RAISING SEEDLINGS. 113 



especially that to which my friend Hyde has referred, in his sug- 

 gestion with regard to the necessity of getting, through repro- 

 duction by seed, better grapes than we have got now. I should 

 like also to toucli upon the question of cross-breeding, or hybrid- 

 ization ; but I have already occupied a good deal of time, and 

 as the usual time of adjournment has arrived, I will move that 

 we adjourn until 2 o'clock. 



The motion was carried, and the meeting adjourned until the 

 afternoon. 



AFTERNOON SESSION. 



The Board met at 2 o'clock, Capt. MooRE'in the chair. 



Mr. Brown. I would like to ask Mr. Bull one question — 

 whether his poor grapes make good wine or not ? 



Mr. Bull. No, sir ; it takes the best grapes to make good 

 wine. Poor grapes will make the best vinegar. Vinegar made 

 from wine is superior to that made from cider. It carries the 

 flavor of the grape, and is generally worth twice as much in the 

 market. 



Our friend Mr. Hyde says he wants a grape that shall be 

 hardy, handsome, large and excellent. Well, we shall have it 

 in time ; but that is a work of time. Your seedling is a good 

 many years coming into fruit, and when you get it it may have 

 some qualities that you do not want. I think we have good 

 ground to hope that we shall find it in the end, for out of the 

 many thousand seedlings which I have raised, I have twenty or 

 thirty, all of which are better than the Concord and an improve- 

 ment upon the parent, and some of which, grandchildren of the 

 Concord, are of exquisite quality, perfectly hardy, and ripen 

 before the end of August. I take this method. If I have a 

 grape which is eminently large and handsome, but not of quite 

 so good quality as I want, I plant the seeds of that grape, 

 (making a proper record of it,) and grow them, in the expecta- 

 tion of getting equally large grapes among its seedlings, and 

 some one of better quality. If I have one emhiently beautiful, 

 but not equal in other respects to what I want, I plant the seeds 

 of that by themselves, (keeping the same- record.) So I follow 

 up all divergencies just as you keep the record of each family 

 of your blood stock when breeding them. I keep each variety 

 by itself, instead of promiscuously throwing them together. I 

 15 



