BOTANY. 75 



mont counties. Its fruit is transparent, showing every seed, 

 in the grape, which is nearly an inch in diameter. The vine, 

 attains a height of only ten feet, and half an inch in diameter. 

 It deserves to be extensively cultivated, by Longworth of Cin- 

 cinnati, who has been long worthily employed, in cultivating 

 all sorts of vines, native and naturalized. 



The next valuable native vine, now attempted to be introduc- 

 ed to public notice is the sweet prairie grape. Its fruit is red, 

 and when wild, grew extensively along the banks of the Scioto, 

 in our once extensive natural meadows. It never grew more 

 than twenty feet in height, and its vine, was only one inch in 

 diameter. It grew near the plum bushes and covered them, in 

 the proper season, with its vines loaded with the delicious, sweet 

 clusters of its fruit. Twenty years since, we have seen at one 

 view, (near us on the Scioto,) treeless meadows, with whole 

 acres of these vines, loaded with fruit, and covering the low 

 plum bushes. Packed in sugar, these grapes produce excel- 

 lent raisins, and pressed, their juice makes a most delicious 

 wine, which we prefer to any imported from Europe. A Mr. 

 Myers near us, raises more and more of them annually, which 

 in appearance and flavor resemble the grapes brought from 

 Lisbon. They are exactly alike, except ours is a native, and 

 thrives best here, of the two. 



There is a larger grape than these, found originally on Deer 

 creek, some twenty miles southwest of Circleville. The 

 fruit is larger, but hardly so sweet as our Scioto, sweet prairie 

 grape. The last one, or deer creek grape, is naturalized and 

 thrives well. 



The Scioto hill grape vine, grows on gentle acclivities, 

 ill this region, and attains, twenty or thirty feet in height, and 

 its stem is half an inch in diameter. It grows on sunny sides 

 of hills, among under-brush, and bears fruit well, when not too 

 much shaded by trees. Its fruit is not so large, as either of 

 the forementioned grapes, and it is rather too well stored with 

 seeds. For a tart or jelly, it has no rival in any country, so 

 delicious and pure is it, to the taste. It makes an excellent 

 preserve, and is highly prized by all who know its worth. 



