On raising New Varieties of Grapes from seed. 129 



seed. I several years since, first commenced sowing seeds of the 

 Isabella, Catawba, and of the common wild grape, and have annually 

 sown a few seeds, with the ho})e of procuring some new and im- 

 proved kinds. The soil in which I sowed the seed on my first trial, 

 was liujht and rich. They were planted about three quarters of an 

 inch deep. They nearly all came up, and grew vigorously — attain- 

 ing the height of twelve or eighteen inches the first season, and the 

 shoots proportionably strong. In the fall I pruned the vines down 

 to within about four inches of the ground, leaving three eyes or 

 buds. They were not protected during winter. In the spring I 

 removed them from the seed bed, to a border on the East side of my 

 garden, where they were trained against the fence. They there 

 grew rapidly, and some of them made fine shoots ; in the autumn 

 these shoots were shortened according to the strength of the vines. 

 The next spring the vines started early, and I perceived that one 

 out of the whole number showed signs of fruiting. I took particular 

 care to enrich the soil, and to do ev^ery thing to facilitate the produc- 

 tion of a fine cluster of fruit. During summer the vine was regularly 

 made fast to the fence, and a fine straight shoot encouraged, trimming 

 of all laterals. As the berries arrived at their full size, I perceived 

 they were very different from the Isabella, Catawba, or any other 

 native kind I was acquainted with. I therefore concluded that it must 

 be a new original variety, and waited patiently for the fruit to ripen. 



About the first of September the fruit began to color, and unex- 

 pectedly, at the latter part of the month it was nearly ripe. The 

 cluster was gathered the first of October, and found to be of equal 

 or superior flavor, to any of our native grapes. The fruit was first 

 presented to the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, in October, 

 1829, and pronounced by the committee to be a very superior variety. 



The skin thin, pulp soft, berries round and purple, bunches fair 

 sized, rather long ; the wood grows short jointed, and strong ; leaves 

 shaped somewhat like the Hamburgh, and are destitute of the downi- 

 ness on the under side, so common to other native grapes. 



Ripens the latter part of September. 



It is perfectly hardy, and stands our winters without the least 

 protection. It will not, however, bear our hot summers and preserve 

 that healthy appearance of other vines. Before I became acquain- 

 ted with this fact, I was anxious to remove the vine, with the ex- 

 pectation of procuring a larger crop, from its cool aspect, to a warmer 

 part of the garden. I then had built a high fence, facing the south, 

 and removed it to its new situation. That season I procured 

 two layers from the plant, and set them out a short distance from 

 the old one, on an easterly aspect ; they produced fruit much more 

 abundantly than the old plant. This led me to suppose, that the 

 situation of the old vine was altogether too warm, and after letting 

 it remain another year, and finding it still to be shy in producing 

 fruit, I removed it back to the place where it stood, upon its first 



VOL. I, NO. IV. s 



