WILD GRAPES IN FLORIDA 9 



peculiar species ; the bunches (racemes) of fruit were 

 very large, as were the grapes that composed them, 

 though yet green and not fully grown [the middle 

 of July], but when ripe are of various colours, and 

 their juice sweet and rich. The Indians gather great 

 quantities of them, which they prepare for keeping, 

 by first sweating them on hurdles over a gentle fire, 

 and afterwards dry them on their bunches in the 

 sun and air, and store them up for provisions : these 

 grape vines do not climb into high trees, but creep 

 along from one low shrub to another, extending their 

 branches to a great distance horizontally round about, 

 and it is very pleasing to behold the clusters pendant 

 from the vines, almost touching the earth, indeed 

 some of them lie upon the ground." 



Early Attempts to Cultivate the European Grape 



It is not necessary to extend this inquiry of the 

 early records of the native grapes. Numerous quota- 

 tions could be made from the early narrators. It is 

 enough to know that these fruits grow wild in the 

 greatest profusion in the wooded parts of North 

 America from the Great Lakes to the Gulf and from 

 ocean to ocean. It is more to our purpose to inquire 

 if the European vine ( Vitis vinifera) was introduced 

 into the country and what the outcome was. 



It was early conceived that wine -making must be 

 a profitable business in the New World because of 

 the cheapness of the land ; and the opinion was no 

 doubt strengthened by the fact of the profusion of 

 wild grapes, for these betokened a climate congenial 

 to the vine. The first concerted attempt to cultivate 



