Page:A Treatise on the Culture of the Vine and, and the Art of Making Wine.pdf/29

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INTRODUCTION.
XXIII

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 of 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, 35,358,890 hectolitres of wine. The prices as under:—

10,500,000 hectolitres at 7 francs, 50 cents 78,750,000 francs.
4,600,000 10 40,000,000 francs.——
8,400,000 15 51,000,000 francs.——
2,300,000 20 46,000,000 francs.——
2,000,000 25 50,000,000 francs.——
1,700,000 30 51,000,000 francs.——
1,600,000 35 56,000,000 francs.——
1,500,000 40 60,000,000 francs.——
1,600,000 50 80,000,000 francs.——
800,000 200 160,000,000 francs.——
30,000,000 hectolitres 678,000,000 francs.

The remaining 5,358,890 are supposed to be employed in distillation, they are of a middling quality, but taken at the lowest price, 7 francs 50 cents they give 40,191,675 which added to the above, makes 718,941,67S francs.

In 1817, the quantity of land under the vine had increased to 1,977,000 hectares, and the quantity of wine taken at the same