15 



been entcn for some days, or weeks, he eats plentifully of -well-ripened Catawbas, he will 

 not only pronoun.ee them greatly superior, but will experience new delight, and begin te 

 say he did not before know there was such excellence in grapes, and he will begin to be 

 able to sympathize with those who esteem the grape the best of fruits. He will at length 

 discern the elements, or sub-flavors, of which the Catawba flavor is composed. He will 

 now become conscious of particular defects and objectionable qualities in the others, and 

 in time he Avill not be able to lind anj^ enjoyment in the others, unless after long abstinence 

 from the Catawba, and at length absolutely no enjoyment from them, but an increased en- 

 joyment of the Catav,'ba, if he is so situated that he can obtain it plentifully from the vines, 

 or taken from the vines and kept under proper circumstances until eaten. Grapes recently 

 taken from the vines have a briskness and spirit that is soon lost if they are not kept 

 closely confined in boxes or a close room. Although he will find much enjoyment in the 

 Catawba he will be conscious of defects, and earnestly desire something without them — 

 his appetite for good grapes is by this time developed. 



To a person who has been accustomed to the best European kinds, such as Rose Chas- 

 seals, the difterent Frontignans, Riessling and Traminer, those mentioned will be so objec- 

 tionable that he will pronounce them all bad, and the Catawba only least so. The taste 

 that has been formed to the refined purity and delicacy of these kinds, will not be likely 

 BO fiir to lose its habitude, if in a mature person, as to ever find employment in suclx 

 American kinds as have been named — but will find so much more enjoyment in the kinds 

 of his own country, and will put so high an estimate upon the grape as a fruit, that an 

 American who has known only the kinds named, of which CataAvba is best, will not 

 be able to concur with him in his reckoning of value. And if Ave present to him the 

 fruits of the vinery, and especially such kinds as the Sweetwaters, Royal Muscadine, White 

 Nice, and Chasselas of Fontainbleaxi, which is the best of this class, he will still be able 

 only to approach toward the Frenchman's " platform," not to stand upon it ; for while he 

 finds in these no positive faults, he will feel a lack of soul — a want of that vital refresh- 

 ment in which the Catawba greatly exceeds these foreign kinds, even when grcnvn in open 

 air and in best condition ; and still more so when they are subjected to the confinement oi 

 air in the house, (restriction of brisk movement,) which is necessary in order to obtaui 

 great size. He will now find the faults of the natives render them offensive, and the excel- 

 lence of the foreigners not great enough to make them altogether satisfactory substitutes — 

 better, but not good enough. The B. Hamburg, if grown under the system of free venti- 

 lation, will be found far better, especially if, in addition to the freest ventilation, that con- 

 sists with the maintenance of the perfection of its leaves, the season should be uni- 

 formly dry, Avarm, and long, without extremes, which it is not able to endure Avithout injury, 

 even under the protection of a house. Under these conditions, fruit will be produced of 

 the Black Hamburg varieties that Avill be suggestive of wine, but not distinctively vinous 

 or eminently refreshing. Much more vinous (winey) and refreshing, under like conditions, 

 will be the Frontignans, and the exquisite Schiraz, extreme in its aromatic SAveetness, and 

 of the richest vinous class, Riesslings, etc. The palate and constitution that become accus- 

 tomed to these, has been incapacitated from any considerable degree of enjoyment of such 

 natives as Isabella and CataAvba, and can fully sympathize Avith the foreign characterization 

 of them " bad." It must be noted, in regard to the foreign kinds, that the skin is generally 

 inseparable from the flesh, and Americans find in that something to offset against the tough 

 acid center of our natives. The person AAdiose taste has been thus trained is ready to build 

 a house, that he may obtain these refined, excellent fruits ; and the more so, since by the 

 addition of artificial heat he can have grapes CA^ery month in the year, and he can ahvays 

 command a high degree of excellence, circumstances considered, but at an enormous price, 

 not averaging less than ^1.50 per pound. 



We Avill now introduce the European from the A'ine countries to our neAV kinds, and 

 first, to our best, the DelaAvare. He is an adA^ocatc of the excellence of Golden Chasselas. 

 He first says it is not more than tAVO thirds as large as a medium Chasselas ; and on first 

 lasting, says it is not so SAveet as his favorite. We say to him it has twice as much sugar, 

 and appeal to the sacharometer, Avhich shoAvs that DehiAvare contains more sugar than any 

 other grapes. On tasting again, he says it has Avine Avhich Chasselas has not, but does not 

 at once admit the superiority that I claim for it. . He asks to take some home, feeling that 

 he shall Avant to recur to it. At the end of a month he says it is very good — excellent, 

 much more refreshing than Chasselas, or even than the Frontignans; and he has learned to 

 eat it Avithout its skin, although its skin is as thin as any of the foreign kinds. He uoat 

 pronounces it fully satisfactory; and in consideration of its exceedingly high flaA'or, the 

 bmiches and berries are large enough for the full enjoyment of his faA'orite fruit. Havinj* 



