WHAT SPECIES TO CULTIVATE. 39 



In this country, but two wine grapes have yet suc- 

 ceeded in establishing a permanent reputation, to wit : 

 — the Isabella and Catawba. ISTo foreign grape has 

 yet been adopted by us, — or it may perhaps be bet- 

 ter said, none of them has yet adopted us. I have 

 three several times imported grapevines from my fa- 

 therland, — once also (in 1842) grape seeds; and in 

 1850, I brought with me, at much personal inconve- 

 nience and expense, a bundle of small fruit trees and 

 grapevines, weighing some fifty pounds. I carried 

 them myself from steamboat to steamboat, from car to 

 car ; I dipped them into the Neckar, the Ehine, the 

 Weser, the Delaware, the Cumberland, and the Ohio, 

 not omitting even to wet them with the water distilled 

 from the sea by the steamers ; but all in vain, so far as 

 the grapevines were concerned. My pears, apricots, 

 plums, cherries, raspberries, have all grown finely — 

 but the grapevines and gooseberries would not be na- 

 turalized. A few sprouted, but only for a season. I 

 shall not be discouraged, but will try it again as soon 

 as they shall have a good wine season in Europe, 

 in which their wood and seed ripen fully. 



On the whole, then, I would recommend to all who 

 may set out vineyards, to plant good sound Catawba 

 cuttings, taking care to buy only from healthy vine- 

 yards. That grape (be it native or imported) is the 

 best yet tried. Let all, however, experiment upon a 



