THB «RAPE. 271 



Section 8.— Hardy Native Geapes. 



Culture, Pruning, and Training. — When we wrote the 

 first pages of The Fruit Garden, in 1851, the culture 

 of our native haidy grape was principally confined to 

 a few vines in the gardens of amateur horticulturists. 

 Vineyard culture was supposed to be adapted only to 

 high, hilly locations, and, beyond a few hundred acres 

 in the neighborhood of Cincinnati, O., was all unknown 

 and untried. The varieties at that time considered val- 

 uable for general cultivation . were limited to a bare 

 half-dozen. But the past twenty years have wrought 

 wonderful changes, abounding in results of incalculable 

 value. As we have said, at the time we first wrote, the 

 list of valued varieties was but a bare half-dozen, and no 

 attempts had then been made toward improvement by the 

 production of new sorts from seed ; but now our lists of 

 varieties grown from seed have become numerous, greatly 

 improved in quality of fruit, with habits as to ripening, 

 growth, etc., adapted to all soils and locations. The cul- 

 ture of the vine has become, as it were, a feature belong- 

 ing to every household and garden, while vineyards by 

 the thousands of acres cover not only the hills but the 

 broad prairies and other level lands of our States. The 

 interest and extent of this branch of rural occupation have 

 induced the application of thought and skill. So that 

 while the past twenty years have wrought wonderful 

 changes, the pi'ospective advance in improvement of varie' 

 ties and adaptation to soils and localities is an item be 

 yond computation. 



Varieties introduced since 1851. — In 1851 the varieties 

 of hardy grapes known and described, numbered about 

 twenty ; now their number is about two hundred, many 

 of them, however, of inferior quality, and others so nearly 

 resembling their parents as not to make them specially 

 valuably, 



