Which are the Sest IVine and Market Grajjcs for the South ? 245 



Which are the Best "Wine and Market Grapes for the 



South ? 



A QUESTION of this kind was brought under discussion a few days ago, by a par- 

 ticular friend of ours, and one who ought to have known better, insisting that 

 the inevitable Scuppernong is the best and most reliable as well as the most profit- 

 able of all grapes for the South. To this sweeping assertion, fashionable as it is 

 getting to be, we could by no means yield an unqualified indorsement, and hence 

 arose the discussion. 



Although I have been for many years a practical grape grower, have watched the 

 progress of this branch of industry in the South with critical interest, and have read 

 about everything that has been published upon the subject, I have never yet seen any 

 proofs whatever that the assumptions of my enthusiastic friend are founded upon fact 

 in any particular. Admitting that the Scuppernong is hardy, reliable in its crops, 

 and, when properly handled, a good wine grape, it does not follow that it is either the 

 most profitable or the best for this purpose. There is at present but little demand 

 for native wines in the South — our population is too foreign in its character, the 

 German, French, Italian and Spanish element is too prominent in our lower and 

 middle classes, while those who have been accustomed to " Heidsick " will hardly 

 tolerate the musky twang that gives to nearly all our native wines their distinctive 

 character. We must, as a stepping stone from the use of foreign wines, have some- 

 thing a little less American — something that, while not exactly foreign in all its ele- 

 ments, shall yet so nearly simulate the popular foreign brands as to deceive the 

 masses, and not wholly repel the connoisseur wine drinker. Taking this view of the 

 case, we cannot rank the Scuppernong as either the best or second best American 

 wine grapes. 



As for the fruil in a market point of view, I am disposed to give it even a lower 

 grade than for wine. It is a poor eating grape until perfectly ripe, and then it is a 

 poor shipping grape, as the skin bursts very easily at the stem and thus engenders 

 fermentation and a shop-worn appearance throughout the whole. Its quality is never 

 first rate in the estimation of most grape eaters, and it enters the market in a shape 

 that is by no means popularly prepossessing — singly like plums and cranberries. It 

 lacks the handsome bunch, the brilliant color and the delicate bloom that' are so 

 much admired in a grape, and which add so much to their commercial value. What 

 have we that is better in all respects? Let us see. 



The old reliable Concord is as hardy, productive and well-flavored, besides being 

 much handsomer and coming into bearing much earlier. Let us take that for both 

 wine and market. The wine from the Concord is less objectionably foxy to the culti- 

 vated taste, the yield is equally as great, and, under proper manipulation, is capable 

 of assuming various grades and characters to suit the peculiar demands of the mar- 

 ket. Except for its superabundance, it would be the best selling grape in our 

 markets. Perhaps not inferior to the Concord, comes the Ives Seedling, one of the 

 most reliable and productive in the whole list of grapes. The wine from it is most 

 excellent and quite free from foxiness, and the fruit ships well and sells at the very 

 highest prices. Last season, in spite of the enormous grape crop in this section, we 



