PROCEEDINGS OP THE FARMEES' CLUB. 293 



■ So far, the principal wine grape of this country has been the 

 Catawba, and wine has been made from it that will stand the 

 test, and be pronounced good by all cempetent judges. The 

 best that any one has produced, in quantities sufficient to put 

 into market, is that made by John E. Mottier, at Cincinnati. 

 He is an old Swiss vine-dresser, who has been all his long life 

 engaged in the business, and has established an enviable reputa- 

 tion as a wine-maker at Cincinnati, where there are between two 

 and three thousand acres of vineyards, seven-eights of which 

 are covered with Catawbas. This variety, after the long, patient 

 and expensive trials of Isabella, Lenoir, Herbemont, Norton's 

 Seedling, and particularly the Cape or York Maderia grape, and 

 various other sorts of native and hardy grapes, to say nothing 

 of the many foreign kinds that have been tried, had, until within 

 a year or two, seemed to have become established as the wine 

 grape of Ohio and adjoining States. It has been extensively 

 planted in Missouri, and many persons in the Western States, as 

 well as some extensive growers nearer our city, where they depend 

 more upon selling fresh grapes than upon wine, have thought 

 that, if they could get a vineyard well set with Isabellas and 

 Catawbas, they should never need to think of anything better. 

 Indeed, many have contended that there are no other sorts of 

 equal value for out-door culture in America. If this is so, then 

 the question is answered — " What shall we plant ? " We cannot 

 hope to change the opinion of those wdio are already wedded to 

 these two last named varieties so strongly that they will not even 

 inquire whether there is any better sort ; nor can we hope that 

 any man who has a vineyard of those will root it up to plant any 

 other variety — though that has been done. But we do hope 

 that those who are now thinking about the matter, or who 

 have determined to plant a vineyard, or a single vine for 

 family use, or a dozen vines to produce grapes to sell, will not 

 do so until they have answered our question to their own 

 satisfaction. 



To assist them in the matter, we will lay before them a few 

 simple facts. We will take the case of Mr. Mottier, for one. 

 His purchase, after a satisfactory trial, was 1,200 of the lowest 

 price Delawares (Dr. Grant's No 4), in the spring of 1860. In 

 the autumn following he was so pleased with their growth, not 

 having lost any worth mentioning, that he writes as follows : 



