THE GRAPE. 119 



THE GRAPE. 



Great difficulties are attendant upon the rais- 

 ing of foreign grapes in the open air, except in 

 our cities, where, occasionally, a crop is obtained 

 of the Chaselas, or Sweetwater. In this compila- 

 tion we intend to confine ourselves to out-door 

 culture, and of the variety which we have culti- 

 vated for twelve years past, viz., the " Isabella," 

 a native grape, introduced from South Carolina, 

 some years since, by William Prince, of New 

 York. This vine is extraordinary for the vigor 

 of its growth and great productiveness. A single 

 one planted on Long Island produced, in 1820, 

 eight bushels. It is a late fruit, and consequently 

 in a shady situation, or upon an open trellis, rare- 

 ly ripens its berries. It should be trained to a 

 wall, fence, or outbuilding, where it can receive 

 the sun's rays nearly the whole day, at least from 

 nine o'clock in the morning to three or four in the 

 afternoon. We recommend this grape, from the 

 circumstance that we have never, as yet, been 

 able to find any other variety which, upon the 

 whole, is preferable. The " Catawba," consider- 

 ed by Adlum to be worth all others as a wine 

 grape, we have found to be a still later variety, 

 having cultivated it for four years, without ripen- 

 ing a single bunch. In the cultivation of the Isa- 

 bella, we have found the following method (which 

 we tried a few years since) to accelerate the 

 growth of this vine, as well as its flowering, viz. : 

 Remove the top earth from around the trunk as 

 far as the roots extend, and then place large stones 

 upon the surface, watering occasionally, particu- 



