340 



THF GF.Nt.SEE FARMER 



Ocfobrr 29, 1831. 



COMMUNICATIONS. 



FOR TUE GENESEE FARMER. 



I had been told some years ago that our small 

 black grape made wine of a most superior quality ; 

 and this was brought to my recollection on reading 

 an account of the wine made by A Grove/and 

 Farmer. I wish to call the. attention of our far- 

 mer again to the editor's remarks: "Connoisseurs 

 — all agree that it is preferable to the wine gener- 

 ally sold in this market under the name of Port. 

 Almost every person who tasted, expressed their 

 surprise that so fine a wine could be made from 

 the native black grape. There is no doubt but 

 the black chicken grape of our country, when , 

 well cultivated, will be found equal to any other 

 grape in the world for wine; and even in their 

 wild state, when the process is perfectly under- 

 stood, a wine may be manufactured from them, 

 w» have no doubt, equal to the finest Burgun- 

 dy." 



I have not observed more than two species of 

 the Grape ( Vitis) indigenous to the Genesee 

 Country. One resembles the summer grape ( Vi- 

 tis cestivalis)' but differs a little from the charac- 

 ter of that species, the under side of the leaves 

 being decidedly glaucous. It generally grows on 

 dry ground. On the contrary, the small grape 

 mentioned by the Groveland Fanner, grows by the 

 Side of a creek ; and I have no doubt of its being 

 the same grape which is so widely diffused 



not to have seen the fruit, for he has not mention- 

 ed it, though he has described the fruit of the 

 other species. Torrey says, " According to 

 Pursh, fertile plants of this species are seldom 

 found north of thg" Potomac river, though barren 

 ones extend far beyond it." This remark must 

 have arisen from very hasty and limited observa- 

 tions, as this vine is very productive in the Gene- 

 see Country. From its growing however, in low 

 situations, subject to vernal frosts, I am inclined to 

 believe that the fruit is frequendy destroyed. — 

 Last year, so remarkable for its severity late in 

 the spring, our vines of this kind bore no grapes. 

 For localities of Vitis riparia, Muhlenberg has 

 given Ohio and M issouri ; but he assigns to Penn- 

 sylvania the V. odoratissima, or Bermudian 



Florida, it often rose much higher. The obser- 

 vations of the present season have presented a 

 similar result. So in the winter the thermometer 

 at Zanesville and Columbus, 100 miles south, ran- 

 ges lower than it does here. 



You observed that the Fox grape is not found 

 with you on the south shore of Lake Ontario. I 

 have heard snndar language in some towns of the 

 Connecticut reserve. But I doubt whether any 

 township is here without it. I know that it is a- 

 buudant in many localities, though not so com- 

 mon every where as the frost grape. Fox grapes, 

 black, blue, purple and while, of various degrees 

 of excellence, are found in our neighborhood. — 

 The woods are every where full of the frost gTape, 

 many vines bearing in the utmost profusion, 



grape, which later botanists agree to consider as i while others seem never to produce. We have 



the same plant. 



This vine grows well in common cultivated 

 soils. Pursh's habitat for it is " the gravelly 

 shores of rivers and islands." Gravel is not ne- 

 cessary, however, in the composition of a soil 

 most favorable to its growth, as gravel scarcely 

 forms any part of .our rich swales, or of the low 

 mucky islands of the Seneca river. 



Below the mountains in Pennsylvania, a vine 

 is of frequent occurrence, which has been mista- 

 ken at first sight for Vitis riparia. It is the Vitis 

 cordifotia, S. V. valpina, an.! is known by the 

 name of raccoon, winter or chicken grape. Bar- 

 ton says, " the berries are greenish;" and Dar- 

 throughout this district on moist rich lands, m\d\\ liagton remarks, "the fruit of this species is ve- 



in such abundance on the low islands of the Sen- 

 eca River. If so, it is the Vitis riparia, the 

 specific name implying that its favorite habitat is 

 the bank of a river. In the Susquehanna coun- 

 try it is called "the sand grape;" in other places, 

 "the river grape;" and it is highly prized by the 

 inhabitants of new setdements for its very rich 

 flavor. It is acid, and of course it is not to be ea- 

 ten tdl it is fully ripe. 



Nultall has said of the American species of Vi- 

 tis, " flowers mostly dioicous." I have not made 

 any minute examinations of the flowers ; but I 

 suspect they are more properly polygamous* from 

 the circumstance that several grape-bearing vines 

 grow at considerable distances from any barren 

 vine. Though this difference is of small import- 

 ance to speculative botanists, it is of prime conse- 

 quence to the cultivator ; for it amounts to no less 

 than the question whether he must have his 

 grounds partly encumbered by barren plants 1 — 

 If this eminent botanist is not in an error, that 

 fact must operate against its introduction into 

 vineyards. I mean to test that opinion however; 

 and intend to introduce this, among other vines 

 into my garden, partly to observe the effects of 

 cultivation and an open exposure: and partly in 

 hopes that some hybrid may be originated. 



I observe that Darlington has not given this 

 vine in his list of plants of the neighborhood of 

 West Chester, (Pa.) Barton has named it in his 

 Compendium, Flout Philadelphicce; speaksof "the 

 delicious fragrancet of its flowers ;" but appears 



"I (tii) not observe till I had written Ibe above that 

 Darlington considers our American species of fiti#. 

 polygamous. It,, ;ul.ls. " A turn.' proportion of iho \- 

 inxri no vines :i r e males (or at tens! have abortive 

 fferns) and are consequently sterile" Fertile plant. 

 have therefore perfeel Aowera, and cannot noodtUepol- 

 tcn of a barren plant. 



tPnrsh remarks" limt thi- flowerah vo in exquisitely 

 fine smell somewhat resembling [inignonettcj ReBeUtt 

 otjovsta." 



ry acerb, and scarcely eatable even when frosted." 

 D. T. 



FOR THE OENESEE FARMER. 



One of your correspondents has intimated that 

 no part of the southern shore of Lake Erie, is a- 

 dapted to the vine. 



What direct knowledge he has I cannot say. — 

 It has been understood that he resided a few years 

 in Pennsylvania, high up on the Allegany river. 

 But all the south side of Lake Erie, must not bf 

 judged of by western Pennsylvania, or by Cha- 

 tauque county in New- York. They have snow 

 two, three and four feet deep, when we have none, 

 or next to none, in Cleveland. Even at Pains- 

 ville, thirty miles North East of us, there is fre- 

 quently one and two feet of snow, and good 

 sleighing, and none here. Opposite to us and in 

 the widest part of the Lake, the ice disappears 

 from six to eight weeks earlier than at Buffalo. — 

 There is a ridge of land near the lake, very simi- 

 lar to what you describe as south of Lake Onta- 

 rio. Though not the richest for corn or grass, it 

 proves excellent for fruit. We have a double ben- 

 efit from the lake. The water tempers the sever- 

 ity of the cold in winter, and of the heat in sum- 

 mer. It is twenty-two years since our orchards 

 began to bear. I am credibly informed there has 

 not been a general failure of fruit on the margin 

 of the lake; while in the interior, it is liable to be 

 cut off by frost, as in other parts of the United 

 States. Dr. Drake, in hi^ v. ry excellent account 

 of Cincinnatti and the Miami country, remarks 

 that we are situated in i lie most temperate climate 

 in the United Suites, in the same latitude. In 

 confirmation of this, I would mention that, during 

 tlie uncommon heat of the summer of 1830, the 

 thermometer rose but once higher than 90°, and 

 then only tO*94°; whereas, in the cities and villa- 

 ges east of the Allegany ridge, from Canada to 



I also a grape which answers to the vitis interme- 

 dia of the botanists. I'hey are about the size of 

 a pistol bullet, and ripen between the fox and 

 frost grape. A vine loaded with fruit may now 

 ; be seen growing wild in th : village plat of Cleve- 

 land. Why some of our vines never bear, I 

 know not, unless the cause may be found in the 

 fact that they are dioceious, as is asserted by Sir 

 James E. Smith, the greatest botanist of his time, 

 while in Europe, they are never so. Thus the 

 vitis riparia does not beat north of the Potomac, 

 where the male only is found. South of that riv- 

 er, the female also is found, and there they are 

 ! productive. So at least, says Mr. Pursh. I will 

 only add to this vindication of the vinous faculties 

 I of this region, that Col. Coit, who emigrated be- 

 fore our apple trees were sufficiently large for ci- 

 der, commenced the practice of making annually 

 a few barrels of a pleasant wine from the grapes 

 of the forest. A committee of the New- York 

 i Horticultural Society, have reported favorably of 

 wine from native grapes, made by Mr. Hamot, 

 ' of Erie. E. Y. 



Cleveland. 



FOR THE OENESEE FARMER. 



Your correspondent D. T., says in your No. 

 11, that Lawrence's Treatise on Gardening, prin- 

 ted in 1717, has the following fruit which he can- 

 not find in any modern catalogue : Pears, Buerre 

 du roi, Chrysan, and Black pear of Worcester ; 

 Cherries, Common Flemish ; Plums, Queen 

 mother and Pear plum; Peaches, Nivett. He 

 may find all these in Forsyth, and most of them 

 in Prince. E. Y. 



Cleveland. 



1831. 



Cleveland, Ohio, Oct. 1, 

 Editor of the Genesee Farmers 



Sir, — I send you the. enclosed article cut out of 

 an Ohio newspaper. Somi extrai ts or comments, 

 may perhaps furnish no unsuitable matter for 

 yours. I do not remember to have heard of the 

 sickness here mentioned, prevailing in the East- 

 ern States. Mr. Hinde's poison vine, seems to 

 correspond nearly, if not exactly, with the poi 

 son sumach, Rhus toxicadendron. 



Your obedient servant, G. H. 



From the Mad River Courier. 



THE MILK SICKNESS. 



I think, sir, th.it .i discovery lias at length 



been made of the cause of what is called in 



the west, the milk sickness, or puking com- 



plaint. This disorder has prevailed, from 



some unknown cause, hitherto in different 



