THE NATIVE GRAPE \ IXES OF AMERICA AXD 

 AUSTRATJA. 



By J. F. SHIRLEY, B.Sc. 



[Ivuid hcfdi-r thcli<>i/((l Si,rii'tji nf (JxtYiishiwI , I hrniihcr lltli , ISUI. 



WiioEVEu lias read the story of the Norse discovery of 

 America by Leif, tlie sou of Eric the Red, will remember that 

 Tyrker, the German, u, follower of Leif, discovered grapes at 

 cue of their landings, and with these the Norsemen filled their 

 boat ; to the country they gave the name of "N'inland or Wine- 

 land, a region probably identical with Rhode Island. The 

 fame of this voyage became the theme of Scandinavian poets, 

 but was hidden from the rest of Europe, until five centuries 

 later Columbus made America known to the old world. 



In 1 ;■)();") a Spanish colony was successfully established at 

 St. Augustine in Florida, and vine cuttings from Europe were' 

 planted without success. From this time the English in 

 Virginia and Carolina ; the French in Louisiana ; and the 

 Spaniards in their numerous colonies made frequent but un- 

 successful attempts to cultivate the European vines on American 

 soil. Experience linally proved that no variety of Vitis rinifrra 

 would flourish between the Atlantic coast and the Rocky 

 Mountains. The cause of this failure remained a mystery for 

 more than a century. Foiled in one direction, European 

 colonists were driven to make»eAperiments with native species of 



