The Taylor Grape. 



248 



raised seedlings from the Taylor grape, 

 but lo ! they all proved completely 

 equal to the mother vine in ever}' par- 

 ticular. This is the more astonishing 

 as the seedlings from other grapes show 

 the most diversified properties, scarcely 

 one of them tu\\\ resembling the mother 

 vine. I have, for instance, six seed- 

 lings from the Herbemont, all bearing, 

 none like ilie other, and only more or 

 less similar to their mother ; some 

 more, some less productive ; the berries 

 of most of them being larger ; the clus- 

 ters large, medium and small ; the taste 

 of the fruit more or less juicy, sweet 

 and aromatic ; the fruity in part, ripen- 

 ing with and in part before the Herbe- 

 mont ; but no undeveloped berries to 

 be found on any one of them (as is 

 generally the c, se with the mother 

 vine), and not liable to rot ; the growth 

 being either ver}' rank or medium ; 

 the wood of all being hard and not 

 needing winter protection; the foliage 

 being intermediate between that of the 

 Vitis Vinifera, Labrusca and Aestivalis, 

 or quitj peculiar, of one similar to 

 parslc}' leaves. 



Having succeeded, as I believe, in 

 this experiment, I shall not desist from 

 further experimenting on the Taylor. 

 I sh ill again, next fall, gather seeds 

 from the best developed berries of a 

 Taylor vine, planted approximate to a 

 Clinton, and try to I'aise seedlings ; and, 

 if amongst a hundred, I can produce 

 one unitmg all the desirable properties 

 of the mother vine, and being ordinarily 

 productive at the same time (with fully 

 developed sexual organs), I shall think 

 to have well des rved of this vast and 

 rapidly progressing country'. Others, 

 however, onght to do th '. same, and he 

 who succeeds best m;iy carry off the 

 prize. Fkedekick Muenxh. 



Wakkex, Col'xty, Mo , Juue '.0, ISGU. 



[The above valuable communication 

 is but one of hundreds of complaints, 

 of a similar kind, about the Tajdor 

 grape. From our experience last year, 

 however, we are inclined to think that 

 the Taylor will be productive enough, 

 if planted on rather poor soil, and 

 after the vines have acquired sufficient 

 age. From a Taylor vine, which stood 

 isolated in a Catawba vineyard, and 

 could not therefore be impregnated by 

 any other vine, as it blooms so much 

 earlier than the Catawba, we gathered 

 sixteen pounds of well ripened grapes, 

 many of the bunches being very hand- 

 some and ( ompact. The vine is the 

 oldest we have, was sj^ur pruned on 

 wood several 3ears old, and we gave it 

 "plenty to do." It stands on rather 

 poor ground, and looks well again this 

 summer. 



With us the Louisiana was not quite 

 productive enough to suit us at Her- 

 mann; here, at IMutfton, it seems to 

 flourish much better. 



Our venerable friend's experiments 

 with the Herbemont seedlings are very 

 interesting. W'e have some of them 

 growing, from scions kindly fm-nished 

 b}' him, and shall report on them in due 

 time. The Herbemont will doubtless 

 prove the parent of valuable varieties, 

 and we know of no variety which we 

 Would prefer to e\i)eriment with in 

 seedlings. 



May our "Father Miinch," who cele- 

 brates his 70th birthday in a few days, 

 live long and happily to enjo}' the fruits 

 of them and many generations to come I 

 We take this puiAic way to offer him 

 our best wishes and congratulations, 

 beciuse men like him, whose whole 

 lifetime has been spent in unselfish 

 exertions for the common good, are 

 public property, and their infiuence ex- 

 tends be3'ond mere relations of friendly 

 intercourse with individuals. We know 

 thnt we but express the feedings of 

 thousands who have had the pleasure of 

 personal intercourse with him, when we 

 wish him a lon^ continuance of that 

 freshness and vigor which we have 

 a!wa_vs known and admired in our friend 

 "Far West."]— Kd. 



