19 



It is very reasonable to suppose that the fine grapes of 

 the Old World, and the Muscats, Black Hamburgs of 

 our graperies, have attained to their present standard by 

 this method, and it must have taken ages. No doubt 

 from the earliest time they have constantly progressed, 

 A quicker way of improving our native kinds, than by 

 "successive selection," and one that I think has been the 

 means of producing most of the various sorts now grown, 

 is, by hybridizing, and in this way at once adding the 

 accumulated excellence of the foreign kinds to our own. 



To Edward S. Rogers of Salem, belongs the credit of 

 tirst artiticiully hybridizing the grape. The idea first sug- 

 gested itself to him in 1848, but was not acted upon 

 until the spring of 1851. He crossed several varieties 

 of pears, and hybridized the V. Labimsca with V. Vin- 

 ifera.* 



The vine taken was that of the kind called Mammoth 

 Globe (a variety of the V. Lahrusca), which he bought 

 of a person from Lowell, in 1846. It stood at the end 

 of his garden, bordering on Federal street, and may be 

 seen now climbing over an old pear tree. The pollen 

 was taken from some Black Hamburg and Sweetwater 

 vines that were growing in the same garden. These 

 were obtained of Samuel G. Perkins of Brookline, in 

 1834, and were grown for several years in the open air, 

 and had l^orne several fine crops. The mildew began 

 to trouble them, and in 1844 ]Mr. Rogers built the grape- 

 house over them for their protection. 



On account of the smallncss of the grape flowers and 

 the peculiarity of the corolla in opening at the base and 

 remaining united at the toi3, forming a cap, which often 



* I hereby make a distinction between a cross and a hybrid. The flrst is the oil- 

 spring of two varieties of the same species, while jthe latter is from the union of 

 two sejiarate species. 



