54 



THE GRAPES OF NEW YORK. 



Belleville, on the ' rolling prairies ' of Illinois; at Reading, in Pennsylvania; 

 in Kentuck\% Indiana, Tennessee, Arkansas, and generally, in at least 

 twenty-two out of the thirty-two States now constituting the Union, vine- 

 yards of more or less promise and extent have been planted. * * * 



"About 3,000 acres are cultivated as vineyards in the state of Ohio; 

 500 in Kentucky; 1,000 in Indiana; 500 in Missouri; 500 in Illinois; 100 in 

 Georgia; 300 in North Carolina; 200 in South Carolina, with every prospect 

 of a rapid increase in all. It is calculated that at least 2,000,000 gallons of 

 wine are now raised in the United States, the average value of which may 

 be taken at a dollar and a half the gallon." 



Grape-growing in New York was not considered worthy of mention by 

 Erskine; and Buchanan nine years before reported only a few vineyards 

 about New York City. In the regions of this State now almost wholly 

 devoted to grape-growing a start had hardly been made in 1850. Yet 

 there were some commercial vineyards at this time. Deacon Elijah Fay, 

 the pioneer grape-grower in what is now the great Chautauqua region, 

 planted the first vines in that district in 181 8 and though grape-growing 

 did not become of importance until tliree or four decades later yet this 

 planting was the foundation upon which Deacon Fay built until, largely 

 through his efforts and example and those of his children, grapes were 

 grown everywhere about his home. It is doubtful, however, if there were a 

 hundred acres of commercial vineyards m this region when Erskine made 

 his report in 1859. 



The first plantings made about Keuka Lake, now called the " Rhine of 

 America ", were made by the Rev. William Bostwick at Hammondsport 

 about 1830. He grew the Catawba and Isabella in a small way in his garden 

 and for vears was tlie only grape-grower in this part of New York. The 

 commercial industry in this region was not started until 1853 when Andrew 

 Reisinger, a German vintner, planted two acres of Isabellas and Catawbas 

 at Harmonyville in the town of Pulteney. From this start viticulture in 

 the Keuka region grew apace and there must have been four or five hundred 

 acres of grapes planted when Erskine's report was made in 1859. The 

 fact that the region was not mentioned in this report may be accounted 

 for by assuming that Erskine's figures came from men engaged in making 



