140 



7 he Grape Culturist. 



Oennany, Porfiijrrtl, Spain , ami the islumls ami 

 >hon's Kltlii' Moilitt'iiimcan. Our jKopU' are ac- 

 eiistonitil lolhe u-e oJ all tliese diffireiit kinds, and 

 to i»os!<ess ourselves of the American market, we 

 must fliruish wines similar to all these, or siibstl- 

 nito for them other wines which shall prove 

 eipmlly a< i-eptable to the tastes of consumers. That 

 we are iu a fair way of doinj; this with red wines, I 

 havealivuily slaled. IJut what can be said of our 

 prosiK-cts forsub.-liluU-'S for the lisht-colured wines, 

 which are now -o largely imported? 



The old < alawba can not be relied on to sup- 

 ply this want to any considerable extent, for it is 

 evidently failiuji even in h)calities where it has 

 heretofore succeeded Where, then, are the new 

 sorts that are to yield these light colored w ines? 

 I win ut this time name but a single variety of which 

 it can be .•»afely said that it has been siilliciently 

 testii! to give a fair ))roinise of being euually hardy 

 and productive wi.h the four kinds named above. 

 I ttUuile to the Martha. There are other varieties, 

 us the Maxatawmy, several of the Rogers' Hybrids, 

 etc. , for which this claim is lusserted, but up to this 

 time they are still on trial, and no one could feel 

 safe in planting them extensively. The same may 

 be sail! of the Delaware, excepting in a few favora- 

 ble loculitii's where it is now doing well. Yet even 

 ut the>e points the vineyanls are still too young to 

 give entire assurance of ultimate prolit. 



'I"he southern ,Kstivalis, of which the Herbemont 

 will serve as the representative, is not wholly 

 Miited to our climate. The more skillful and pains- 

 taking will grow them with success. Yet the 

 w inter protection necessary for this class of grapes 

 is against their genenil introduction. The Ameri- 

 can grape grower demands something that will 

 alike endure our summer's heat and our winter's 

 cold. 



For the prodiu'.tion of a fair assortment of white 

 wines, we nuist still look to the further introduc- 

 tion of new varieties, possessing the hardihood and 

 prrtductiveness of the Concord and Norton. 



It becomes the members of this a.s.sociation, 

 therefore, to test, individually, all new varieties 

 which appear to have any just claim to tilling this 

 evident want ."Several years are reipiired todeli- 

 ntlely det<-rniine the merits of any new grape, and 

 If we were in possession of one or more sorts, at 

 this tune, whidi had all the requisite good points, a 

 g<MHl deal of time must elapse before we coidd 

 pnnlently reconumnd it for general cultivation 



In this connection, there is one point relative to 

 thi- origination of new varieties, to which I wish 

 to call attention. It is the almost universal custom 

 of cro-ding onr native species with the vitix vtnifcra, 

 or KnroiM-angrapi . .Noneof this .species have found 

 n home on th< lasl.rn slope of our conliiu'nt, but 

 ull of them have proveil more or less liable to di.s- 

 euw. and their cultivation for vinevard pur|)oses 

 huH been wholly abandoned. Why then seek to in- 

 fujM- thirt Hiekly blood into oursi)ecies? The best and 

 m.mt huc,c4-ssfid grapes we have are thoroughly 

 aMixe, and the four or five distinct species indigen- 



ous to our country certainly cover all the points 

 of excellence that can possil)ly be wished for. Why 

 not, then, endeavor to combine these native excel- 

 lencies by the crossing of our native species? I am 

 coiyident that the highest success attainable from 

 systematic cross-fertilization 'lies in this direction, 

 and he who leads in the development of the latent 

 resources which exist in this almost unexplored 

 tield will confer a histing l)cnetit upon the public, 

 and reap for himself an ample reward. 



After the President's address, the 

 society proceeded to elect its officers 

 for the ensuing year. The result was 

 as follows: 



President, James E. Starr, Elsah, 

 111.; Vice President, George Ilusniann,, 

 Bluflfton, Mo. ; Secretary, Dr. L. D. 

 Morse, St. Jjouis, Mo. ; Treasurer, 

 John IT. Tice, Cheltenham, St. Louis 

 County, Mo. 



After the election, the different 

 awarding committees on the Avines 

 exhibited were chosen by the exhibi- 

 tors, a new ])lan, which seemed to give 

 general satisfaction, and Avhich we 

 recommend for adoption on all similar 

 occasions. They proceeded to their 

 duties in the evening, after the wines 

 had been numbered, registered and 

 brought in. After they had been acted 

 upon by the committees, they Avere 

 passed out to the members, so that 

 every one present had a chance to try 

 them; and the orderly and pleasant 

 manner in which the sampling of over 

 two hundred bottles passed off, served 

 to prove fully what we asserted in a 

 former number, " that we in Missouri 

 and Illinois can have wine trials 

 without a single member being intoxi- 

 cated, and that good wine is the 

 promotor of temjierance." 



We are also fully convinced that 

 not one of the exhibitors had the least 

 cause for dissatisfjiction with the 

 awards of the committees, who per- 



