THE GRAPES OF NEW YORK. 151 



land. It was probably described by other botanists before Linnaeus but 

 if so their descriptions are so meager that it cannot be definitely recognized. 

 Linnaeus in 1753, under Vitis labrusca, says: "Leaves cordate, slightly 

 tri-lobed, dentate, downy below." Marshall in 1785 under the name 

 Vitis vulp^ina, or Fox grape, says: " This in manner of growth hath much 

 the appearance of the other kinds. The leaves are generally larger, and 

 smooth, but whitish underneath. The fruit or grapes are about the size 

 of a common cherry and have a strong scent, a little approaching to that 

 of a Fox, whence the name of Fox-grape. There are also varieties of this, 

 some with whitish or reddish fruit which is generally most esteemed, and 

 others with black, of which are our largest grapes." From the time of 

 Marshall on all of the botanists give more or less complete descriptions of 

 this species and except for the brief misunderstanding at first as to the 

 name, its identity has never been questioned. At one time it was supposed 

 to grow in the Mississippi Valley but Engelmann demonstrated that what 

 were taken for Labrusca vines in Missouri were in reality strongly pubes- 

 cent forms of Aestivalis. 



Labrusca is indigenous to the eastern part of North America, including 

 the region between the Atlantic Ocean and the Alleghany Mountains. It 

 is sometimes found in the valleys and along the western slopes of the Alle- 

 ghanies. Many botanists say it is never found in the Mississippi Valley; 

 Munson reports specimens, however, from Indiana and Tennessee. In the 

 first-named area it ranges from Maine to Georgia. It has the most 

 restricted habitat of any American species of horticultural importance, 

 being much exceeded in extent of territory by Vitis rotundifolia, Vitis 

 aestivalis, and Vitis riparia. 



Labrusca has furnished more cultivated varieties, either pure-breeds or 

 hybrids, than all other American species together. The reason for this 

 is partly, no doubt, due to the fact that it is native to the portion of the 

 United States first settled and is the most common grape in the region 

 where agriculture first advanced to the condition where fruits were desired. 

 This does not wholly account for its prominence, however, which must be 

 sought elsewhere. In its wild state Labrusca is probably the most 

 attractive to the eye of any of our American grapes on account of the size 

 of its fruit, and this undoubtedly turned the attention of those who were 



