NORTHERN LIMIT OF WILD GRAPE VINES.—LAWSON. 101 
Art. IV.—On tHe NorTHern Limit oF WILD GRAPE VINES. 
By: Grorce Lawson, Pu. D., LL. D. 
Read 14th January, 1884. 
I LATELY received a letter of enquiry from Professor Blytt in 
reference to the Northern Limit of the Grape Vine, as bearing 
upon the early discovery of America by Norwegian sailors. As the 
exact range of our wild grapes had not been made a special subject 
of enquiry by botanists, and as these plants, wherever they 
occur, are so conspicuous as to attract the attention of persons 
who might overlcok other plants, I requested publication of a 
note, for the purpose of eliciting information, in the Halifax 
Morning Chronicle, Morning Herald, and Acadian Recorder: 
This brought some facts which will be found in the following 
correspondence. It is now published in the hope that additional 
information may be obtained. It is not improbable that the range 
of Grape Vines along the Atlantic Coast region was more extensive 
before the country was settled than it is now, when the best 
lands are cleared and the country pastured by cattle. Any 
information on this point from old records or reliable tradition 
would be of special interest. 
AMERICAN SPECIES OF VITIS. 
The proper Grape Vine (Vitis vinifera) is believed to have 
been originally a native of the hilly region on the southern 
shores of the Caspian Sea, and of the Persian province of Ghilan ; 
but it has been cultivated by man from the earliest times of 
which we have record, and has thus been extensively distributed 
over the world. It was not known, however, on the American 
Continent before the settlers from Europe had brought it with 
them. Nevertheless early voyagers speak of finding Wild Grapes 
on landing on the American shores. These so-called Wild Grapes 
are vines very distinct in character from the old-world Grape 
Vine, but they nevertheless consist of species of the same genus 
Vitis, several of which bear, even in the wild state, clusters of 
well-flavoured grapes, whilst the fruit of other kinds is acid or 
mawkish. 
V. bipinnata, which extends through Virginia to Georgia and 
