A LOOK BACKWARD ON THE GRAPE 



L. H. BAILEY, LL.D., ITHACA, N. Y. 



EARLY LITERATURE 



On a shelf in my library are some 

 fifty books printed in North America 

 which are devoted to the grape, but 

 there is no other fruit that has any- 

 where near this number of volumes. 

 When, many years ago, 1 began to 

 collect horticultural books from anti- 

 quarian shops in all parts of the 

 country, with no lists to guide me, 

 I was struck by the profusion of 

 writings on " the vine " and began 

 to make inquiry as to the reasons for 

 it. I found that therein lay a most 

 interesting and devious history, and 

 one that has much significance to the 

 development of agricultural prac- 

 tice. We think of history as belonging to politics and govern- 

 ments, to kings and thrones and wars, but hardly to such common 

 practices as the plowing of land and the growing of grapes; yet, 

 one does not plow, neither does he plant, until he makes up his 

 mind to do so, and he makes up his mind because there are 

 antecedent reasons. 



These grape books are generally old of the middle of last 

 mtury and earlier and they impress one greatly with the des- 

 cription of European practice. Many of them are books recording 

 le attempt to transfer Old World methods into this new continent, 

 md to grow the vine for the purpose of making wine ; for wine has 

 been the destiny of the grape from the time of Noah until the 

 jresent epoch. 



THE BRUIT OF THE VINE 



In this country the apple was at first grown purposely for 

 cider; early in last century, it is recorded, every man in New 



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