Oil the Cultivation of the Vine. 



That our country is naturally fitted for the purpose 

 is undeniably evident, from the spontaneous produc- 

 tion of the vine in every part of the sea coast, from 

 Georgia to Maine, and to the westv^^ard as far as wc 

 know any thing of its productions. Which is the best 

 of those grapes, remains to be enquired j but it is as- 

 certained, that several kinds of them are superior, for 

 wine, to any of those called European grapes, hitherto 

 imported into this country. — For example, the bull or 

 bullet grape of Carolina, the Bland grape of Virginia, 

 and Cooper's grape of New Jersey,* all of which stand 

 our climate perfectly well, without covering ; and their 

 fruit, instead of being injured by the frost, as all the 

 European grapes are known to be, is improved by a 

 slight frost. Of the European grapes, the downy leafed 

 vines have the important advantage, that the down se- 

 cures them from the ravages of the rose-bug ; these 

 grapes are the *' Miller Burgundy," the *' White Mor- 

 rillon," and above all others the *' Genuine Tokay," 

 which to the advantage of the hoary leaf, adds that of 

 producing the best wine in the world ; and growing 

 in a country eight or ten degrees further northward 

 ihan we are, may be relied on to stand our climate, as 

 well as our own vines. 



Thus far you will set down as preface : what fol- 

 lows is to be considered as a simple, plain lesson, and 

 it shall be confined to the consideration of a single vine; 

 because if the cultivation of one vine is well under- 

 stood, the application of that knowledge to any num- 

 ber, is an operation of plain common sense only. 



* A variety of the Vitis Sylvestris, or blue bunch grape. J. IVT. 



