HORTICULTURE. 307 



which delays the descent of returning sap, to the presence of which, in an unusually concen- 

 trated form, the production of fruit is principally due, as is proved by the process of ringing; 

 while the liability of plums and apricots to gum, whose branches are trained in a perfectly 

 horizontal direction, depends upon the same abnormal accumulation of sap. This, however, 

 has no necessary connection with the production of the fungi, which, on the contrary, are 

 generally the more prevalent in exact proportion to the luxuriant appearance of a crop. If, 

 for instance, the leaves of a potato crop present a peculiarly rich green tint, it is almost sure 

 to suffer from mildew, and an attentive search will most probably detect unequivocal signs 

 of the evil, while a crop with a yellowish and apparently sickly appearance will entirely 

 escape. It does not, however, follow that the habits of every parasite should be the same ; 

 and inasmuch as it does really appear that vines in which the branches are horizontal do 

 not suffer, or at least do not suffer so much from mildew, the horizontal method, though it 

 would be unwise to expect any complete exemption from the practice, is well worth the culti- 

 vator's consideration, especially when it is considered that on the continent the vines which 

 are kept low, without any attempt at horizontal training, suffer far less than those which 

 grow on trellises. 



Varieties of American Grapes. 



How many kinds of grapes are native to the United States it is impossible to say ; Dr. Ra- 

 finesque catalogues forty species and one hundred varieties in a little hand-book of vines, pub- 

 lished in 1830, which he offers " as the result of his observations during many years, and 

 many thousand miles of travel." Since this was published, much new territory has been 

 added to our great Republic, in some portions of which native grapes in great variety and 

 profusion are found. Travellers in Texas and California, especially, agree as to the wonder- 

 ful profusion of vines noticed in both these States. Upon the Pacific, wine is already manu- 

 factured, not in abundance, but still with results so satisfactory, that it will be but few years 

 before it is an established source of revenue to the State. We hear of one farmer there 

 raising ninety thousand pounds of grapes annually; of premiums given for the best wines; 

 of bunches weighing from one to eleven pounds each. Their grapes also are represented to 

 be larger than ours — "large as plums," and superior in color and flavor. The berries, too, 

 are very tender, and the skins thin. The vines are pruned down to two or two and a half 

 feet from the ground, and the large, indolent masses of fruit rest upon the lap of the com- 

 mon mother. 



The grapes of California are called "Catawba," by some "Sweetwater." The berries are 

 oblong, egg-shaped, of alight reddish-brown color; in flavor delicious; they are destitute 

 of pulp, and so tender as to be difficult to handle. Like all the rest of our native grapes of 

 any value, they are claimed to be "of foreign origin." History is thus falsified, and our 

 vines robbed of their birthright. Major Adlum discovered a fine grape in the gardens of 

 Mr. Johnson, near Fredericktown, Maryland, and another in the gardens of Mrs. Scholl, of 

 Clarksburg. He says, "A German priest, who saw Mrs. Scholl's vine in full bearing and 

 when ripe, pronounced it the true Tokay, and says he saw the same kind growing in Tokay, 

 in Hungary!" The Schuylkill Muscadel was christened "The Cape gi'ape," as Mr. Long- 

 worth says, " to give it reputation ;" and to this day, many believe it to be a native of Africa, 

 although its wild brethren are found in plenty all over Pennsylvania. The Isabella, formerly 

 called the Laspeyre grape, is a native of North Carolina. 



To return, however, to the grapes of California. There are no vineyards in the immediate 

 vicinity of San Francisco, but vines are cultivated in the valleys, especially to the south- 

 ward of the State ; and a strong red wine, resembling claret, is drank by the country-people 

 from their own grapes. At Los Angelos, they make a very excellent white wine, something 

 like the Catawba in flavor. 



The "Mustang" and the El Paso are the peculiar grapes of Texas. The former, which is 

 scarcely accredited as a wine grape, is known only at present as a wild vine, indigenous to 

 the soil which produces it. The El Paso has, however, been successfully cultivated. The 

 following, from De Bow's "Industrial Resources of the South and West," gives us some 

 account of the region which is said to produce the best wine in the world: — 



