The Peggy Grape— Can Grape Growing he Overdone? 



357 



THE PEGGY GRAPE. 



Mr. George Hlssiann : 



Dear Sir : — I mail to-day a few 

 grafts of the Peggy Grape. By re- 

 quest, I will try and give a more de- 

 tailed description of its origin, color, 

 etc, I have received quite a number of 

 letters asking me to give a more de- 

 tailed description of it. 



The Peggy Grape was found twenty- 

 five years ago, in Preston county, West 

 Virginia. It stands against the south 

 side of a mountain (came up acci- 

 dental), in an old waste field. I have 

 been acquainted with it since that time. 

 I brought wood with me to this State. 

 I am not certain what species it belongs 

 to ; perhaps it comes as near Labrusca 

 as any other. Bunch compact, shoul- 

 dered ; berries medium to large, black ; 

 skin thin ; flesh juicy, sweet, and good ; 



pulp quite tender, with very slight 

 traces of foxy flavor ; vine very hardy 

 and vigorous ; leaves thick, large, en- 

 during, light green above, color of Isa- 

 bella beneath ; ripens here 25th Au- 

 gust. 



P. S. — Will you please publish in 

 Grape Cdlturist, for the benefit of 

 many readers. 



I have had quite a number of appli- 

 cations for grafts of Peggy ; have sup- 

 plied all, I believe. 



Yours, trul}', 



R. W. Gandy. 



Troy, Davis Co . Iowa, November 9, 1869. 



[Thanks for the grafts, which arrived 

 safe^ and shall have the best of care ; 

 also for the interesting description and 

 history of the Peggy. We shall be 

 glad to hear from it again. — -Ed.] 



CAN GRAPE GROWING BE OVERDONE? 



As we have promised to return to this 

 subject again, but have been prevented 

 by press of matter so far, we will 

 now resume, and hope to show to friend 

 Engelmann, and our readers generally, 

 why there is no danger of doing so as 

 yet, and how we must go to work to 

 make it a general, and what is more, a 

 paying business. 



First, we will state upon what grounds 

 we base our hopes of being exporters of 

 wines before long, ins^^ead of importers. 



If we cast a glance at the present 

 condition of the wine market, and the 

 importations now made, we will find 



that by far the greater majority of wines 

 now imported are the common and low 

 grades, the cheap clarets, and light 

 white wines of France, Germany, and 

 Hungary — wines that can be sold here 

 at from $1.00 to $1.75 per gallon. Of 

 really choice brands, high priced wines, 

 but few, comparatively, are imported, 

 and those at such extravagant figures 

 that only wealthy men can afford to buy 

 and use them. There is, in fact, a 

 scarcity of really choice wines in Eu- 

 rope, and those wines which are really 

 renowned, either for body, delicacy and 

 quality, are only sold to a favored few 



