hartford Prolific (Plate) 105 Clinton 102 Delaware (Description) 102 Delaware (Plate) 81

CLASS II.--HEALTHY VARIETIES PROMISING WELL.

Cynthiana 103 Arkansas 104 Taylor 104 Martha 107 Maxatawney (Description) 107 Maxatawney (Plate) 177 Rogers' Hybrid, No. 1 107 Creveling (Description) 108 Creveling (Plate) 117 North Carolina Seedling 108 Cunningham 109 Rulander 109 Louisiana 110 Alvey 110 Cassady 110 Blood's Black 113 Union Village (Description) 113 Union Village (Plate) 167 Perkins 113 Clara (Description) 114 Clara (Plate) 127 Ive's Seedling 114

CLASS III.--HEALTHY VARIETIES--BUT INFERIOR IN QUALITY.

Minor Seedling 116 Mary Ann 119 Northern Muscadine 119 Logan 119 Brown 119 Hyde's Eliza 119 Marion Port 120 Poeschel's Mammoth 120 Cape 120 Dracut Amber 120 Elsinburgh 120 Garber's Albino 121 Franklin 121 Lenoir 121 North America 121

CLASS IV.--VARIETIES OF GOOD QUALITY, BUT SUBJECT TO DISEASE.

Catawba 121 Diana 122 Isabella 122 Garrigues 123 Tokalon 123 Anna 123 Allen's Hybrid 123 Cuyahoga 123 Devereux 124 Kingsessing 124 Rogers' Hybrid, No. 15 124

CLASS V.--VARIETIES UNWORTHY OF CULTIVATION.

Oporto 124 Massachusetts White 125

WINE MAKING.

Gathering the Grapes 131 The Wine Cellar 133 Apparatus for Wine Making.--The Grape Mill and Press 136 Fermenting Vats 137 The Wine Casks 138 Making the Wine 140 After Treatment of the Wine 146 Diseases of the Wine and their Remedies 147 Treatment of flat and Turbid Wine 147 Use of the Husks and Lees 148 Dr. Gall's and Petoil's Method of Wine Making 148 The Must Scale or Saccharometer 150 The Acidimeter and Its Use 151 The Change of the Must, by Fermentation, into Wine 157 Normal Must 161 The Must of American Grapes 162 Wine Making Made Easy 173

STATISTICS.

Cost of Establishing A Vineyard 179 Cost of an acre of Concord 179 Cost of an acre of Herbemont 179 Cost of an acre of Norton's Virginia 180 Cost of an acre of Delaware 180 Cost of an acre of Catawba 180 Product 181 Produce Fifth Year 182 Yield of Mr. MICHAEL POESCHEL'S Vineyard 184 New Vineyard of Mr. M. POESCHEL, Planted in 1861; First Partial Crop, 1863; Second Crop, 1864; Third Crop, 1865, 184, 185 Yield of Vineyard of Mr. WILLIAM POESCHEL, 1857, 1858, 1859, 1860 185 Yield of Vineyard of Mr. WILLIAM POESCHEL 1861, 1862, 1863, 1864 186 Yield of Vineyard of Mr. WILLIAM POESCHEL 1865 187 Yield of Delaware Vineyard of JOHN E. MOTTIER 189

INTRODUCTION

It is with a great deal of hesitation I undertake to write a book about Grapes, a subject which has been, and still is, elucidated every day; and about which we have already several works, which no doubt are more learned, more elaborate, than anything I may produce. But the subject is of such vast importance, and the area suitable for grape culture so large, the diversity of soil and climate so great, that I may be pardoned if I still think that I could be of some use to the beginner; it is for them, and not for my brethren of the craft more learned than I am, that I write. If they can learn anything from the plain talk of a practical worker, to help them along in the good work, I am well repaid.

Another object I have in view is to make grape growing as easy as possible; and I may be pardoned if I say that, in my opinion, it is a defect in all books we have on grape culture, that the manner of preparing the soil, training, etc., are on too costly a plan to be followed by men of little means. If we are first to trench and prepare the soil, at a cost of about $300 per acre, and then pay $200 more for trellis, labor, etc., the poor man, he who must work for a living, can not afford to raise grapes. And yet it is from the ranks of these sturdy sons of toil that I would gain my recruits for that peaceful army whose sword is the pruning-hook; it is from their honest, hard-working hands I expect the grandest results. He who has already wealth enough at command can of course afford to raise grapes with bone-dust, ashes, and all the fertilizers. He can walk around and give his orders, making grape culture an elegant pastime for his leisure hours, as well as a source of profit. But, being one of the first class myself, I had to fight my way up through untold difficulties from the lowest round of the ladder; had to gain what knowledge I possess from dear experience, and can therefore sympathize with those who must commence without means. It is my earnest desire to save them some of the losses which I had to suffer, to lighten their toil by a little plain advice. If I can succeed in this, my object is accomplished.

In nearly all our books on grape culture I notice another defect, especially in those published in the East; it is, that they contain a great deal of good advice about grape culture, but very little about wine-making, and the treatment of wine in the cellar. For us here at the West this is an all-important point, and even our Eastern friends, if they continue to plant grapes at the rate they have done for the last few years, will soon glut the market, and will be forced to make them into wine. I shall therefore try to give such simple instructions about wine-making and its management as will enable every one to make a good saleable and drinkable wine, better than nine-tenths of the foreign wines, which are now sold at two to three dollars per bottle. I firmly believe that this continent is destined to be the greatest wine-producing country in the world; and that the time is not far distant when wine, the most wholesome and purest of all stimulating drinks, will be within the reach of the common laborer, and take the place of the noxious and poisonous liquors which are now the curse of so many of our laboring men, and have blighted the happiness of so many homes. Pure light wine I consider the best temperance agent; but as long as bad whisky and brandy continue to be the common drink of its citizens we can not hope to accomplish a thorough reform; for human nature seems to crave and need a stimulant. Let us then try to supply the most innocent and healthy one, the exhilarating juice of the grape.

I have also endeavored throughout to give plain facts, to substantiate with plain figures all I assert; and in no case have I allowed fancy to roam in idle speculations which cannot be demonstrated in practice. I do not pretend that my effort is "the most comprehensive and practical essay on the grape," as some of our friends call their productions, but I can claim for it strict adherence to truth and actual results.

I have not thought it necessary to give the botanical description of the grape-vine, and the process of hybridizing, etc.; this has already been so well and thoroughly done by my friend FULLER, that I can do no better than refer the scientific reader to his book. I am writing more for the practical farmer, and would rather fill what I think a vacancy, than repeat what has been so well said by others.

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