14 THE EVOLUTION OF OUE NATIVE FRUITS 



purpose of extending the planting of grapes in that 

 colony. 



The trustees of the colony of Georgia early made 

 attempts at the cultivation of the vine in Georgia. 

 One of the famous efforts of those days was that of 

 Abraham De Lyon, who, under the encouragement of 

 the Trustees, procured vines from Portugal and 

 planted them in his garden in Savannah. Jones, in 

 his "History of Georgia," makes the following quo- 

 tation from Colonel William Stephens, "as present- 

 ing the only picture of a Georgia colonial vineyard 

 which has been handed down to us." 



"Tuesday, December 6th, 1737. After dinner 

 walked out to see what Improvement of Vines were 

 made by one Mr. Lyon a Portugese Jew, which I had 

 heard some talk of ; and indeed nothing had given 

 me so much Pleasure since my Arrival as what I 

 found here ; though it was yet ( if I may say it 

 properly), only a Miniature, for he had cultivated 

 only for two or three Years past about half a 

 Score of them which he received from Portugal for 

 an Experiment ; and by his Skill and Management 

 in pruning &c., they all bore this Year very plen- 

 tifully a most beautiful, large Grape as big as a 

 Man's Thumb, almost pellucid, and Bunches exceed- 

 ing big ; all which was attested by Persons of un- 

 questionable Credit (whom I had it from) but the 

 Season now would allow me only to see the Vines 

 they were gathered from, which were so flourishing 

 and strong that I saw one Shoot, of this last Year 

 only, which he allowed to grow from the Root of a 

 bearing Vine, as big as my Walking -Cane, and run 

 over a few Poles laid to receive it, at least twelve 



