152 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. 



passed into the ordinary grape, and in Spain tliey would not 

 take root at all. Even at so short a distance as Athens, recent 

 similar and persevering attempts signally failed, yet the fertile 

 and lovely island of Zante is nearly buried in the profusion of 

 innumerable plantations." 



It is well known that the European grape is a native of Syria, 

 and reached those countries where it is grown through the aid 

 of commerce, in very remote times. Yet to this day it refuses 

 to grow with such vigor as it shows in its native home, and 

 requires great skill and labor to keep it up to a fair success. 

 Still more difficult is it to grow this foreign grape in our own 

 country ; the most able and persevering efforts having failed to 

 acclimate the vine, while of the numerous seedlings which have 

 been raised from it, none are found to bear the changes and 

 severities of our climate. 



But one alternative remains. We must turn to the native 

 stock which PI"ovidence has given us, and which has only waited 

 for the ameliorating hand of man to improve and make edible. 

 And this is quite possible ; for, notwithstanding the inflexible 

 nature of the vine in retaining the habits into which it was 

 born, it is quite impressible to change through reproduction by 

 seeds. If the seeds be sown in a bed highly charged with those 

 elements which experience has shown to be peculiarly adapted 

 to the grape, such as phosphate of lime, potash, sulphur and 

 oxide of iron, with a liberal dressing of nitrogenous manures, the 

 young seedling will find within reach of its rootlets such stimulus 

 as will aid in restoring the vine to its pristine excellence, (if 

 once it was of better quality,) or improve it in successive gener- 

 ations, so that you will ultimately graft upon its native hardi- 

 hood and vigor the excellence of the table grape. So much has 

 been done already towards accomplishing this purpose, that I 

 think I may say success is certain. 



Many years ago. Major Adlum, of Georgetown, J). C., planted 

 a vineyard of the Catawba grape which he had brought from 

 North Carolina, where it was native. From this grape he made 

 a wine which President Jefferson pronounced equal to many of 

 the French wines. When the experiments with the foreign 

 grape, at Vevay, on the Ohio, and at other places, failed, the 

 attention of grape-growers ^ was drawn to this native grape, 

 Vi^hich was found to succeed remarkably well, and to make a 



