VINE. 



VINE. 



2. Black Prince. This is a very fine grape, 

 and nearly if not quite equal to the black 

 Hamburgh ; both of these sorts ripen in a 

 southeastern aspect, about the middle of Oc- ' 

 tober. 



3. Esperione. The Esperione vine is very 

 hardy, extremely prolific, and ripens its fruit 

 perfectly in any season, however unfavourable, j 



4. Black Muscadine. This is also a prolific | 

 bearer, but it requires a good aspect to ripen it 

 perfectly. 



5. Miller's Burgundy. This is a very hardy 

 and prolific grape, and ripens perfectly in any 

 season. Its leaves, which are very thick, dis- 

 tinguish it from every other sort, being covered 

 on both sides with a hoary down, which, when 

 they are young, is nearly white ; hence it is 

 called the "miller's" grape. 



6. Claret grape. This is a very fine wine 

 grape. It requires a good aspect. Early in 

 the summer its leaves change to a russet red, 

 and die in the autumn of a deep purple blood 

 colour. 



7. 8, 9. Black, grizzly, and white Frontignan. 

 The flavour of these three sorts is so extremely 

 delicious, that no good vine wall should be 

 without them. They ripen well in favourable 

 aspects, and where the soil is very dry; but, 

 being thin-skinned, and constitutionally dis- 

 posed to decay after they become fully ripe, 

 they cannot be kept long on the vine, particu- 

 larly if the wall against which they are grow- 

 ing be destitute of a projecting coping. 



10. White Muscadine. This is an exceed- 

 ingly fine grape, and a prolific bearer; and 

 from its hardy nature, and the certainty with 

 which it ripens in any season, it may be con- 

 sidered as the best white grape that can be 

 grown on open walls. 



11. Malmsey Muscadine. This resembles 

 the preceding, except that the berries are 

 smaller, and the branches not so regularly 

 formed; but the juice is sweeter, and pos- 

 sesses a higher flavour. 



12. White sweetwater. This is a delicious 

 grape ; but, owing to its tenderness when in 

 blossom, the berries sit very unevenly on the 

 branches. 



If it be desired to have a very early sort, to 

 the preceding may be added the early black 

 July; which, though the branches and berries 

 are smaller, and the latter in general unevenly 

 set, is a very sweet and also a well-flavoiffed 

 grape. (Hoare on the Cultivation of the Grape- 

 Vine on open Walls, 3d edition ; Phillips' 'a Hist, 

 of Fruits, p. 177.) 



The work of Mr. Hoare is so full of details 

 that it is scarcely necessary to add any thing 

 to the directions contained in his work ; and 

 we shall therefore confine ourselves to a state- 

 ment of a few general truths in regard to the 

 cultivation of the vine in the United States, the 

 results of much observation and some experi- 

 ence. 



1. The vine is a native of America, as it is 

 of Asia, while it was an exotic in Europe. 

 There is nothing, therefore, in the soil or cli- 

 mate of America uncongenial to the vine, and, 

 in fact, there are few parts of the United States 

 where the forests are not filled with grape-vines j 

 growing with the greatest exuberance. If, 



therefore, the cultivation of the vine has made 

 comparatively little progress, it is mainly be- 

 cause other fruits and other crops have offered 

 greater attractions. But as the country has 

 advanced, and the population is concentrated 

 in large towns, the grape has become an ob- 

 ject of more interest, and we think it would 

 now reward the industry of our farmers. 



2. This cultivation would have two objects, 

 the making of wine, and the supply of grapes 

 for the table. As to the first, we have no doubt 

 that wine can be made of an excellent quality 

 and at not unreasonable prices in the United 

 States. In fact, we know that cultivators on a 

 large scale, such as Mr. Rapp, at Harmony, Mr. 

 Longworth, in Ohio, Mr. Geo. Sheaff, and Mr. N. 

 Biddle, both of Pennsylvania, have succeeded 

 in making wine good, sound, palatable wine, 

 which would require only the wine-dealers' arts 

 to place it on a footing of equality with some of 

 the best wines of Europe. But so long as the 

 wines of France and of the old-established wine 

 countries of Europe can be produced so cheap- 

 ly, and imported with scarcely any duty, the 

 competition of the foreign wine-makers is diffi- 

 cult to withstand, and it is mainly, therefore, 

 when raised for the table that grapes will repay 

 the labour of the farmer; and. this, we think, 

 they certainly would do. The importation of 

 grapes and raisins into the United States will 

 afford the best evidence of the consumption of 

 those articles, and their cost to us. 



We happen to have before us two returns 

 of importations for different years, from which 

 we make the following extracts. 



In the year 1834 the importation stood thus 



Raisins in jars 

 All other raisins 



Quantity. 

 6,897,517 Ibs. 

 7,423,567 



14,391,064 



The importation of 1837 was 

 12,33^782 lb. 



Raisins in boxes 

 All other raisins 



Value. 



$477,318 

 306,516 



783,834 



Value. 



1WO.-201 

 340,629 



19,137,098 $ 1,320,830 



6,805,316 



We have not at hand any more recent state- 

 ments, and therefore do not know how these 

 importations have been sustained. But these 

 tables show an efficient demand for grapes, 

 fresh and dried, of no less than 1,320,000 dol- 

 lars in a single year. Such an object is worth 

 contending for. These imported grapes are 

 generally not of the best kind, even in their 

 own country, being selected mainly on account 

 of their hard skins and their ability to bear the 

 long voyage. They are gathered before they 

 are fully ripe, and, being packed in sawdust, 

 they retain too much of the flavour of that ma- 

 terial. Now, if these grapes were met on their 

 arrival by grapes grown here, and plucked 

 from the vines within a few hours instead of 

 a few months before they are brought on the 

 table, the preference could not fail to be given 

 to the native fruits. 



Such fruits might be furnished from vineries 

 covered with glass, or raised in the open fields. 



For raising grapes under glass, we do not 

 think it necessary to give any directions, since 

 whoever proposes it will find ample instruc- 

 4 r 2 1085 



