FRUITS. 147 



woods. In them are the parents of a long line of noble descen- 

 dants destined to ornament our hill-sides with purple and golden 

 clusters, and to rival the luscious sweetness and rich perfume of 

 European grapes. The intelligent skill of man has produced 

 from bitter, sour, and worthless originals, all the noble and 

 improved varieties of fruit which we have through seedlings. 

 The same law has been, and must be, applied to the grape. 

 Some thirty years ago, the only grapes generally known and 

 sold from our nurseries, were the Catawba and Isabella. These 

 are good where they will ripen thoroughly, which they rarely 

 do in this State, our season not being long enough to ripen 

 either wood or fruit. The Isabella originated in the South, and 

 was introduced by Mrs. Isabella Gibbs. The Catawba was intro- 

 duced by Major John Adlum, of Georgetown, D. C, and was 

 adopted, and used in vineyard culture, by Nicholas Longworth, 

 Esq., of Cincinnati, Ohio. Next came the Diana ; a seedling of 

 the Catawba,, raised by. Mrs. Diana Crehore, of Milton, Mass. 

 This grape ripens a week earlier than the above-named varieties. 

 . Then came the Delaware, said to have originated in New Jer- 

 sey, and introduced by A. Thompson, of Ohio. ' But to the 

 intelligence and enterprise of a citizen of our own State we are 

 indebted for the most valuable hardy grape for general culture 

 yet introduced. I refer to the Concord grape, produced by the 

 Hon. E. W. Bull, of Concord, Mass. Not only has the Concord 

 been a direct benefit to us, but its success has stimulated others 

 to work in the same direction, and new and improved varieties 

 are rapidly succeeding each other. We have positive evidence 

 that all parts of this country are adapted to the cultivation of 

 the vine, in the numerous varieties of the wild grape, which 

 overrun the States, from Maine to Florida. I think it may be 

 safely assumed, that we shall succeed in obtaining varieties best 

 adapted to each part of the Union, by improving upon the wild 

 type of adjoining woods ; i. e., by planting seeds of the earliest, 

 sweetest and best wild grape, in highly enriched and mellow 

 soil. When the vines fruit, select the seeds of those which have 

 improved most, and plant theni ; and so on, to any extent. In 

 this way was the Concord produced in two generations from the 

 wild Vitis Labrusca of the woods. Seedlings have since been 

 produced from the Concord superior to the parent. Soil and 

 situation modify all young seedlings, and great variations in 



