FARMERS' REGISTER— NATIVE AND FOREIGN GRAPES. 



457 



them, as it would form somewhat a succession of 

 valuable fruit. 



Cons/ani ("a.— This f>;rape I received of Mr. Ad- 

 lum. The growth of the vine, the foliage, and 

 the appearance of the grape, a short distance off, 

 resembles the Isabella, but it proved an inferior 

 eating grape to that; and I had the vines dug up 

 and thrown out of the garden. It has long been 

 considered one of the tinest wine grapes in the 

 United States. Mr. Prince considers this variety 

 the jflexaiider Schuylkill Muscadcl, Spring- 3Iill 

 Constantia, Cape of Good Hope, Zasker's grape, 

 and states it is a native of the vicinity of Pliiiadel- 

 phia. But Mr. Adlum differs with Mr. Prince 

 in thisopinion : hethinksthe Alexander or Schuyl- 

 kill Muscadel,and the Spring Mill Constantia, dif- 

 ferent varieties, but very much alike ; but liis im- 

 pression is they are native grapes. 



Bland's Grape. — This grape, I am inclined to 

 believe, is the same grape that has been cultivated 

 in this part of the country for many years, under 

 the name of the Purple English — it was one of 

 the few that was suffered to remain in my garden 

 when so many varieties were destroyed ; but sub- 

 sequent experience has proved it a very unprofita- 

 ble grape to cultivate, compared to the Isabella 

 and Catawba. Mr. Prince, in his Cat. No. 374, 

 says this grape is known in different parts of the 

 United Stales, by various names: Bland's Pale 

 Red, Powel's Powal, Bland's Fox Grape, Bland's 

 Virginia, Bland's Madeira, Red Scuppernong, 

 Carolina, Mazzei Grape, and in some districts of 

 Virginia, called Red English Grape. He states 

 " the foliage of the vine is of a pale green hue, the 

 bunches are shouldered or divided, and are five or 

 six inches in length, and sometimes more. The 

 berries are of a round or oblate form, of a pale red 

 color, good size, juicy, sweet, and of very pleasant 

 flavor. In some cases they are said, at full ma- 

 turit)% to become of a dark purple or red wine co- 

 lor. It is an agreeable table fruit, with a thin 

 skin, and little or no pulp." He suj)poses it a na- 

 tive grape, and says it was first discovered by Col. 

 Bland, on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, and that 

 he strongly suspects further examination will prove 

 that this variety is found wild in more than one 

 state in the union. I imagine it is unnecessary to 

 proceed any further with a description of the dif- 

 ferent varieties, as I believe I have enumerated 

 those varieties that have gained the highest repu- 

 tation in the United States ; but there are other 

 varieties held in high estimation by some. 



The grape is frequently propagated by cuttings. 

 This is done by making choice of such shoots as 

 are strong, with short joints, and well ripened, of 

 the growth of the preceding season, in length ten 

 or fifteen inches, and planted with one end as deep 

 as it can be, to leave one eye or bud above ground. 

 In this way I have planted a great many, and they 

 succeed very well if a wet spring; but I have 

 found but few to live in a dry spring. Some, it is 

 said, raise them from single eyes or joints, by cut- 

 ting the vine off about an inch above and i>elow 

 the joint, and planting them a few inches below 

 the surface of the earth, and keeping the place 

 moist until they come up. I have never tried this 

 way, but I think it not improbable it would answer 

 very well. 



Propagating by layers is a very convenient and 

 sure way, and one that I have often tried. This is 

 done by covering up a part of the growing vine 



Vol. I.— 58 



to take root, and the young green shoots of the 

 same season will serve as soon as they are long 

 enough. They should be buried a few inches be- 

 low the surface, leaving a few inches of the top out. 

 They will soon take root; and if it be done in the 

 spring or sunmier, they will have fine roots by the 

 fall to plant out. 



Propagating by ingrafting is also a very conve- 

 nient way, and probably the most speedy one of 

 getting abundant crops. Some years past I had 

 some large old native vines, sawed off a few inches 

 below the surface of the earth, and tlie roots cleft 

 and grafts inserted; but few lived, and those did 

 not grow off well. Shortly after, a piece appear- 

 ed in one of our agricultural papers, recommend- 

 ing gimlet grafting ; and as well as I now recollect, 

 the piece was written by a jMJrson living in the 

 north-west part of New-York. He directed the 

 vine to be sawed off a few inches below the sur- 

 face, and a gimlet hole bored about one inch and a 

 half deep into the root, the scion to be trimmed to 

 fit the hole, and gently driven in; then the root to 

 be covered with well tempered clay, over which 

 the loose earth was to be drawn, taking care to 

 leave the bud of the graft a little above ground. 

 After this publication, a person owning an exten- 

 sive nursery to the north, recommended the same^ 

 which induced me to try the experiment largely. 

 In large roots fixe and six grafts were insci-ted. The 

 number inserted for myself and others, mostly of 

 the Isabella and Catawba, could not have been less 

 than five hundred, out of which only one lived the 

 summer through, and that one perished away in 

 the fall for want of nourishment. Since then, a 

 gentleman living in the state of South Carolina, 

 and said to be one of the most successful cultiva- 

 tors of the vine in our country, has recommendetl 

 this way in a letter dated in 1829, and published in 

 the American Faimer. But if this be a good 

 method, I cannot account for my complete failure. 

 The ingrafting was commenced very early, and 

 occasionally continued through the season ; and I 

 think the directions were fully complied with in 

 all respects. Some few of the roots that had been 

 ingrafted, died in the course of the year; the oth- 

 ers threw out a great many fine sprouts, and the 

 succeeding year they were cutoff within about an 

 inch and a half of the old root, and in them were 

 inserted grafts of the same varieties, that were tried 

 the preceding year, and in all other respects treat- 

 ed as they were before. They grew off finely, and 

 all but one on each side of the large roots were 

 pulled off, and before the frost had set in, mfjst of 

 them were from ten to fifteen feet long, and some 

 few from twenty to thirty feet. I am therefore 

 inclined to believe, it is best to cut the vine off, and 

 let it throw out sprouts and ingraft to them. The 

 winter, I should suppose, to be the best time to cut 

 them off; but as some few vines are apt to die from 

 being cut, and it may be important to save them 

 on account of tiieir favorable situation, they can 

 be cut parlly off, which will cause them to throw 

 out sprouts and prevent their dying. As the young 

 vines are apt to be injured by grazing animals, 

 they should be cut off the winter preceding the 

 one that the land is to be fallowed for corn. The 

 sprouts will then be ready to ingraft upon when 

 the field will come under cultivation; and they 

 will also be more convenient to attend to, as the 

 sprouts from the old roots will require pulling off 

 the first year, to prevent their over-running the 



