STATE II KTI.TLTUKAL SOCIETY. 317 



Pear*.— Dwarf and Standard treea have been largely planted, and a little very fine 

 fruit is raised; but little ever will reach the mark''!, as our hard clay .subsoil will not 

 admit of the roots to ftp down to where they can find continual moisture; hence our 

 pear ir tort-lived, and never remunerative to the planter. The writer of this 



planted several hundred pear trees a few years ago, which blighted bo badly last year 

 that they blighted all hopes of ever having pears for the table or for market. 



ffrapet. — Grapes abound in our forests, and Borne varieties even attain a certain de- 

 gree ot perfection, especially in certain favorable seasons. Good tame Catawba grapes 

 have been raised, and good wine made therefrom since A. D. 1843. Theodore Bilgard, 

 - -..■! vVesl Belleville, was the first man, if I am rightly informed, who planted the 

 first Catawba. His vineyard of abouf five acres has of late been grubbed up, not pay - 

 - usee of cultivation on account of leaf-blight and graperot. Ludwig Huff, near 

 Wesl Belleville, planted a small vineyard, A. D. 1S4«J, which i- the hot Catawba vine- 

 yard in this county. It bore more or less every year, and is a good vineyard yet. His 

 wine always had a high reputation ; he cultivated it on the German principle as near as 

 possible, sin.-.- thena great many Catawba vineyards were planted by Theodore Hil- 

 gardtjr., Theodore Bngelman, Ool. Adolf. Bngelman, Louis Winter and CoL Heckerand 

 Others. All of them now and then make some very line wine, but in general I do not 

 think their vineyards paid more than expenses. It is safe to say they never were 

 remunerative. 



of late years the Concord, Norton'.-. Virginia, Clinton, Hartford Prolific, and some 

 fifty, mostly worthless varieties, have been introduced, and the first named are now on a 

 lanre scale cultivated by the following and other parties: Conrad Eisenmayer, Col. 

 Becker and Jacob Leisa, at Summerfleld — each from ten to fourteen acres; Eisenmayer 

 and Bro. Theodore Engelmann, George Leibrock, George Nestel and Adam Enirg, at 

 Mas coutab — each from live to ten acres; Hammel «& Kreider, Dr. S. Bergerand Prof. 

 Blair— each from five to ten acres, in Lebanon; Theodore Dauth, at Belleville, and 

 Louis Winter, on Dutchhill — four to live aero. Th :se vineyards have all proved very 

 valuable, and all the parties are extending then* acreage as Ear as] know. .More than 

 2 »,000 gallons of wine are in the hands of the above named parties. 



\ •, -,•;. i lly, GEORGE C. EISENMAYER. 



VERMILLION COUNTY. 



I am sorry that I have been m, long making out the accompanying history, etc. 1 

 have di laved, in order to see more of the " oldest inhabitants." I have h.en a resident 

 here sin - - bul my business has been to Btay at home' at work, and not to ride 

 around ami observe. There arc: doubtless, in our county, those who conld have fur- 

 ed a better history. Those who have better opportunities of collecting facts of 

 early history. Would be glad to be al the meeting, if but to enter my protesl against 

 the Introduction ol that bout apple, fche Duchess, into general cultivation. I have trees 

 of it in my nursery ten to twelve years old, that I sell bul slowly, nol bo much because 

 they are too Large, but because I cannot, in conscience recommend the fruit; yel I 

 see the tree.- advertised at extra prices, as something very valuable. 



The first orchards planted in Vermillion county were mostly of Beedllng fruit, many 



