GRAPE VARIETIES 325 



tures. Their attempt failed, however, as had 

 all the rest and by 1835 their vineyards were 

 all extinct. At about the same time, Nicholas 

 Longworth, known as "the father of American 

 grape culture,' ' was experimenting with the 

 foreign varieties. In 1846 he wrote, "I have 

 tried the foreign grapes extensively for wine 

 at great expense for many years, and have 

 abandoned them as unfit for our climate. * * * 

 I obtained 5,000 plants from Maderia, 10,000 

 from France — * * * all failed; and not a 

 single plant is left in my vineyards. I would 

 advise the cultivation of the native grapes 

 alone, and the raising of new varieties from 

 their seed." All of the early grape-growers 

 were intent upon producing grapes for the pur- 

 pose of making wine, no doubt holding with our 

 old friend, Omar, who wrote a thousand years 

 ago: 



"I wonder often what the Vintners buy 

 One half so precious as the stuff they sell. ' ' 



But in spite of all their efforts they failed 

 to grow the introduced vines and to quote Omar 

 again : 



"The worldly hope men set their hearts upon 

 Turned ashes — " 



and finally European grape-growing in eastern 

 America became a thing of the past. 



