THE CASA^)IAN HORTICULTURIST. 29 



more in the coining spring ; this will give me over six thousand vines, 

 occupying about eight acres of land. 



" I am anxious to induce our people to engage in vine culture, for 

 I am convinced it may l>e made a most important and profitahle 

 adjunct to every Canadian farm, and in many cases a principal source 

 of revenue. It is hardy, does not require a specially excellent soil, 

 and its cultivation is perhaps less costly in time and labor than that 

 of any other fruit. " J. H. Menzies." 



"Point Claire, 11th Nov., 1878." 



The attention of the Editor of the Canadian Horticulturist was 

 called to this new grape by one of the Directors of the Fruit Growers' 

 Association, who requested that the above article should be published 

 for the benefit of the members who would be interested in so early and 

 valuable a grape. The Editor wrote to Mr. Menzies, asking him to give 

 the history of this grape, where and when it originated, and by whom it 

 was first cultivated and introduced, but up to this time no reply or infor- 

 mation of any kind has been received from Mr. Menzies. However, 

 from other sources your editor received the following circular : 



" Bk<vconsfield, Point Claire, P. Q., 2nd Dec, 1878. 

 " Dear Sir :— ' 



"On the 2nd September last, I sent a few grapes grown by me here 

 in the open air, to the Editor of the Daily Witness, and that gentleman 

 was So good as to notice them, in his issue of the same date, in the 

 following terms : — 



' IS THIS A land of VINES ? 



* The early Norse voyagers who reached America by way of Green- 

 land reported having reached a country of clustering vines. Champlain 

 found the shore of the Lower St. Lawrence so luxuriantly hung with 

 grapes that he called the Isle of Orleans the Isle of Piacchus. The 

 Kiviere au Eaisins at Lancaster doubtless owes its name to a similar 

 phenomenon. It is possible, then, that if we have not our hill sides 

 eovered with vineyards, it is not because grapes will not grow well, but 

 because we have not discovered the best varieties for our climate, 

 Our wild vines are hardy enough, and their fruit might be improved 

 by culture to be equal to the best. We have been astonished by a 

 present of a box of fully ripe grapes grown by Mr. J. H. Menzies, of 

 this city, in the open air at Pointe Claire. The grapes are riper and 

 sweeter than those that have hitherto reached us from the south, and 

 are of as good quality as are sold. We should have expected to see 

 grapes ripen in Montreal two or three weeks hence, if at all, but Mr. 

 Menzies says he has been eating grapes for a week back. Mr. IMenzies 

 planted in the spring of last year a vineyard of twenty-four hundred 

 vines, this being the first bearing year of a part of the vines only. He 



