Mississippi Valley Grape Grotoers' Ass 



ociation. 



145 



THE MEETING OF THE MISSISSIPPI VALLEY fiPAPP rimwi,^T>c.' 

 ASSOCIATION, AT ALTON, ILL., APEII 1^3T]?1nD utiL ^ 



This was truly one of the most 

 pleasant gatherings which it has ever 



of infancy, and to liavc enteml upon the more 

 active period of youth. May it i^oon attain the vigor 

 1 A J- i. X ., 1 , **"•* strength of manhood, and may it lonir main- 



been our good fortune to attend, and ; tain among the iKumane.ltinstitutL^B ofturtL 



we onl}' regretted that, on account of • '"^ "•-''f"''""^'»fl""'"t'"ii'osition, which shaii enable 



the b«.y season at which it was hold, | t:^:^^::£z^:z's.^::::^":2 



only 80 few of the grape growers were \ *-'fl'"i"f'^ J" it« behalf! 



able to attend. However, those who ' f,w' ^^T/' T' ?' '"' °''^''' """^ ""'''"'' "^ 



^ ^.1, Liiuoo WHO fruits. .Secular history, in its earliest periods, 

 AVere there were good representatives contain.s interesting accounts of the vine and its 



of our earnest, working vintners, and 

 the samples of wine which they 

 brought, or which were sent by 

 others, were, as well in quality as in- 

 number, the best proof that American 

 scrape growing is making rapid and 

 satisfactory progress. In another 

 :'olumn we give the full list of the 

 entries made, and their grading by the 

 different committees. 



The meeting was ctilled to order by 

 :he President, Dr. C. W. Spalding, at 

 10 o'clock A. M. As the Secretary, 

 Mr. Wm. Muir, Avas prevented by a 

 serious accident to be present, Mr. 

 Pierson, of Alton, was chosen Secre- 

 :ar3' pro tem. 



ADDRESS HY THE I'UESIDEN'T . 



rentlemen of the Mississippi Valley Grape Groirers 



Association : 



In the Providence of God we are again iiermitted 

 assemble together for the purpose of interchang- 

 ag views and comparing our experiences relative 

 that most enticing branch of horticulture which ! 

 t is the object of this society to encourage and 

 I'omote. Custom demands a few opening remarks 

 rom your presiding officer, but in conforming to 

 his usage, I shall on this occasion be very brief, 

 elieving that your time will be more profitably 

 ccupied ill the discussions and other regular biisi- 

 ess which will come before the meeting. 



The number of intelligent growers present at tliis, | 

 he lifth meeting of our young societj', serves to 

 onfirni its fouiulers in their previous conviction 

 liat the progress which the culture of the grape 

 ras m.aking, and the i)roportions wliich it had 

 Iready attained, demanded an organization devo- 

 ?d entirely to that particular speciality. Our so- 

 lely may now be saiil to have passeil the pei-iod 



culture. Indeed, in all latitudes where it success- 

 fully thrives, its history is coextensive with that 

 of civilization and relinement. Even in climates 

 too rigorous or uncongenial for its open culture, 

 and where the product of the vine is regarded as a 

 luxury, Ihe gratification of a retineil taste has led 

 to a resort to artificial means for ifs iiroduction. 



In our broad and noble valley the culture of tlie 

 grape has but just begun. Its various soils and its 

 diversity of climate aflford an ample field for the 

 introduction of khids both new and old, and it may 

 safely be predicted that the time will come when 

 our wines shall ecjual in variety and (piality those 

 of any other portion of the world. Already what 

 has been accomplished is sufficient to solve the 

 problem of success, and what is more, to establish 

 the fact that in certain classes of wine we can now 

 compete successfully with the products of foreign 

 countries. At no distant day the consumption 

 of foreign wines will become the exception as it 

 has heretofore been the rule, and we shall then 

 have demonstrated to the American i)ublic that 

 all which we have claimed for American wines 

 will have been realized, and file millions of dollars 

 that now go abroad annually for the jiurchase of 

 the wines of other countries will be retained at 

 home . 



The eflorts of this society should be directed 

 towards the acc-omplishinent of this stupendous 

 result in the shortest practical time. 



The question naturally arises, "How can this lie 

 done?" There are just two important tilings to 

 accomiilish and tlie work is done: First tiie pro- 

 duction of wines in sucli great variety as to com- 

 l)ete with all the foreign sorts, and second, to bring 

 them to market at so cheap a rate as to displace 

 the imported article. With red wines, this, to a 

 considerable extent, has already been accom- 

 plished. Much the largest proi>ortion of the red 

 wines now imported belong to the IJcn-deaux and 

 Burgundy classes. 



Our Concord, Ives, Norton's Virginia an<l 

 Cyn'.hiana are being rapidly substituted tor these 

 wines; and when we shall have done for the white 

 wines what these four varieties have done, and are 

 now doing for the red, we shall have taken a long 

 stride towards the end we are seeking to realize. 

 Our markets are supplied with wines from France, 



