The name is absent

AGRICULTURE ON THE RHINE.

wine-growers who enjoy celebrity find it necessary to
keep up.

At Walluf the mountains take a direction nearly at
right angles to the Rhine, and leave the bank unpro-
tected against the north and east winds. The soil
grows lighter, and although vineyards still follow the
course of the stream to Schierstein, yet no wine of note
is produced until we reach the river Maine. At
Mayence the Rhine again turns southward, and the
Maine runs into it with a westerly course. Near its
mouth an offset from the higher Taunus range slopes
to the river with a full southern aspect, and on its brow
stands the Cathedral of Hochheim, whose “ close,” in
German the “ Dom Dechanei,” furnishes the wine that
has supplied us with a general appellation for all
Rhenish wines. That the name of “ Hock,” from
Hochheim, has been so long used in this sense in
England, may be perhaps explained by the circumstance
that the Rhinegau being no thoroughfare for travellers,
and anciently shut in by a wall Strictlyguarded, strangers
had only access to Hochheim, and that this lies on the
road between Mayence and Frankfort. Next to the
Cathedral close, the best vineyards at Hochheim are at
the bottom of the hill near the river. Through one of
these the railroad between Wiesbaden and Frankfort
was carried, and the enormous sum demanded for com-
pensation formed the subject of a law-suit, that was last
year decided against the Company. We believe the
award was not much below 1250Z. per acre.

With Hochhcim we take leave of the choice growths
that give merited celebrity to the Rhenish vineyards.

AGRICULTURE ON THE RHINE.

The famous sites all belong to one principality, the
Duchy of Nassau. Nor should it be omitted here that
the Government has had no small share in improving
the cultivation of this valuable part of its territory.
Not only have the greatest improvements been made in
the ducal vineyards and cellars ; the means of improv-
ing were here early afforded to all by an easy and
moderate plan for commutation of the tithe. Very few
vineyards are now saddled with tithe, and the Govern-
ment encourages as much as it can the commutation of
what remains. The land-tax is, moreover, in Nassau
exceedingly light, and wine is free from excise duty. Ab-
sence of restrictions in the vineyards and in the cellar is
the great promoter of improvement, and every day
shows that this truth is here fully appreciated. The
following statistical details may be interesting as regards
the land-tax levied in the Rhinegau :—

The whole Rhinegau, consisting of 90,000 acres, pays
in a year, when five rates are levied, the sum of 106,260
florins, or about two shillings per English acre, which,
considering the enormous value of great part of the
land, must be considered very moderate.

The left bank of the Rhine, from Bingen upwards,
forms the boundary of the Rhenish province of the Grand
Duchy of Hesse Darmstadt. Immediately opposite the
Rhinegau there are two sites favourable for wine ; the

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