70 Wisconsin State Horticuj-.tural Society. 



was lately discovered on the coast of Giunea, by Lenor 

 Arpore, chief of a scientific mission sent to that countrj^ by 

 the 1 Portuguese government. The plant was found to be 

 about four feet high, with a crop of grapes varying from 

 90 to 100 pounds on each vine. The fruit was delicious, and 

 the wine made from it by Arpore and his companions was 

 found very good, rich in aroma, in color and alcohol. 



The Soudan and Guinea annual tuberous vines are of the 

 same genus as the Cochin China, but the first is a dwarf, 

 and the second is little better as compared with the last 

 named. 



Seeds of grapes have been found under the lacustrine 

 dwellings, at Castione, near Parma, which belong to the 

 bronze age, in a pre-historic station on Lake Yarese, at 

 another lacustrine station at Wangen, Switzerland. Vine 

 leaves have been found about Montpellier, where probably 

 they were deposited before the historic period, and in those 

 at Meyrargue, in Provence, which are certainly pre-historic, 

 although of a date subsequent to the tertiary epoch of the 

 geologists. 



In Egypt, the records of vine culture reach back 5,000 or 

 6,000 years, but the Chinese were not in possession of the 

 plant before the year 122 B. C. 



The earliest accounts of the manner of cultivating the 

 vine are by the Roman authors, Virgil and Columella. The 

 vine was introduced into the south of France as early as 

 into Italy. It is said to have been brought into Marseilles 

 by the Phoceans about 600 B. C. 



In Italy, in the year 81, the Emperor Domitian fearing a 

 scarcity of corn, as so much of the land was occupied by 

 vineyards, issued a restrictive or prohibitoy edict which 

 was long continued in force through fear that the abundance 

 of fine wine might tempt the Barbarians of the north to 

 invade the country. 



Of our own native varieties, the Fox-grape is the most 

 similar to the cultivated grape. It is common throughout 

 the greater part of North America, and is found as far 

 north as Quebec. They are capable of much improvement 

 by cultivation. 



