REPORTS OF LOCAL SOCIETIES. 353 



WHAT BENEFIT SHALL WE DERIVE FEOM PLANTING NEW 



VAEIETIES OF GRAPES ? 



BY O. J. WELTOM. 



Mr. President^ Ladies and Gentlemen: 



In opening this subject for discussion, I find there are two heads 

 under which it is advertised ; the first, as I understand it, is, " What 

 benefit shall we derive from planting new varieties of grapes ;" the 

 second, as is printed in Colnian's Rural World, is, " What varieties of 

 grapes are best to plant for family use." 



The grape is one of the oldest fruits we have any account of (unless 

 it be the apple that mother Eve gave to Adam), and that was a mere 

 supposition that it was an apple. We have just as good reason to be- 

 lieve it was the bread fruit as an apple, and I am inclined to think it 

 "was the latter ; for the apple is found in more northern climates. We 

 have mention of grapes in the days of Noah, and they must have been 

 in use long before that, for we read of their being made into wine, and 

 we see the bad effects of it in his life ; we also read of sour grapes and 

 grapes of gall. If we are to gather any idea of the grape of that time, 

 in the world's history, it must be very little like the grape of today — 

 sweet and luscious. At what period in our world's history they began 

 to improve upon this fruit, I have never learned, but perhaps the last 

 century has done more to develop new varieties than the five thousand 

 years previous, till to-day the kinds are like the apples — numbered by 

 the hundreds. But what interests us more particularly is what do we 

 gain by planting and increasing the number. Much in many ways : 

 First, we are to-day standing upon the threshhold of fruit culture; 

 though the last twenty-five years have been a marvel of success and 

 brought so many and choice varieties into use, the possibilities are 

 good for still better and sweeter fruit in the near future. So many of 

 the finer sorts grown to-day are local in their produciions and subject 

 to disease; so we should keep adding until we find the best possible 

 sorts for all localities, until we can equal, if not excel, those of sunny 

 Italy and our clusters hke those brought from the promised land. To 

 this end every nurseryman and vineyardist should be encouraged in all 



H. R.— 23 



