21 



5\ge. By the means of liot-liouses, and the Ibrciiif^ process, and 

 careful culturej foreign grapes have been produced, but the 

 experiment has been laborious and has not paid. We must de- 

 pend upon our own native grapes, both for fruit and for wine. 

 All our wild and cultivated grapes liave sprung from four or 

 five distinct species. Of the wild and cultivated grapes there 

 are nearly tw^o Inindred varieties. Upwards of one hundred 

 varieties are cultivated. From the following species liave 

 sprung nearly all the varieties of both wild and cultivated 

 grapes. First : Vitis Lahrusca^ of Linnaeus. From this spe- 

 cies are derived the Isabella, Catawba, Concord, Diana, Rebec- 

 ca, Anna, Hartford prolific, Muscadine, Sweet-water, &c., &c. 

 Nearly forty varieties of cultivated grapes have been produced 

 from this species, f^econd : Vltls Aestivalis of Michaiix. The 

 following varieties are descended from this species, and nearly 

 twenty other species not named. Warren, Clinton, Burgundy, 

 Deleware, King, and Nortons Virginia. Third : Vitis Cordifo- 

 lia of MichaiiXj commonly called the frost or Avinter grape. 

 There are not more than one or two varieties of this species 

 under cultivation, and these are of very little consequence. 

 Fourth : Vitis Vulhina, of Linnaeus. I believe there is only 

 one variety of this kind cultivated, viz., the Scuppornong, 

 named from a lake in Nortli Carolina, on the banks of Avhich it 

 was discovered. There are one or two more species known to 

 exist but are not much known. In fact, it is quite probable 

 tliat all these rather unimportant plants if properly analyzed, 

 would be found to belong to one of the four first named species. 

 It is nearly certain, then, that all our grapes, wild and cultiva- 

 ted, can 1)0 reduced to four or five species. 



MORE IN REGARD TO THE ELEMENTS OF WINE AND WINE MAKING. 



Let it be observed, that I have stated a general principle to 

 be alwaj^s heeded in making all kinds of wines, whether from 

 the juices of the difi'erent varieties of grapes or fruits, viz. 

 Four positive elements must be present in order to make good 

 wine — ivater, sugar, mucilage and acid. These must exist in 



