The Cultivation of The Native Grape, and Manufacture of American Wines | Page 5

indicate a soil and climate favorable to the vine. They would ridicule
the idea, and assert that labor was too high here, even if the vines
would succeed, to make it pay; but they could not shake his faith in the
ultimate success of grape culture. Alas! he lived only long enough to
see the first dawnings of that glorious future which he had so often
anticipated, and none entered with more genuine zeal upon the
occupation than he, when an untimely death took him from the labor he
loved so well, and did not even allow him to taste the first fruits of the
vines he had planted and fostered. Had he been spared until now, his
most sanguine hopes would be verified.
I also well remember the first cultivated grape vine which produced
fruit in Hermann. It was an Isabella, planted by a Mr. FUGGER, on the

corner of Main and Schiller streets, and trained over an arbor. It
produced the first crop in 1845, twenty years ago, and so plentifully did
it bear, that several persons were encouraged by this apparent success,
to plant vines. In 1846, the first wine was made here, and agreeably
surprised all who tried it, by its good quality. The Catawba had during
that time, been imported from Cincinnati, and the first partial crop from
it, in 1848, was so plentiful, that every body, almost, commenced
planting vines, and often in very unfavorable localities. This, of course,
had a bad influence on so capricious a variety as the Catawba; rot and
mildew appeared, and many became discouraged, because they did not
realize what they had anticipated. A number of unfavorable seasons
brought grape growing almost to a stand still here. Some of our most
enterprising grape growers still persevered, and succeeded by careful
treatment, in making even the Catawba pay very handsome returns.
It was about this time, that the attention of some of our grape-growers
was drawn towards a small, insignificant looking grape, which had
been obtained by a Mr. WIEDERSPRECKER from Mr. HEINRICHS,
who had brought it from Cincinnati, and, almost at the same time, by
Dr. KEHR, who had brought it with him from Virginia. The vine
seemed a rough customer, and its fruit very insignificant when
compared with the large bunch and berry of the Catawba, but we soon
observed that it kept its foliage bright and green when that of the
Catawba became sickly and dropped; and also, that no rot or mildew
damaged the fruit, when that of the Catawba was nearly destroyed by it.
A few tried to propagate it by cuttings, but generally failed to make it
grow. They then resorted to grafting and layering, with much better
success. After a few years a few bottles of wine were made from it, and
found to be very good. But at this time it almost received its death-blow,
by a very unfavorable letter from Mr. LONGWORTH, who had been
asked his opinion of it, and pronounced it worthless. Of course, with
the majority, the fiat of Mr. LONGWORTH, the father of American
grape-culture, was conclusive evidence, and they abandoned it. Not all,
however; a few persevered, among them Messrs. JACOB ROMMEL,
POESCHEL, LANGENDOERFER, GREIN, and myself. We thought
Mr. LONGWORTH was human, and might be mistaken; and trusted as
much to the evidence of our senses as to his verdict, therefore increased

it as fast as we could, and the sequel proved that we were right. After a
few years more wine was made from it in larger quantities, found to be
much better than the first imperfect samples; and now that despised and
condemned grape is the great variety for red wine, equal, if not superior
to, the best Burgundy and Port; a wine of which good judges, heavy
importers of the best European wines too, will tell you that it has not its
equal among all the foreign red wines; which has already saved the
lives of thousands of suffering children, men, and women, and
therefore one of the greatest blessings an all-merciful God has ever
bestowed upon suffering humanity. This despised grape is now the rage,
and 500,000 of the plants could have been sold from this place alone
the last fall, if they could have been obtained. Need I name it? it is the
Norton's Virginia. Truly, "great oaks from little acorns grow!" and I
boldly prophecy to-day that the time is not far distant when thousands
upon thousands of our hillsides will be covered with its luxuriant
foliage, and its purple juice become one of the exports to Europe;
provided, always, that we do not grow so fond of it as to drink it all. I
think that this is pre-eminently a Missouri grape. Here it seems to have
found the soil