FARMERS' REGISTER— NATIVE AND FOREIGN GRAPES. 



455 



was induced to try its culture. Vines were order- 

 ed from those nurseries that were considered best, 

 some of wluch were in oUier slates. The kind 

 mostly ordered was of the Caiawba, for wine; the 

 other varieties were those that had been highly 

 recommended for eating". My g'rape bill f()r that 

 year was ^21 70. Next year, 1824, I ordered a 

 much larger number of vines, mostly Cafawba 

 again, for wine; luit the number and variety of 

 those for eating were considcral)]y increased. My 

 grape bill for that year was .§83 25. Tliose for 

 eating were })laced in the garden ; those for wine 

 on a poor piece of land, which was intended to be 

 improved; l>utl became unsettled in mind wheth- 

 er I should move to the west, or remain inVirginia ; 

 and one or two years elapsed without much atten- 

 tion to the vineyard, during which time some re- 

 marks were tlirown out in congress, which indu- 

 ced me to believe, that the high duties on win ' 

 would be very much reduced, if not entirely ta- 

 ken off, at some day not far distant. I therefore 

 pulled up the vineyard, and distributed the vines 

 amongst my acquaintances. Those that had been 

 planted in the garden had received more attention 

 — they came to hand labelled, and as they were 

 j)lanted out, they were carefully noted, so as to 

 know the different varieties ; and before they be- 

 gan to bear, a good many of the cuttings had been 

 given away, under the impression that they were 

 what they had been received for; but in this there 

 was a great mistake. Not one half of them were 

 what they had been received for; but as the mis- 

 takes were detected, others were ordered to supply 

 their places ; but the Isabella and Catawba (native 

 grapes,) so far surpassed the others, one year with 

 another, in productiveness, and maturing their 

 fruit, tliat I had nearly all the other varieties, both 

 native and foreign ones, dug up and thrown out oi' 

 the garden. JNIy unfavorable ojjinion of foreign 

 grapes, I believe, is similar to that which has been, 

 within a few years, expressed by many others 

 living in different parts of the United States. For 

 wine, the native grape is considered decidedly su- 

 perior. Even in Florida, it is said the French 

 and Spaniards have in many places dug up their 

 imported ones, and are turning their attention to 

 the culture of the native grape. Of the Ibreign 

 kinds I should prefer the two white varieties v,e 

 had before the recent importations, the Summer 

 Sweetwater and White Sweetwater ; they were 

 generally called English grapes, by way of dis- 

 tinguishing them from the common grapes of our 

 country ; and for aught 1 know, were brought here 

 by the first settlers of our country. If so, and 

 time can acclimate them, they may be considered 

 as acclimated, and should be preferred to those of 

 the same kinds that have been recently imported. 

 These two varieties, when well matured, I believe, 

 arc generally esteemed as the finest grapes known 

 in our country ; but I have seldom seen them come 

 to that state of maturity to render them superior to 

 some of our native varieties, and the product is al- 

 ways small compared to them. They are said to 

 succeed better in our large towns than in the coun- 

 try ; and I should suppose so from some pulilica- 

 tions that I have seen. A description of these 

 grapes is unnecessary, as they are so generally 

 known ; but it may not be amiss to state the many 

 names by which they are known. Mr. Prisice, 

 in one of his old catalogues of grapes, calls one oi 

 these grapes Early Wliite Muscadine, or Summer 



Sweetwater ; the other White Sweetwater. In 

 one of his late catalogues, he says the names given 

 to the Chassclas grapes, by European publicatioiis, 

 contain such a heterogeneous mass of contradic- 

 tions, that no correct decision can be formed from 

 them. He then proceeds to give a good many 

 names by which they are called, some of wliich I 

 will repeat, viz : Early Sweetwater, Ji/ugust Sweet- 

 icater, White Sweetwater, (names used in the 

 United States and in England,) Early White 

 Muscadine, IVliHe iMuscadine, jJmber Muscadine. 

 The other one, fVhite or Golden Chassclas — in 

 England, jD. ^Jrbois, or D. j:/royse Royal Musca- 

 dine. Of the native ones, I should prel'er the Isa- 

 bella and Cataw b.a as I have slated. Mr. Prince, 

 in his catalogue of grapes. No. 385, says the " Is- 

 abella grape is said to be a native of South Caroli- 

 na, and was introduced to this state (New-York,) 

 by Mrs. Isabella Gibbs, the lady of George Gibbs, 

 Esq. of St. Augustine, who then resided at Brook- 

 lyn, Long Island, and in honor of that lady has 

 been called Isabella grape. It is a dark purple 

 fruit, of a large size, oval form, and juicy, and 

 equals some of the secondary European grapes ; 

 and for vigor of growth, and an abundant yield, 

 exceeds any other yet cultivated in this country, and 

 requires no protection during the winter season. 

 General Joseph Swift informed me, that a single 

 vine in his garden produced above eight bushels, 

 during several successive seasons. In some in- 

 stances vines have been stated to have produced a 

 still greater quantity, and large vines of this kind, 

 producing astonishing crops, are now to be met 

 with in -various parts of our country. There is no 

 grape which will yield a greater quantity on a giv- 

 en space, or that can lie made more lucrative in 

 cultivation for market, than this kind. It also 

 promises to t ike an important stand in tliis coun- 

 try for the purpose of making wine, as it possess- 

 es the requisites to insure success in making wine 

 of a fiiir quality, or for making brandy equal to 

 that of France. I have made wine from it of ex- 

 cellent quality, and which h.as met the approbation 

 of seme of the most accurate judges in our coun- 

 try. Indeed this grape, of which but a single 

 vine existed in any garden in 1816, and which I, 

 at that time, met with in tlie possession of the gen- 

 tleman before mentioned, and deemed worthy of 

 notice and a name, has now become disseminated 

 to the remotest parts of the union, and has been 

 sent to a number of the countries of Europe, and 

 to Madeira, &c. ; although it has never been offer- 

 ed to the public as on an equality with the highly 

 cultivated and delicious table grapes of France, 

 still it offers to any one who chooses to plant it, a 

 plentiful crop of j)leasant fruit, without requiring 

 from him the least care, or needing in winter the 

 least protection, however cold may be its situation. 

 I have also ascertained that the bunches may be 

 dried, as raisins, with the greatest facility, and 

 that they may be preserved in dry sand, sav^-dust, 

 or any other similar substance, for months, in the 

 most perfect state. In regard to pruning, which, 

 to a certain degree, is advantageous with all vines, 

 it has been remarked in relation to this, that if the 

 vines are much trimmed at the summer pruning, 

 the fruit is very apt to rot and fall off. A peculi- 

 arity exists with regard to several of our native 

 varieties, which is particidarly exemplified in the 

 Isabella; it is that of being twice-bearing, or of 

 producing a second crop of fruit on the shoots of 



