Historical Document · 1825

A Treatise on the Culture of the Vine and the Art of Making Wine

Author: Busby
Year: 1825
Type: Historical Document

wine

A TREATISE ON THE OQULTURD OF TAD VIND, ART OF MAKING WINE; COMPILED FROM THE WORKS OF CHAPTAL, AND OTHER FRENCH WRI TERS; AND FROM THE “NOTES OF THE COMPILER, DURING A RESIDENCE IN SOME OF THE WINE PROVINCES OF FRANCE. BY JAMES BUSBY. Tot vina, quot agri.—PLiny. ~ AUSTRALIA: PRINTED BY R, HOWE, GOVERNMENT PRINTER. 1825. AUSTRALIA: PRINTED BY 8. HOWE. TO HIS EXCELLENCY MAJOR GENERAL SIR THOMAS BRISBANE, K.C.B. LED. PRS.L& E. &e, GOVERNOR AND COMMANDER IN CHIEF, IN AND OVER THE TERRITORY OF NEW SOUTH WALES, AND ITS. DEPENDENCIES. THE FOLLOWING TREATISE, BEING AN HUMBLE ATTEMPT TO PROMOTE THE ADVANCEMENT OF THE INTERESTING COLONIES UNDER HIS COMMAND, iS MOST RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED, BY HIS OBEDIENT HUMBLE SERVANT, THE AUTHOR. CONTENTS. IntRODUCTION. TURR, ON THB VINB - Climate - - Soil - - Exposure Seasons Culture reeet penne pee nae penne CHAP. II. Or VARIETIES OF VINES, AND THEIR PROPAGATION BY SEED Varieties from change of Soil, Climate, &c. Varieties from Seed - - - Mixture of Varieties, &c. - - - Description of Varieties - - - CHAP, III. PART I.---CHAP. I. . eoenate | “ # een ' Page. ‘Or THE INFLUENCE OF CLIMATE, SOIL, EXPOSURE, SEASONS, AND CUL- & Cn en er | prene OF THE PREPARATION OF THE SOIL, THE CHOICE OF PLANTS, AND THE DIFFERENT METHODS OF PLANTING - Choice of Plants - - - - Season for Planting . - Methods of Planting - - - - CHAP. IV. Ov THE HEIGHT OF VINES, THEIR PRUNING, AND SUPPORTS Height of the Stocks - - . Pruning = - - - - .- Props - 1 - - - - Pinching, unleaving, &c. - - CHAP. V. ‘OF LABOURING AND MANURING THE SOIL FOR VINES Labouring of the Soil - - - Instruments of Labour---Manure - - Taste of theSoil = - - - - - CHAP. VI. OF THE DISEASES AND ACCIDENTS INCIDENT TO VINES, WITH THE MEANS OF PREVENTION, REMEDY, AND RENEWAL Injuries from Frost - - - - Failure of Fructification - Diseases from other Causes isease from Insects - Renewal of Plants by Layers “* Old Age of Vines - - ee ee ee ee | Preserving Gra - Raisins | eh earges 6 CONTENTS. PART 11_—CHAP. I. Page. Or THE MOST FAVOURABLE PERIOD FOR THE vinTAaGR, ABD THE METHOD OF PROCEDURE - - - - - 2% CHAP. IF. Or THE MEANS OF DISPOSING THE JUICE OF THE GRAPE TO FERMENTA- TION - - - - - - - - - 13I CHAP. IIE. Or TREPRENOMENA OF FERMENTATION, AND THE MEANS OF MANAGINGIT 1H : Causes whieh influence Fermentation - - - - - 6 Temperature - - - - - - - = ibid. Atmospheric Air . _ . - - - - Ke Volume of the Liquid - - - - - Constituent Principles of the Must - -. - - 16 Products of Fermentation - - - - - - - 167 Heat - - - - - - - - le Carbonic Acid - - - - - - - - 170 Alcobol - - - - - - - - - 1% Colon - - - - - _ - Fs _Mazagement ‘of Fermentation - - - - - ~ 390: CHAP. IV. Or THRTIME AND MANNER OF DISCHARGING THE VAT - - - 1% CHAP. V. OP THE MANAGEMENT OF WINESIN THE CASE ~_ - - - - 193 ‘Sulpbaring - - - - - - - - 398 Racking off - - - - - - - - 201 Clavify fying - -- - - .- - - - 0 Mixing of Wines - - - = - - - - WF Flavouring of Wines - - - - - - - 211 Vessels proper for containing Wines - -. - - - 214 . CHAP: VI. ; . OP THE DEGENERATIONS AND SPONTANBOUS ALTERATIONS OF WINES + 29 Ropiness - - - - _e - - - - 2 Ascescence - - - - - - - - 228 CHAP. VII. - Op THE VIRTUES OF WINE a , - + 996 OHAP. VIII. - - . Or THE PRINCIPLES CONTAINED.IN WINE - . - - “1 Malic Acid - - - - - - - ibid. Tartar. - - . - “. we - - 44 Aroma - - - - - - - - - U6 - Colouring Principle - - - = - - ~ ibd. @HAP. IX. -Or THE MABUPACTDRE OF VINRGSE FROM WINE . - -' 30 CHAP.-X. OF THE DISTILLATION OF WINRS, - e : “eo Lo 866 INTRODUCTION. IN. the view of emigrating to New South Wales,-the compiler of the following. work was led into an examination of the circum stances of that colony, in the course of which, he was particularly struck with the relation ig: which it stands to the mother country. ‘. Destitute-of, or producing in a very: ins considerable degree, any article of produce whjch might minister to the wants or com forts of Great Britain, and, consequently, ins capable of niaintaining with her that regular and natural intercourse between a colony. and its parent state, which consists in the exchange of the raw produce: of the one, for the manu« factured commodities of the other, New South - Wales seems, till: very lately, to have been ebiefly dependent on the expenditure of the money of Great Britain, in the subsistence of felons transported to its shores, and in the pay: of the establishments necessary for their mas: nagementand controul; and has, consequently, been ‘considered rather asa ‘necessary. and expensive appendage. to the judicial institu, B . s x INTRODUCTION. tions of the country, than a colony to which she might look for at extension of her power, or an increase of: her trade and. resources. . Of late, however, the spirit of emigration has led thither many individuals and families, of a different description from that of which the bulk of the colony formerly consisted. | Men of enterprise and industry have been induced to settle in the colony, by the ex- pectation that the abundance of good. Jand which would be granted to them’ without price, and almost without burdens, would repay.the capital and. industry engaged ‘on it, better than the highly. rented and. taxed ‘lands of their native country ; or, than any other . mode: of: investing ‘their capital, ‘and employing their industry was capable of doing; where ‘it had so.much competition to contend with... . re :. ‘Fhe:number of the respectable portion of the.community has also been. increased,. by ‘the families and ‘descendants of the.original ‘and: snecessive Officers of the military .and civil: establishments, who, pleased ‘with the finediess ‘of ‘the’ climate, : and, .perhaps, in- fluenced by motives similar. to those of the emigrants, have relinquished the desire of returning. home; forthe. prospects offered by .@ settlement in.the.colony; and lastly, -by: zany of the reformed convicts, and..their children, whose conduct entitles them to be considered respectable members of society. ° os INTRODUCTION. xt The ‘returns: of population ‘have, accor- dingty, for some time, shewn a considerable excess of ‘free persons; and the formation of - settlements in the: North, for the removal of . the convicts not necessary for the service of these, -and “of the government, ‘with other . arrangements, shew, that the interests of the former have become.a subject of considera- - tion,: independently. of the latter ;--afid: that the’ titvie ‘has arrived, when New South: Wales . ought ‘to, be, and is, considered in a different - light from what it.was when it consisted only of convicts and their rulers. yee tres - Agriculture has been said to be the natural : and. proper. business of all new colonies. * But this must have been said with reference ‘to that agriculture, which bas for its object the . raiging of some article of produce, over and: above. the consumption ‘of.the colonists, for exportation to the n.other country, or to-sonie other market. where the price would afford . 4 :profit: to the cultivators. | -Without' such exportation, how were the colonists to obtain the nianiercus articles of manufacture iirdi- spensable’ in‘ civilized. life, and the not’ less numerous articles of luxury, which previous habit .had ‘made: necessary: to their comfort, mnuch less to advance with those rapid strides ‘to wealth and importance, which have, in all ages of thé world, ‘been the , characteristics of; new; colonies, planted in favourable situa tions? & yo : : ¥H ‘INTRODUCTION, .- That the situation of the cotony of. New South Wales hes been unfavourable for the exportation of the surplus produce of. these asticles, to the raisiag of which, Hts agricul- ~ tural industry hes hitherto been confined, the late history, and present aspect of its agricul- ture, furnishes abundant proof. . As long as the demand of government was equal to the surplus produce of the country, the want of a foreign market was not felt; but when the demands of government, though increasing, ceased to bear any proportion to the increased number of cultivators, and it became impossible for each cultivator to dis- pose of the whole of his: surplas. produce.to _ the commissariat, it was: natural, that. in the absence of: any ether internal market, he should Jook to another country. for that de- mand: which. was no longer to: be found at. home.. - The distance of Great Britain made it impossible that he should there find a pro-: fitable market, even had. the war price of . agricultural produce continued. . Tie Cape- of- Good. Hope was looked to’ and -tried, but there the competition of the Americans was too powerful for him to obtain..a. remunera-: ting price; and, as. was the natural conse-. uence, his industry was cramped, and. his elds left untilled ;—-nay, aceording: to. some accounts, his crops were allowed to perish on. the. field, becatise.a glut.ef the market gave him no hopes that its sale would i-: INRTODUCTION. | Xin demnify him for the expende of gathering it. _ Perhaps, under any other circuinstandes, the effect of sach an excess of produce, thrown ‘on the markets of the colony, would have been to reduce prices so low as to occasion an indisposition, if not arr inability te cultivate the following year,.and famine might. have followed in the train, and as the consequericd of excessive production.” rt - ‘The-regulations of the Governor in fixia the prices of produce at'a rate which would tepay with a profit the expence of produc- tion, has, to a great extent, prevented. this misforttine, since the colony was capable’ of supplying .itself. But the evils of an uneer- tain market have, nevertheless, been severely’ felt, and it is cértainly more owing to these, _. than to either “ the uncertainty of climate; “or the carelessness of convict servants, that, “ the colony has been under the ‘necessity of “ importing grain froma Van Diemen’s Land, ' “and even more lately from. Valparaiso.”* L roar oi. =, ha -. 3. ‘ as ap it -§ * This introduction was written during the passage to thet colény; in December 1823. If its principles required illustration or preof, none. copld:he afferded,. better than the state of the corn’ market: in the colony since that period. For some months after the: harvest of 1928, the price of wheat did not exceed 3s. 6d: or'4s,- a-beshel, aad at. that pried it was most difficult to fitel-a nfarket’ for it. It is said, that-somse of tlie more distant settlers actually’ fed. their hogs -with it. Jt is at all events‘certain, that wach was! wasted... Aheut four or’ five nienthe before'the harvest of 1824, apprehensions of- a Scarcity began to. be ehtertaiied, and in the’ conreg Of six. weeks, or two maniths, large quantities of wheat,” XIV". INTRODUCTION. - Having ‘such discouragements to struggle * with, as well as the competition of the soil _ and climate - of ‘Van: Diemen’s ‘Land, : thé _ superiority“of which, ‘for grain. crops,‘ has of im bushel. . : Lo Lo rs - The government; who have fer some time obtained supplies by-tender, were now loidly:complained of for not paying a higher ported. from Ven Diemen’s Land, sold at 20s, and 2is."a | owe price, atid supporting the previous artificial system. It is con, sidered in the colony, that 3s. 6d: or 4s. is, under few circumstances, @ veniunefatiig price, but though, by -paying a higher price than. it was. possible to procure it for by. tender, the price of wheat might have been supported and less waste have taken lace,’ Still, as long as the commissariat did not purchase all the: surplus produce of each cultivator, not ‘disposable in-the ~ market, the evil could only be imperfectly and temporarily . feniedied. ‘ The cdlony has certainly reached that degree of ‘advancement, and.the extent of. cleared and cultivated land in preportion to the number of inhabitants is so considerable, that the considerations whith made it'the wisest: policy of government to: niaintain the priges-of: produce: in its earlier stages, have ceased to exist.’ t.a time, then, when the impolicy of the interference of © verhment, in directing the industry of any class of the come, munity to other ‘channels’ than those to which the interests of the parties would naturally lead them, has been.so generally recognized,’ and s0extensively acted upon by the legislature'at home, it is acarcely to be-expécted by the cotonist of New South Wales, that artificial inducements are to be held out to his industry ip. the form of a bounty on the growth of wheat, even though it were possible so to distribute the benefits of it, that there should be no - real or-apparent ground for murmuring. « It appears to me, that there is even much room to doubt, whether - the payment of a-high price, by the commissariat, would be really advantageous to the settler. At no very: distant period, the’ stimulus afferded by it must be withdrawn, and the re-action felt ; and its.evident lency, in-the meantime, would be to keep the settler from seeking out other objects of industry, and ascertain-" ing the real: grounds on which his ultimate prosperity must rest. | eo- ‘ox. a steady remunerating price of wheat, and, uently, a. regular-supply of. the market, there can be no hope.till sore oth ner preduction of the soil is raised, which shall share with it the he _XV. _INTRODUCTION. latée‘attracted the greater:number.of, settlers, and enabled them to undersell the‘farmer of New South Wales,. even:in his cwn market; — it is not Surprising that the raising of grain.in the colony should be confined to the richest soils—that lands; which have been exhausted _by the carelessness and incompetence of.thiase who , cultivated them,:.have~been entirely rieglected—and that.the capital and indust of the colony should be directed to other channels. | mo an . The most considerable .of these, and ‘that which seems to possess, for the capitalist, the greatest inducement is sheep stock, for which the climate of the colony has proved’ favour- _able in‘an uncommon degree, and for which its unsettled districts afford an almost .un- jimited range... . . ns The attention .of some individuals has been — turned.to.the coarser manufactures, -but the labour employed in .these, however ‘con- . venient to.the colony in-its present .circum- stances, is rather.a.bar.to.its trade with other - conntries, as the high price of labour, ‘the want of skill which experience gives, .and-of improvements which an extensive capital .can: alone render available, must enhance ‘the © industry of the settler, and supply what it hag been found inca able of doing, a-profitable article of export. -And it is probable,’ that £1000 expended by government in bringing such an article. ta’ the notice of. the colonist, would be attended with more real and . perthanent, advantage, than £30,000 in bolsteriug'up an artificial price of wheats 2 c.f Seed LD a INTRODUCTION, XVt price of the commodities too much, to allow _ of their heing an article of export. va This remark is, of course, not applicable to yery coarse and bulky articles, and perhaps is not applicable: at all to the colony in ‘its present'state, from the difficulty in directing that labour to the raising of produce, ex- changeable for. these manufactures with a eeuntry whose facilities for manufacturing weregteater; ee Accordingly, the production of fine wool ’ has béen stated, by the commissioner of én- quiry, Mr. Bigge, to be “ the principal, if not “the: only. source of productive industry: “‘ within the colony, from which the settlers ‘can: derive the means of repaying ‘the “advances. made to them by the. mother “ country, or supplying their owa demands ¢ fot articles of foreign manufacture.” « he chief obstacle to the extension of sheep stock, is the expence of transporting the wool to the place of embarkation, from those sta: tions which are at a distance from it. This ebstacle must increase in magnitude, ‘with the inerease of the flocks and their consequent distance in the interior; and this distance must soon be very great, as the virtual occu- pation of 9000 acres of land is stated not to enable Mr, M‘Arthur to maintain more than _ The sinking hopes of those; who depended, on the tillage of the soil, have been. consider INTRODUCTION.. * KVII ably. revived. by. the late permission -to distil’ spirits from grain in the colony ;.and: there; cannot be a doubt, that agricultural industry- will thence’ receive a new impulse; but the benefits detivable from this: permission, : are: \ vofa limited nature.) we * It will, tio doubt, increase the demand for grain, and, consequently, its production; and it will have the very important effect ‘of shielding thé colonists from,. or at: least. of mitigating. the ‘effects of, a failure of crops. It will also render available, within the colony, a part of that capital which was ‘sent. out..of it for ‘the ‘purchase of foreign spirits ;: and these, so far as they go, are benefits of .the first: importance: .But the..consumption. of this spirit is liniited to the volony, and,.as to a foreign market, is precisely in the same _ situation with the grain itself. © tat Its greatest effects will be to increase, in préportion to the number of inhabitants, the ‘quantity of ‘land in cultivation to the. extent necessary for ‘supplying this’ additional .pro- ‘duce of spirits.- It-will enable the colonist to render available his own soil, for a certain ‘portion of his wants which formerly diminished the limited returns which the limited market for his produce afforded. ‘Bat here. its in- ‘fluence ‘will stép, and its advantages will bear ‘po comparison with. that employment. for Yabour ‘and capital, ‘the demand for which ‘is. uplimited, because the ‘demand for ‘its xviit INTRODUCTION.. products is only limited by the power ‘of roduction. 4 Lo, It will operate on the prosperity of the colony, as those medicines on the human frame, which (the cure being. beyond - the power of the physician) are administered to alleviate present pain, and protract the perfod of that dissolution they cannot prevent. . _ .From a consideration of these cirquinstan- ces, and undef a strong impression of -the importance to the colony of an increase of its exportable commodities, the compiler of: the - following work was induced to spend some months in the best wine districts of France, . with a view of acquainting himself with the ‘cultivation of the vine for the making of wine, and having the power to ascertain to what extent it might be profitably cultivated in New South Wales. _— : The result of the itivestigations which he tnade, relative to this subject was, a convic- tion on his mind, that there was the strongest ; probability, not of its partial success, but of its supplying the great desideratuin of a staple iarticle of export, to which the colonists of New South Wales might be indebted for their future prosperity. _ ‘This conviction was founded, in the first place, on a consideration of the profits derived -from the cultivation of vineyards, the yaluée which this culture gives, to lands favourable for it over those employed in any other species INTRODUCTION, 540.4 of agriculture, and its importance in the rural economy of countries where it is most generally and ‘extensively established ;—in the second lace, on the probability that the climate of ew South Wales, and many of its soils; at resent useless from their sterlity, would be Pvourable for the culture of the vine ;—and in the third place, on its being a cylture, for thé products of which, ay extensive market might befound. © ~ n visiting, and attentively observing, some of the most celebrated wine districts in the south of France, the compiler of the follow- ing work found every-soil, which by its nature or situation was favourable for the cultivation of the vine, exclusively devoted to that pur- pose; and to many of these it had given a value which made him doubt very strongly of the information he received, though from most respectable sources, till he had an op- portunity of ‘confirming its correctness, by . the’ corresponding notes of that acute and accurate observer, Mr. Arthur Young, and by — the later work of the Count de Chaptal. =» In the neighbourhood of Cadillac, a small town on the right bank of the Garonne;-:.. where the compiler for some time resided, “a. - vineyard was for sale, which had been for many years in a state of decay, from the sons of the former proprietor having been in the’ army at the time of his death, and shewing, on their return home little industry, or ins XX: INTRODUCTION, |. _*¢lination to .cultivate for: their.common ad- “vantage, what had fallen to them.in equal - _ tight. .. Its extent was 40 journeaur of Cadillac, whieh. is.equal to about 27 and .one-third '- English acres.. - The buildings on it could not ‘much -exceed £100 in value. |The price * demanded was 45,000 franes, 40.000 liad been offered. The medium price: 42,500,; or £1770, 16s. sterling, is £65,: ‘or, allowing - £100 for buildings, £62 an- English acre nearly. - At this-price,; one-of the best judges of the country, the mayor of Cadillac, affirmed, that if the purchaser possessed skill and capital . todo .it justice, it ought to. repay Lim his purchase money in six years, though by that time it could hardly be. brought to the high state of cultivation. in which it was kept by the father.of. the. present proprietors. . Cadillac is not famous tor the quality of its wines, but on. the opposite side of the river, Sauterne, Barsac, and Preignac, produce the ’ famous white wines which go by their names ; -and here, as might be expected, the first soils * reach a still higher value. The Journal of _ Barsac contains only a very. small: fraction more than. half_an English acre, and yet it * eannot be purchased for less than 2,000 francs, er £160.an Englishacre. 83 ©. ; Converging, one day, with a considerable proprietor; on the value of vineyards,-the com- _ piler was informed by bim,.: that’ on. one ‘ o¢casion he had sold the produce. of a vine- _ INTRODUCTION. “kr "* yard: in’ Sainte Croix, of 10% acres’in extent or 12,000 francs.. He acknowledged that' a _Tifetine might elapse before another ‘soch vintage would occur, but’ said ‘that instances were not wanting of a still greater produce; mentioning one near Lafitté,:in the dis- trict of Medoc, where the best claret wines are ‘made, for which 100,000 francs (£4166 sterling) had been refused, and of which, one "year’s produce had been known to bring 30,000 trancs, and yet this virieyard did not , exceed six English acres in extent. Its ex- cessive value was owing to its possessing, in a very uncommon degree, the rare property of producing in large quantities without de- teriorating the quality of the produce, _ Accarding to Young, the.whole district _ which produces the famous ‘Champagne wines is included in five leagues’ length. ‘Asan average of the value of vineyards in this district, the ‘price of an acre is stated at _ §,000 francs, and the'nett annual profit, in- _ cluding rent (for, throughout- France every proprietor cultivates his own -vines),- at £14 18s,-4d. sterling, being 10 per eent. on that sum." co - .. In his first work on the vine, pulished in . 1801, not very long after Young’s tour, the Count de Chaptfal states, that when vines are — cultivated extensively, and with an abundant _ ‘capital, they pay from Q'to 12 per cent. om:the . XxII INTRODUCTION. - Young’s notes give £61 8s. as the average value of an acre of vines for all France ;. but; leaving out of his estimate all which exceed £100:in value, and £21 in produce, he fixes | the average value of vines in France at £45 an acre; and their gross annual produce at - £9 2s. being one-fifth of their fee simple. By the following table, he shews the: pro. portional value of the produce of vineyards, to that of soils under other culture, and also the proportional rent or profit which they, yield, - - _ Gross Produce of the Lands of France. ’ rable Land, - - 70,000,000 acres at 40 franes, £122,860,589 Wodds, - = - = - 19,850,000 16 13,895, Meee {4,000,000 100 —---- "17,500,000 | Lucerne, kc. » ~ | 5,000,000 100 21,875,000 Pastures & Wastes, 27,150,000 10 11,878,145 Total . + 181,000,000 acres £226,238,314 : _ PAOD , . oa ; , Nett Rent, or Profit of the Landa of France, Arable and 7,000,000 acres at £0 15s, 7d. - - - £57,437,500 Woods, - - ~ 19,650,000 ------- © 19s. 0d.--- 11,910,000 Vines; - - -- 5,000,000-—----- 8 16s, 6d. - -.- 19,195,000 Meadow, - - 4,000,000 -------- 2 36.9d.--~ 8,750, "Total, - 131,000,000 600,808,125 Without possessing, of himself, the same ample data which Mr. Young's . extensive tour gave ‘him, ‘for determining the value of an acre of vines at the -present day, the INTRODUCTION. - XxIM compiler.is enabled to copy, from the preface to the Count de Chaptal’s last work, a table shewing the state of the culture of. the, vine,. and the quantity of wine produced, which he conceives confirms very strongly the truth of Mr. Young’s calculation. . The prices are. - fixed at the very lowest prices of commerce, even in years of the greatest abundance, -_ . The extent uf soil under the vine in France, as established by the administration of indirect, contributions in 1809, was 1,613,939 hectares, and the produce on an average of five years, 35,358,800 hectolitres of wine.. The prices as under :=+ a 40,500,000 hectolijres at’? francs, 58 cents 78,750,000 francs, 4,600,000 .- @ @ @ 10 > = e@ #@ © @, 46,000,000 coonnnh . 8, 000 ee e e# e@ b eo 2. «© © © $1,000,000 chnance 2,300,000 e e e 20, e @ eo 8! 46,000,000 wameamedh 2,000,000 e 8 o e P-) e o Cn 50,000,000 oneenad *1,700,000 . » 30. eee 51,000,000 —--» 1,600,000 >» » 3. be + 56,000,000 -—---. ‘1,500,000 é » ° 40. an «, 60,000,000 cron 1,600,000 . . - 50. . 80,000,000 ------+ ee , . * ee ee ~ 80,000,000 hectolitres 678,000,000 francs, . The remaining 5,358,890 are supposed to he - employed in disfillation, they are of a mid+ dling quality, but taken atthe lowest price, 7 francs 50 cents.they give 40,191,675, yhich added to the above, makes 718,941,678 ranes. dn 1817, the quantity of land under the vine had increased. to 1,977,000 hectares, and the quantity of wine taken at the same RXiV - - INTRODUCTION.: | rate of increase will be 43,312,901 ‘hectolitres,:. _and its value ealculated as before, 880 ,670, 020° francs, or £36,694,284 sterling. The hectare contains-2:3444 English acres, - andthe heetolitre. 26°49 : English gallons, SO: that-the-extent.of land is 4,634,878, and the quantity of: wine-1,147,361,231 gallons, being’ 247% an acre, and at the price of 7-67d, or ra~' _ therless than 73d. a gallon, its gross produce - is, £7 18s. 4d. sterling, an acre. . The quantity: of: land is rather less. than it. was estimated at by Young, though it:has-in-’ greased: since: his time, but it was not then ‘ascertained by authority. —. & We must: not® fail - to. observe,” says | Chaptal, “that these are ‘the very. lowest “prices of wine, even .in. rete of the greatest * abundance, and that the truth ‘would not '& be exceeded, were the amount. carried to “. 1,000,000,000- francs.” - At this -price, it comes so very hear the estimated ‘produce. of Young, that there can be little doubt his cal- culation of £45 an acre is near the average value of vines in- France at present, if the principles on which he establishes the relative ' value of soils and: produce are correct ° “« Toform a correct idea,” coritinues Chap+ * tal, of the advantages France draws from her “6 vineyards, it is necessary to, take into ace *-eount, that four-fifths of the soil consecrated #to-the vine, would remain uncultivated . *-without it, -The poorest soils-aré peculiarly : “INTRODUCTION. XXV a adapted for producing good wines, and thé “ most renowned vineyards which are worth, “ under this culture, from 10,000, to 15,000 “francs an arpent,* would be, without ° it, © destitute of value.” At the time Mr. Young made the calcula- tions referred to, he estimated the gross. pro- “duce of: the cultivated ‘land in England,’ at - 50s. an acre. In 1814, Sir John Sinclair ‘estimated the gross’ produce of cultivated ‘Jands in Scotland, at £4 4s; and in 1812, Colquhoun :made his estimate of thé lands and agricultural operty in Great Britain, in ~ which he’ fixes the average value of an acre of cultivated land at £24 sterling. . ~ The following Table is for England, Gardens and Nurseries, .‘ . 20,000 acrés at £70 £1,400, 000 Lands highly cultivated in the vicinity of ey 500,000 -------- 50 25,000,000 i is . . - cul prom »,or ag. oo . q : superior quality, at 12,000,000-—-=--- 30 360,000,000 ‘Lands cultivated ofan ira gay, « t 18,000,000 20, 360,000,000 , £750,400,000 Vucultivated lands and wastes in Englgnd and ‘ : _ Wales 6,714,400, acres at £15. It will be seen by the above table, that only a very few lands favoured by their situa- tion, bear any comparison in value with the vineyards of France; ‘what then are we to = The arpent of France, contains 1- 185, or 3 and 1-5th English acres nearly, ; D XEvt INRTODUCTION. think of that culture, which gives to stich a vast extent of the waste lends.of. a country,’ & value.not attained by the richest soils of other countries. where the climate is unfavourable for it, with the exception .of w. very few in favourable situations? § |: _ tis not surprising that so lucrative a branel of rural economy, and one which, besides the internal aad foreign’ commerce it gives rise to“(d ededly the most extensive of any in | France), is understoud te yield to the:govern- ment of the eountry, a revenue at: least: as auch exceeding that derived! from any other ratich of agricultural. industry, as the profits of vineyards to: the proprietors exceed those of other soils, should be considered as one of the very first sources of the wealth of France> and that its improvément should be con sidered of the first importance. _ Accosdingly, im the. later half of the last century, upward¢ ef thirty: French writers have published works on the improvement of the cultivation of vine, and the making of wine: - ° “Fhe compiler is not aware to what extent, in other wise ¢ountries, thix subject has em- ployed the pens of scientific men; nor has. he ‘any opportunity of ascertaining its relative importance in their rural code ; ‘but if it be true, as: has been said, that friteer-sixteenths of the vineyards of Portugal are’ cultivated with British capital, and that the same is the ease, to a certain extent, wiih thiose of Siclly» “3 INTRODUCTION, eV it may reasonably be concluded, that these itals were not invested in the soil of @ foreign lard, without the certainty of a very ' handsome return: and that it is not in France ajone that the vine is a source of wealth. With regard to climate and-sojl. ‘Those climates which are favourable for the culture of the vine in the northern hemisphere, are found to lie between the 50th and 35th degree of Jatitude; and it is between these parallels that the most famous wines are: produced. The latitude of a great part of New South Wales is within the 35th degree, but when the difference of temperature at the same de- gree of latitude in the two hemispheres is eonsidered, it will be found ta correspond — pearly with these countries which are in the middle of the vinous latitudes of the north, A proof of the fitness of the climate might also be urged, in the ‘success which has at- tended the introduction of the fruite of wine eountries, and even of the grape itself; though many climates bring the grape to perfectiog as a fruit for the table, which nevertheless do Rot impress upon it the characters peculiar to those grapes, from which good wines ate made. But, the Cape of Good Hope is‘in the same letitude* as New South Wales, and * The compiler is aware that other “circuniwtances, besides - mere position on the surface of the globe, miust be considered ag forming climates: but, he conceives that these circumstances 33 relating to New Soyth Wales, are not sufficiently ascertained to allow of any thing being founded upon them, 7 oe XVI INTRODUCTION. : the Cape possesses the, vineyatds of Constan- tia, than. whjch, we need not. go farther for. proofs of the suitableness of the climate for the. production of the. finest wines, or the. capacity of. vineyards, when favourably si-. tuated and cultivated with care, for enriching their owners. . ro . Of.the fitness of soil, perhaps nothing can. be said here more to the purpose than one of the concluding sentences, of that section. of. the fist .chapter, which treats on_ soils. ‘* From-what has been said, it may be con- “cluded, that the ving may be advantage- “ ously cultivated in a great variety of soils, “The conclusion may even be drawn, that. . “the intrinsic nature of -the soil is. of less im- ' * portance, than- that it should be porous, - “free, and light. - : a ; ' With regard toa market for the produce, -the distance of Great Britaia:from the colony might, at first sight, encourage the belief. that wine would not bear the expence of convey- ance to. that country, and perhaps this. might be true. of inferior wines ;-but, besides that, these could be converted into brandies New. South Wales. possesses, from its situation, peculiar advantages, in competing with those countries which supply the Indian market, for . which, as-appears by the evidence before the _ House of Lords on foreign trade, the demand was never so great as of late.. And perhaps it might be worthy of con- INTRODUCTION. . XxIxX sideration, in a national point of view, to what extent:the advantages, which,-during the war,’ ‘Great Britain derived from London being the depot of many. thousand tons of ' wines, destined for the Indian and other markets; and by the’ carrying trade* of those’ wines’ which’ her shipping’ then enjoyed, might be restored to the country, by the successful cul- tivation of the vine in-New South Wales. Its first effects would be, that the ships which go: out with convicts. and emigrants would obtain a freight home ; or, instead‘of going in ballast to seek a return cargo in India, might carry thither a cargo of wines, From this it would result, that government might ‘obtain ships for the transportation of convicts at a cheaper fate,: and that emigrants might obtain a cheaper. passage with equal profit to the ship owners: ES - It were superfluous to go about to prove, _ that an_ extensive and profitable investment ’ for capital, and employment for labour, would increase the resources of the colony, and con- sequently its intercourse with Great Britain;— ‘that, in its altered circumstances, it would present a more extended, and increasing, market for. her manufaetures ;—and that®the bond of union, betwen the colony and the . ® See evidence of C. L. Tavernier, John Hall, and John Gowan, Eequires, in the Report. of the House of Lords, on Foreign Trade, (Silk and Wine Trade), ordered by the House of Commons to be printed, 1621, SR, 3$EX°. |. INTRODUCTION, . mother: country, would be strengthened by the colonists having the means of emploving their industry, and the advantages af their climate jg a_way not intenering with the. mother coyatry in her manufactures or com. merce; but which, while it afforded new. channels for the latter, would make it their interest to prefer her manufactures to those. which, in their present’ circumstances,: are spripging up among themselves. oe ‘That the cultivators of the Cape have nob succeeded, in any considerable dexree, in prov ducing wines to the taste of Indian consumers, is no reason why those of New South ‘Wales should be unsuccessful, tot vina quot agri, says Pliny, who, among other illustrious meni of ancient times, treated of this subject; and this is a truth, which the extension of ‘the vine over Europe, has only more extensiy roved ;. and it is not less true, that the dif- Perenees of cultivation and management, produce as great diversities in the wine, as the differences of soil and situation. The first planters of the Cape, came from @ country, the very reverse in its nature of ene fit for the culture of the vine; and it is paveral to suppose, that many of them, igs porant of its cultivation, applied to it the maxims of an agriculture, which might be excellent for raising corn crops on the damp and rich soils of Holland, but which, wher applied to the culture of the vine on the hills INTRODUCTION, * $ext the Cape, were the very: reverse of those: by which a cultivator, well acquainted: with the ‘subject, would be guided. ‘bhe wine boers of the Cape have, besides, been vecused of carelessness in the making of their wines, and the distillation of theit bras ; dics 5 and to one, whe is acquainted with the “peculiar care and management. in the culti- ‘vation of the plant, which is necessary to preserve the most advantageous reportion arhong the different vegetable principtes in the fruit, and witlr the sotieitude with which _ the fermentation of the: best wines, and the - distiHution: of the best brandies is eondueted, it ceases to be a matter of surprise, that the generality of Cape wines, made under such circumstances, are so iuch Mferior te those of ofder wine countries. ' "Fhe greater pert of the informetion -con-. ‘dined. in: the follwing treatise, is derived from the work of the Count de Chaptal, . published at’ Paris in ¥819. ‘Fhe name of Chaptal stands among the highest in general science: +s to: him the werld is- indebted for “thany: valuable worke, and. perticularly for - this: * Chemistry: applied: to the Arts.” Mis - cauntry (it which he for some time filled the post: of minister of the intérior), is ‘ender mere: particular obligations, for'tle at- tention he bestowed on the ewbject'.6f this ‘work, so inyportant to ker interest, and whieh . oe wee ee - XXXII INTRODUCTION. ; has procured for him there the title of « Le. gislator of Vinification.” | : It had been the fault of most preceding writers on this subject, to prescribe, as proper -for every soil and climate, a svstem of manage- ment which had’ been found the best in one particular district. It was the object. of Chaptal, to examine the different methods of procedure: in different districts, with refer- ence to the general principles of chemical science—to ascertain what was due to the influence of climate, seasons, soil, exposure, and culture on the plant—to explain the nature of each of the substances which is con- tained in the juice of the grape, and. the influence exercised by it on fermentation,, and its result; and thence, to deduce general principles, by the application of: which, ‘to the circumstances in which he found himself - laced, each cultivator wrought from rules Por his guidance. - at . _ It was the compiler’s wish to present,. as shortly as possible, in the following pages, the information necessary to enable. any person .to commence, and conduct, the op.rations-of the vineyard and wine cellar, as far as written instructions were capable, of doing so. . He - has, therefore, abstained from following Chap- tal into. historical details and disquisitions, not immediately related to the subject, in hand. He was also anxious to notice the -INTRODUCTION. XXXL opinions of contemporary writers where they’ are: different : and lastly, from the generalizing nature of ‘Chaptal’s work, :he was obliged to. have recourse to other authors. for practical details: not furnished by him : and-to his own: notes* for. some of these, which, to an-author writing: for :the improvement of his subject,: might seem superfluous; but. which’ he, cons sidering himself as writing for those who-were entirely ignorant: of it, could not but: déem | essential. oo ee po He has not, therefore, exactly followed Chaptal’s arrangement, and has in many cases used his own language. ‘The import- ant ch