Cultivated Fruits. 71 



The Chicken grape is not found north of latitude 42°, has 

 smaller berries with more agreeable flavor. Then there is 

 the Bullace grape, found only as far north as latitude 39°, 

 has larger grapes than any other American species, and of 

 agreeable flavor. There is also a species with small nause- 

 ous berries, and one found growing abundantly on gravelly 

 banks of rivers in the western states which has exquis- 

 itly fragrant flowers. 



The first attempt at the culture of the vine in the United 

 States for wine making was in Florida, in 1564. 



Since 1 commenced the study of the grape, I have learned 

 what possibly you all know before, that is, that the dried 

 currants of commerce were not currants at all, but a Corinth 

 grape, so called from the city of Corinth, Greece, in the 

 neighborhood of which city they were first cultivated. 



They are small, round, with a thin skin, without seeds, 

 and very sweet, and are either red or blue, are simply dried 

 in the sun on the ground and then packed into barrels. 



We have seen in the history of the origin of these vari- 

 ous fruits how much their commercial value has had to do 

 with their continued propagation. 



" It is ever thus," as Burdette would say, the dollars that 

 can be made are the standard that measures their import- 

 ance and value, yet aside from this, it must be admitted, in 

 view of the fact, that there is not in the entire range of 

 husbandry, a study as varied and full of interest, as that of 

 horticulture, and when we may learn to devote ourselves to 

 its pursuit, independent of the dollars that we would have 

 it yield, then may we attain to a better appreciation of its 

 possibilities as a source of pleasing occpation. 



So intent do we become, however, with the Yankee 

 proposition, that necessity compels us to consider, to -wit, 

 does it pay, that we are, not inclined to extend our research 

 and experiments beyond a known paying limit, notwith- 

 standing by entertaining strangers in this respect we may 

 often entertain angels unawares, an instance of this kind 

 occurring in the case of a lady who experimented in the 

 cultivation of prunes brought from France to California, 

 and found a fortune in a grove she cultivated. 



