Tlie Scuppernong Again. 



233 



THE SCUPPERNONG AGAIN. 



'' Mr. Colton called attention to the 

 foregoing statement by Mr. Stringfel- 

 low, that this grape did not rot. He 

 had never known it to rot or mildew. 

 Thought it might be found profitable to 

 bring the plants north, and graft the 

 Catawba on them. It has the finest 

 flavor of any grape in America. [De- 

 risive laughter from the pomologists 

 present.] It will grow anywhere the 

 sweet potato will. Mr. Fuller said he 

 was sorry to hear such stutt' talked be- 

 fore this club. The Scuppernong 

 would not be grown by fruit cultiva- 

 tors north, if it could be grown. It is 

 not fit to eat. It is entirely worthless 

 north of Washington. Why, I am 

 sorry to hear such nonsense talked 

 here, because there are farmers fools 

 enough to send for this grape on the 

 strength of this gentleman's recom- 

 mendation. And it is not any better, 

 if as good, as our common fox grapes. 

 Why should farmers be misled by such 

 talk ? Mr. Colton replied, urging that a 

 new variet}', free from rot and mildew 

 might be obtained by grafting some of 

 our best grapes on it. Mr. Carpenter 

 asked how long since it had been dis- 

 covered that a new grape can be pro- 

 duced by grafting one stock upon an- 

 other. It was a new theory to him. 

 The distinguished Professor Colton 

 seemed at sea. A friend suggested 

 that he meatit hybridizing instead of 

 grafting, when the learned gi-ntleman 

 concluded he did not know much about 

 agriculture, and thought he must have 

 meant hybridizing. 



Mr. Gregory thought M r. Fuller mis- 

 taken as to the poor quality of- the 



Scuppernong grape. He had not eaten 

 it, perhaps, as ripened in the Southern 

 sun. Mr. Fuller replied that he had 

 received specimens of it from the South 

 in good condition, and had eaten it both 

 here and there ; and he thought it a 

 grape of ver^' poor quality. But there 

 is no accounting for taste. Mr. Greg- 

 ory said it is highly regarded in the 

 Southern markets ; is hard}', easily 

 propagated, productive, and sustaining 

 the same relation to the South that the 

 Concord does to the North. Col. Har 

 riss has traveled in the South the pres- 

 ent season, and had been informed 

 there, by persons whom he regarded as 

 competent authority, that the Scupper- 

 nong is going out of favor, and the 

 North Carolina Seedling is taking its 

 place, both for fruit and wine. Prof. 

 Colton said the Scuppernong was a 

 light colored grape and made a light 

 colored wine, v\hile the North Carolina 

 Seedling is dark and makes a dark 

 wine. Regards it a seedling "of Scup- 

 pernong. Mr. Fuller said it was news 

 to him that the Scuppernong is a light 

 colored grape. It might be called a 

 light bronze. He doubts if there ever 

 was a gallon of wine made from the 

 pure juice of the Scuppernong. He 

 had tasted many sami)les, and found 

 that the juice of tiiat grnpe had been 

 mixed with whiskey or some other li- 

 quor and sold as wine ; but it is not 

 wine, and doubts if wine will ever be 

 made from it." 



[The above is sent us by a friend, 

 who has clipped it from the New York 

 Sun. It is ccrtainl}' amusing — but at 



