hybrid between V. (zstivalis, V. cinerea, and I', vim/era, inferred upon the general opinion that 

 it was a product of this country purely, and that it was classified as "Southern /Estivalis" (see 

 Engelmann's description, Bush and Son, and Meissner's Catalogue, revised edition, p. 16, and 

 other parts of the same work) , and that the analysis of the character of these varieties and many 

 seedlings of them grown by me, would result from a mixture of these three species, and to no 

 others. Such might still be the conclusion if the fact were established that these varieties are 

 natives, from first to last, of the United States. The following facts break down the former 

 theories: On September 16th, 1887, Mr. Gougie Bourquin, of Savannah, Georgia, in reply to 

 inquiries by me, concerning two varieties of grapes, of which Mr. C. L. Hopkins, Assistant Pomol- 

 ogist of the Department of Agriculture,* sent me seeds from grapes he received from G. Bourquin 

 in August, 1SS7, writes as follows: "I have to-day mailed you leaves of my two varieties of 

 grapes. After 40 years trial have found these two varieties best suited to our climate; have 

 never seen mildew on them, and they are only affected by rot in very wet seasons from 1st to 

 July 10th. These two varieties were brought from France when Georgia was first settled, and 

 have been in our family ever since. The 'Blue French' I consider the best as to flavor, size of 

 bunch and bearing qualities. They are very long-lived. The vines I now have are grown from 

 a vine now living, 58 years old. This grape commences to color about July 1st, but is not fit to 

 eat until August. Color of juice a light claret, very beautiful. I think a splendid wine could 

 be made from it. The bunches on vines not properly trimmed are much smaller but more 

 numerous. One of my friends informed me that on his unpruned vine he had 700 bunches. The 

 description of the 'Brown French' would be similar to the 'Blue;' bunch not quite so large and 

 a little earlier, and a dead sweet. One singularity about the 'Brown' is that some bunches are 

 nearly translucent, while the ones next on same branch may be dark brown. From all informa- 

 tion that I have procured, the 'Warren' was found on the banks of a creek in South Carolina 

 and from there carried to Upper Georgia about the beginning of the present century." 



Again, on Oct. 14, 1887, Mr. Gougie Bourquin writes: ^'Monsieur Leopold Charrier, the Bel- 

 gian Consul, who is a native of France, says that my grapes are very commonly raised in South 

 France and Italy, that he has seen them frequently around Toulon and Marseilles, and that they 

 are generally considered a southern grape. Col. Garrard, who furnished me with cuttings of the 

 Warren from his brother's vines, at Columbus, Georgia, and who has eaten my grapes, says that 

 they are nothing like Warren. One of my neighbors who has a vine of the 'Brown' variety, 

 taken from my old one, had the entire crop this year, light green, none dark. My old vine acted 

 very similarly to his, a few years back. I think the 'Blue' variety would make an excellent wine." 



This peculiarity of varying in color and size in different soils and seasons is a well known 

 characteristic of the Herbemont, and has caused it to be several times renamed, as its synonyms 

 Bottsi, McKee, Dunn, Upson, etc., attest, these having been carefully tested in my grounds and 

 found identical. 



*The following is the letter received from Mr. C. L. Plopkins, and which led me into a fuller investigation 

 of the history and origin of Herbemont than I had before made: 



DIVISION OF POMOLOGY, 

 MR. T. V. MUNSON, WASHINGTON, D. C., Aug. 20, 1887. 



Denison, Texas. 



DEAR SIR I enclose to you the seeds of two varieties of Grapes, which came from Savanna, Ga., about two 

 weeks ago. They came without name, and I took the black one to be Norton's Virginia, and the pale red or 

 amber one to be Herbemout, and wrote Mr. Bourquin to that effect. He replied that they had often been taken 

 for those grapes, but as he understood thos> were American varieties, while both of his grapes were brought from 

 France, and had been in their family for about 150 years, he considered them distinct. 



Mr. B. describes them as being strong growers, not attacked by Phylloxera, great bearers and the most 

 highly desirable grapes for his region, within his knowledge; and that he has grown them for the last forty years. 

 I send the seeds to you, thinking you may at least form an opinion as to what the varieties are, and to 

 what species they belong. May it not ba that the Herbemont originated from one of these grapes? 

 Hoping this may be of interest to you, and awaiting the result, I remain, Sir, 



Very truly yours, 



C. L. HOPKINS, 



Division of Pomology, 



Department of Agriculture. 



57 



