GRAPE VARIETIES 327 



land coast they found grapes growing in such 

 abundance that they named the new continent 

 "Wineland." (A number of years later, Pus- 

 syfoot Johnson and William J. Bryan were pro- 

 duced by this same continent, strange as it 

 may seem.) 



The early English colonists also found an 

 abundance of wild grapes which nourished their 

 hope that the Old- World sorts might do well 

 here. In attempting the cultivation of the 

 imported sorts they neglected the improve- 

 ment of the wild vines. Doubtless they did not 

 realize that improved strains of the wild sorts 

 w T ere possible and the wild vines furnished an 

 abundance of fruit such as it was. In Virginia 

 quantities of wine were made from the wild 

 grapes which was said to have been as good 

 as the imported article — in fact one early ac- 

 count states that is was so "good" that the 

 second glass would make one tipsy. 



In New England, however, very little wine 

 was made — those sturdy pioneers preferred 

 their "rum," and it was more easily and more 

 quickly made. Also it had more of the justly 

 famous "kick" than did wine. Thomas Jeffer- 

 son was one of the first if not exactly the first 

 to advise the growing of our native grapes, for 

 in 1809 he wrote; "I think it will be well to 

 push the culture of that grape (the Alexander) 

 without losing time and efforts in search of 



