136 VITIS LA BK use A. 



German, of much exporicnce in the cultivation of the vine. There were some 

 viiievards in the counlry that prochiced a more ahiiii(l;int cro]). on the same 

 quantity ol i^^-ound than oven Mr. >h)ttier"s. Mr. lla(kniu;t'r had the; lincst crop 

 I liave ever seen. The crop of Mr. Reser, wa.s also ahuudant. The vine cul- 

 ture is yparly iucreasini; with us, and the day is not distant, when the Oliio 

 hills hetween the tw(t Mianiics, will rival the same extent on \]w Rhine. Foi 

 this, we shall he i-hielly indehted to our (jiernian inhgrants; and they arc; grati- 

 fied in stating that we can rival the wines of their own country. The Catawba 

 is destined to make a dry wine, ecpial to liock ; and one of my (ierman tenants, 

 Mr. liOck. has made a sparkling wine from it, equal to the best champagne. 

 But we must not expect to succeed at first. The process of fermentation and 

 mamifacture of wine requires both experience and skill, and we shall not for 

 years equal the wine-coopers of Kurope in its mamifacture. The dry hock 

 wines require but little experience and skill, but this is not true in respect to 

 many of the finest wines." The cultivation of the vine has also become an 

 object in supplying our markets and tables with fruit. Dr. R. T. Underbill, of 

 New York, informs us that he has nearly twenty acres of vines, at Croton Point, 

 on the Hudson, chiefly of the Isabella and Catawba varieties, from which 

 he annually receives a profitable return. Many other vineyards of a greater or 

 less extent are already in progress in several states of the nnion, and one or 

 more vines are thought to be an almost indispensable appendage to every garden 

 and house-lot in the country. 



Soil and Situation. The Isabella grape-vine flourishes best in a soil that is 

 neither poor nor exceedingly rich, rather loose than compact, moderately moist, 

 instead of being wet or very dry, and is free from an excess of salts, pernicious 

 gases, and corruption ; and in general, land recently cleared of wood is preferable 

 to that which has been for some time under tillage. The situation should be 

 chosen on moderately rising ground rather than on that which is plain or 

 abruptly steep, and the aspect should be inclined towards the south or east, 

 sheltered both from the wind and intense heat of the sun, particularly during 

 the latter half of the day, but not so much so as to impede a free circulation of 

 air. The climate should be rather dry than moist, and warm instead of being 

 cold. A doctrine advanced by various authors is, that the region of the maize 

 and peach culture, is also that of the wine-bearing grape of Europe. By parity 

 of reason, the Isabella, and several other varieties, which are equally or more 

 hardy than the European species, may be successfully cultivated from Mexico 

 to those parts of America where the maize, or Indian corn, is to be considered a 

 sure crop ; that is, they will succeed along the shores of the Atlantic, in any par- 

 allel southward of the forty-third degree of latitude, and much farther to the 

 northward, west of the Rocky Mountains. The Isabella will also often prosper 

 under circumstances considerably at variance with any of those above stated, 

 but its fruit will not be of so fine a quality, nor so rich in its flavour. 



Propagatiofi and Managemetit. The Vitis labrusca Isabella, like all its con- 

 geners, may be propagated from seeds, by cuttings or layers, and by grafting or 

 inoculation ; but the mode almost universally adopted is by cuttings from the 

 branches and roots. A simple, detailed account of the growth of a vine from its 

 separation from the parent stem to the period of perfecting its fruit, perhaps will 

 convey the best idea of the process, and we will offer the following, as deduced 

 from experience : , 



It was the opinion of L. Junius Moderatus Columella, a distinguished writei 

 on husbandry, who flourished more than eighteen hundred years ago, and who 

 owned an extensive vineyard in that part of Old Spain, now called Arragon, 

 that no kind of land, whatever, can be fruitful unless it be diligently, carefully. 

 and skilfully tilled, more especially when employed for vineyards. '^' For a 



