Salem Vindicated. 



61 



and new varieties. "While the most of 

 ns have been somewhat taken in by the 

 lona and Israella as to time of ripen- 

 ing, we cannot den}^ that Dr. Grant 

 has done nmch for the cause of grape 

 culture. PI is eftbrts in disseminating 

 the Delaware did much to cultivate the 

 public taste, and rapidly increased 

 vineyard planting. That the lona is 

 a grape of very high quality none will 

 deny who have seen it in perfection. 

 That tlie Doctor was himself deceived 

 from insufticient experience as to its 

 time of ripening is quite probable. 

 Yet in many localities the lona is a 

 grape not easily excelled, in quality 

 and profitableness. What the Eume- 

 lan will do remains to be seen. That 

 it is a grape of ver}' high quality I 

 have not a doubt. Though but slightly 

 interested in its growth and sale, I am 

 yet willing and desirous to see it 

 widely and fairly tested^ and shall be 

 right glad to add one more to the few 

 varieties of American grapes adapted 

 to wide and profitable cultivation. 

 Let us bury our prejudices and animos- 

 ities, and proceed in the great work of 

 proving this a land adapted to profita- 

 ble grape culture, as well as the growth 

 of great moral ideas and political 

 equality. I. IT. Babcock. 



LocKPOiiT, .Jan. '2.'), 1870. 



[We willingly give room to the 

 above, because its expressions, which 

 we would not allow against any of our 

 contributors, are against ourselves. 

 And we think we are not much dam- 

 aged by theiD . We are very glad to 

 hear that Dr. Hyde is not interested 

 either with either Mr. Babcock, or Mr. 

 Harris, the proprietor of the .Salem 

 vineyards. That we have " condemned 

 the Doctor and the Salem " together, 



however, we cannot see, as we are not 

 aware that we have condemned the 

 Salem anywhere. Wo simply said 

 that we thought its reputation as a 

 uniformly healthy, hardy and produc- 

 tive variety throughout the country, 

 somewhat on the decline, and gave our 

 experience at Bluffton and Hermann 

 with it. If Mr. Babcock calls that 

 ^' pitching in," we cannot help it ; and 

 we here tell these gentlemen who 

 make a specialty of the growth, sale 

 and propagation of any one variety, 

 once for all : if they expect our jour- 

 nal to publish only what is favorable 

 of their peculiar pets, and ignore all 

 that is unfavorable, they are very much 

 mistaken. We publish all the reports 

 about varieties from all parts of the 

 country, even about our own special 

 favorites, be they favorable or unfavora- 

 ble ; we are working in the interest of 

 the whole grape growing communitj', 

 and no one, be he Tom, Dick, or 

 Harry, can get us to serve his peculiar 

 interest in the sale of any variety, over 

 the interest of the great cause. 



"We have no where, to our recollec- 

 tion, called the Salem (rra/^e a humbug, 

 but only Dr. Hyde, and are glad to 

 hear from friend Babcock, that he is 

 not in his emplo}^ "We can assure him, 

 however, that even if he were, he would 

 not be the first who has been deceived 

 by that individual, and could hardly be 

 held responsible tor all his doings. 



"We do not think that our readers 

 have found the idea predominant in our 

 writings, that Bluffton is the centre of 

 the grape universe. "We tliink we have 

 a good locality here, but we do not 

 believe that there is at i)resent any one 

 variety of grapes, be it Salem, lona, 

 Eumelan, Walter, or any other, that 



