NATURAL AND CIVIL HISTORY OF THE VINE. 25 



in 1685, but after some years, Mr. Tasker, of Mary- 

 land, and Mr. Antil, of Shrewsbury, K.J., seem to Lave 

 succeeded to a certain extent. Mr. Antil wrote an 

 excellent article on the culture of the grape and the 

 manufacture of wine, which may be found in the first 

 volume of the " Transactions of the American Philoso- 

 phical Society," published in 1771. In this article, 

 Mr. Antil describes only foreign varieties, from 

 which it is to be inferred that he cultivated them 

 chiefly, if not solely. 



In 1769, the French settlers in Illinois made one 

 hundred and ten hogsheads of strong wine from 

 native grapes. 



In 1793, Peter Legaux, a French gentleman, ob- 

 tained of tlie legislature of Pennsylvania the incor- 

 poration of a company for cultivating the vine. They 

 purchased a farm at Spring-mill, Montgomery county, 

 thirteen miles from Philadelphia, on the Schuylkill. 

 For one year only were prospects favorable ; divisions 

 and dissensions arose; the stockholders sold out in 

 disgust, and the vineyard went to ruin. 



At Harmony, near Pittsburg, a vineyard of ten 

 acres was planted and cultivated by Frederick Rapp 

 and his associates from Germany. They afterward 

 removed to another Harmony in Indiana, on the east 

 bank- of the Wabash, where they continued the culti- 

 vation of wine and silk for many years. * 

 2 



