Of The Wild Vines, Which Are Most Of Them
Great Bearers, Some Wine Has Been Made, Which I Drank Of.
It was very strong and well relisht; but what detains them all from offering
at great quantities, they add, that
This Grape has a large Stone,
and a thick Skin, and consequently yields but a small Quantity of Wine.
Some Essays of this Nature have been made by that Honourable Knight,
Sir Nathanael Johnson, in South Carolina, who, as I am inform'd,
has rejected all Exotick Vines, and makes his Wine from the natural
black Grape of Carolina, by grafting it upon its own Stock.
What Improvement this may arrive to, I cannot tell; but in other Species,
I own Grafting and Imbudding yields speedy Fruit, tho' I never found
that it made them better.
New planted Colonies are generally attended with a Force and Necessity
of Planting the known and approved Staple and Product of the Country,
as well as all the Provisions their Families spend. Therefore we
can entertain but small hopes of the Improvement of the Vine,
till some skilful in dressing Vines shall appear amongst us,
and go about it, with a Resolution, that Ordering the Vineyard
shall be one half of their Employment. If this be begun and carried on,
with that Assiduity and Resolution which it requires,
then we may reasonably hope to see this a Wine-Country;
for then, when it becomes a general Undertaking, every one will be capable
to add something to the common Stock, of that which he has gain'd
by his own Experience. This way would soon make the Burden light,
and a great many shorter and exacter Curiosities, and real Truths
would be found out in a short time. The trimming of Vines,
as they do in France, that is, to a Stump, must either here be not follow'd,
or we are not sensible of the exact time, when they ought to be thus pruned;
for Experience has taught us, that the European Grape,
suffer'd to run and expand itself at large, has been found to bear
as well in America, as it does in Europe; when, at the same time,
the same sort of Vine trimm'd to a Stump, as before spoken of,
has born a poor Crop for one Year or two; and by its spilling, after cutting,
emaciated, and in three or four Years, died. This Experiment, I believe,
has never fail'd; for I have trimm'd the natural Vine the French way,
which has been attended, at last, with the same Fate. Wherefore, it seems
most expedient, to leave the Vines more Branches here, than in Europe,
or let them run up Trees, as some do, in Lombardy, upon Elms.
The Mulberries and Chinkapin are tough, and trimm'd to what you please,
therefore fit Supporters of the Vines. Gelding and plucking away the Leaves,
to hasten the ripening of this Fruit, may not be unnecessary,
yet we see the natural wild Grape generally ripens in the Shade.
Nature in this, and many others, may prove a sure Guide.
The Twisting of the Stems to make the Grapes ripe together,
loses no Juice, and may be beneficial, if done in Season.
A very ingenious French Gentleman, and another from Switzerland,
with whom I frequently converse, exclaim against that strict cutting of Vines,
the generally approved Method of France and Germany, and say,
that they were both out in their Judgment, till of late, Experience has
taught them otherwise.
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