PREFACE 



The purpose of The Grapes of New York is to record the state of 

 develoiMiient of Ainerican grapes. The title implies that the work is being 

 done for a locality but in this matter New York is representative of the 

 whole country. The contents are: Brief historical narratives of Old World 

 and New World grapes; an account of the grape regions and of grape- 

 growing in New York, with statistics relating to the grape, wine and grape 

 jviice industries in this State; a discussion of the species of American grapes; 

 and the synonymy, bibliography, economic status, and full descriptions of 

 all of the important varieties of American grapes. In the footnotes will be 

 found brief biographical sketches of those persons who have contributed 

 most to the evolution of the grape and to grape-growing in America and 

 some historical and descriptive notices of certain things pertaining to the 

 gra|>e which do not belong in the text and yet serve to give a better under- 

 standing of it or otherwise add to the completeness of the book. Color- 

 plates are shown of varieties which from various standpoints are considered 

 most important. 



In the brief account of the Old World grape there is little tliat is new. 

 Its history is on record from the earliest times in the literature of nearly 

 all civilized peoples. A few facts, selected here and there, have been taken 

 to serve as an introduction to the accounts of the New World grapes. So, 

 too, the history of the American grape has been written by others and, 

 here, only the main facts have been set down as recorded in the score or 

 more books dealing with this fruit. A few excursions have been made in 

 hitherto unexplored fields. The purpose of these historical sketches is to 

 give the reader a proper perspective of the work in liand. 



The grape is probably influenced to a greater degree liy soil, climate, 

 and culture than any other fruit, and a discussion of its status cannot be 

 complete without due consideration of the environment in which it is grow- 

 ing. Hence there is included as full an account of grape-growing and of 

 the grape regions in New York as space permits. This part of the work may 



