66 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Viuifera grape. Vine dressers were brought over from Germany to 

 care for the vineyards and old country methods were imitated as closely 

 as possible. These old world people knew nothing about the Phylloxera 

 or the Mildews. In spite of all care and money lavished upon the vine- 

 yards, the result was always the same — failure. 



Two of the most famous attempts to grow the European grape in 

 America were made by John J. Dufour and Nicholas Longworth. Du- 

 four with a colony of Swiss settlers planted several extensive vineyards 

 in Kentucky. These flourished a few short years and died. Longworth 

 spent 30 years of his life and thousands of dollars in money in a vain 

 effort to grow the European grape in Ohio. His writings on "Grape 

 Culture," in which he recorded his ideas and experiences, remain as a 

 standard reference to this day. 



Thomas Jefferson advised growing the native varieties without fur- 

 ther delay, but it was not until the opening of the nineteenth century 

 that any attention was paid to the improvement of the American 

 varieties. William Prince of the famous Prince Nurseries of Long 

 Islam! experimented with the European grapes for over a half century, 

 and then gave his attention to improving American kinds. He did more 

 towards creating an interest in the native grapes than any other one 

 man. The first commercial vineyards were set out by a colony of 

 Germans near York, Penn. The industry grew very slowly and "very 

 little was heard of it for the next quarter of a century. 



In 1852 the Concord was introduced by E. W. Bull of Cambridge, 

 Mass. The advent of this great variety marked the beginning of Ameri- 

 can grape growing east of the Rocky Mountains. Its size, hardiness, 

 productiveness, and shipping qualities soon gained for it the foremost 

 rank among f] ie grapes. Horace Greeley called it the "grape for the 

 millions." Modern methods of grape growing had their beginning with 

 the Concord. From it have descended such well-known varieties as the 

 YVorden, Moore's Early, Isabella and Pockliugton. From 1852 to 1880 

 marked the boom period of American grape culture in eastern United 

 States. Since that time, due to competition with California grapes, 

 the acreage has increased more slowly. 



Tn 1859 there were 6,000 acres of grapes east of the Mississippi, in 

 L900 there were 240,000 acres, an increase of near 8,000 acres per year. 

 In 1850 there were no varieties that will go down in history, today we 

 have such wonderful varieties as the Concord, Worden, Niagara and 

 Delaware. 



Now. if in less than GO years we have brought up grapes like the 

 Concord and Worden from the little sour Fox Grape of our northern 

 woods, how may they yet be improved by modern methods of plant 

 breeding? Wha1 could we have had if the first 200 years of our early 

 horticulture had not been wasted in a useless endeavor to grow the 

 Vinifera? And what are the vast possibilities of American Grape Cul- 

 ture lying before us as an unopened book? 



