8 THE GKAPE CULTUKIST. 



which, of course, failed, and the vineyardist,* thinking 

 that there was nothing among our indigenous vines worthy 

 of his attention, replaced them with new importations 

 from Europe, and found his trouble again rewarded by 

 failure. After two centuries of unsuccessful attempts to 

 grow the European grape in open culture in this country, 

 pomologists turned their attention to the improvement of 

 our native species of vine, and their experiments have 

 given us many choice and beautiful varieties. It is only 

 since foreign varieties have been discarded for our hitherto 

 neglected native sorts, that vine culture has become estab- 

 lished as a branch of American industry. 



BOTANICAL CHARACTER OF THE VINE. 



Botanists have differed as to the number of species of 

 vine belonging to this country, and this can not be won- 

 dered at in a plant which is so disposed to run into varie- 

 ties. Professor Asa Gray, the high authority of whose 

 works will be conceded, makes a much less number of spe- 

 cies than many other botanists, and I have followed him in 

 the classification on next page. I must remark, however, 

 that there are several native varieties which are found in 

 certain sections of the country, which are very puzzling, 

 and one is at loss as to which of the admitted species they 

 should be referred. These varieties, though growing in- 

 discriminately with others about which there is no doubt, 

 seem to preserve their identity, and it is very difficult to 

 decide whether to call them distinct species or marked 

 varieties of the species enumerated by Gray. Practically 



* Although this word has not yet found its way into the dictionaries, 

 it appears to be just as applicable to the cultivation of the vine as 

 orchardist, pomologist, etc., are in other departments of fruit culture. 

 It has been employed by several writers of late, and was used so long 

 ago as 1853 by Dr Togno hi a letter to Charles L. Fleischman. Seo 

 American Polytechnic Journal, page 317. 



