266 THE GRAPES OF NEW YORK. 



source it had been secured. Owing to the statement of a German priest 

 that it was the same as the Tokay of Hungary, Mr. Adlum called it by 

 that name. Some years later, when he found this to be a mistake, he 

 changed the name back to Catawba. Adlum found the same variety on a 

 trellis on land belonging to a Mr. J. Johnston, near Fredericktown, Mary- 

 land. He also found a similar variety on a farm of his in Lycoming County, 

 Pennsylvania, which he introduced under the name of Muncy. Later 

 these two varieties were judged to be identical. Neither Adlum nor Prince 

 was able to trace the origin of Catawba, though both were among the 

 chief viticulturists of their day, were instrumental in distributing this 

 variety, and had correspondents in all parts of the Union. 



In 1850, S. Mosher of Saloma Springs, Kentucky, wrote an article in 

 the Western Horticultural Review, giving an account of the finding of the 

 original vine by Dr. Solomon Beach, in 1821, on the farm of William Murry, 

 about ten miles from Asheville, Buncombe County, North Carolina. The 

 Murrys informed Beach that the grape was an old variety in the neighbor- 

 hood and that cuttings and roots had been sent to various places. This 

 story was later confirmed by Ravenel, who talked with a son of the original 

 Murry and was told that General Davy, in 1807, then United States Sen- 

 ator from South Carolina, had secured some of the vines and had carried 

 some of them to Washington. This would account for its falling into the 

 hands of Adlum. It must be said, however, that it appears strange that 

 none of the many correspondents of Adlum or Prince, some of whom lived 

 not very far from where the Catawba was supposed to have been found, 

 had heard of this variety. That the Murrys had a vine growing on their 

 farm of peculiar excellence, is probable ; that it was Catawba is by no means 

 certain. All that can be said is that the origin of Catawba is not positively 

 known. 



Catawba was introduced into the grape region around Cincinnati by 

 Longworth in 1S25. The favorable reports of the variety from this region 

 undoubtedly did much to secure its early and wide distribution. In most 

 sections it was compared with the Alexander or Cape grape, and proved 

 itself easily the superior in both vine and fruit characters. Up to the 

 time of the introduction of Concord, Catawba was the most popular 

 American grape cultivated. After that time, the earlier season and superior 



