54 THE EVOLUTION OF OUR NATIVE FRUITS 



inquiry, at the time, into its origin. The variety must 

 have been somewhat distributed at this time, for 

 Adlum says that it was also grown by J. Johnston, 

 near Frederickton, Maryland. Adlum sent cuttings 

 of this grape to various persons, one of whom, Nicho- 

 las Longworth, of Cincinnati, because of this aid, 

 became the third genius of American grape -growing. 



In the first edition of his book, Adlum called this 

 grape the Tokay. "Where I got cuttings of this 

 Grape," he writes, "they were of a beautiful lilack 

 colour, and a delicate taste for the table ; with me 

 they are much higher coloured than they were at the 

 places I got them from, and have somewhat of a 

 musky taste, tolerable for the table. They are very 

 great bearers, and make an excellent Wine." In the 

 second edition, 1828, he calls it Catawba, and says: 

 "This I look upon as one of the best wine grapes 

 in the United States ; and I say the very best. It is 

 a very tolerable table grape. Those that ripen in the 

 sun, are of a deep purple color ; where they are 

 partially shaded, they are of a lilac color ; and where 

 they ripen wholly in the shade, and are perfectly ripe, 

 they are white, rich, sweet and vinous. When they 

 are colored, they have somewhat of a musky taste, re- 

 sembling the Frontignac. They are very great and 

 certain bearers and it will produce a greater variety 

 of good wines than any other known grape from 

 Tokay and Champaign, down to Sauterne." 



The genesis of the Catawba grape has always 

 been a subject of much speculation. The vinous 

 quality of the fruit and the amenability of the foliage 

 to mildew, suggest hybridity with the European vine, 

 although the botanical characters of the variety are 



