[ FROM FIRST EDITION, 1H6!). ] 



Our success in grape growing, and in the propagation 

 of grape-vines, has been highly satisfactory, in fact, far 

 beyonil our expectations. In view of the very great 

 i-oiniietition of even large, well-l<nown and long-estab- 

 li^^lifd nurseries, this success is highly flattering, and 

 has encouraged us to increase our ett'orts. 



We do not "pi-etend to furnish "better and cheaper vines 

 than can l)e afforded by any other establishment." All 

 we do claim is, tliat we hope to merit a reasonal)le share 

 of patronage, the continued confldence of our custom- 

 ers, and a fair profit. 



In this connection, we cannot refiain from referring 

 with a cex'tain pride to the voluntary assurances of sat- 

 isfaction we have received. Desiring to return our 

 tlianks to our customers in an approjjriate and tiiiigible 

 form, and to lespond to a desire oftt^n expressed l)y our 

 correspondents, we concluded to present them with a 

 tine JIlKsirated and Descriptive Catalogue, wherein the 

 characteristic and relative merits of our ditferent va- 

 rieties are clearly stated. 



We leave it to others to judge of its merits. We tried 

 to produce something better than a mere price list, 

 something that will be interesting and useful to pro- 

 gressive grape culturists, and have not spared time, 

 labor or money in preparing it. 



It has become customary to prefix to a Descriptive 

 Catalogue of fruits and flowers .some brief directions 

 for their cultivation, and we liave been urged to do the 

 same. 



We are aware, however, tliat some short and very in- 

 complete directions, "a few hints," do more harm than 

 good. They generally serve only to confuse the tyro oi' 

 misrepresent grape growing as a very easy matter, re- 

 quiring no larger outlay of capital, nor any more knowl- 

 edge, skill and laljor than is necessary to produce a, 

 crop of corn. This we do not wish to do. But, on the 

 other hand, we are also aware that the excellent taut 

 somewhat costly books on grape culture, by Fuller, 

 IJusmann, Strong, and others, are not puiciiased by 

 cvt'iy grape grower. Moreover, considrraljU' progress 

 lias l)een made in grape culture since tlu'sc linoks were 

 written. Thus we came to the coiu'lusioii tliat a short 

 manual, containing jjlain directions in regard to the 

 planting, culture and training of grape-vines, and of- 

 fered for less than its cost, would be welcome; and while 

 we lay little claim to originality, we hope that this 

 Catalogue may afford pleasure and profit to some of 

 those at least into whose hands it may come. 



rsinoR BUSH & son. 



[FROM INTRODUCTION TO SECOND EDITION, 1875.] 



Six years, embracing the most disastrous and the 

 most favorable seasons to grape culture, have elapsed 

 since the first edition of this Catalogue. Our experience 

 has been enriched, observations have been made on old 

 and some new varieties, l3ut above all, one circumstance, 

 the discovery of the Grape Root-louse, the Phylloxera, 

 has led to a new, radical study of the American 

 grape-vines. 



Our business as grape growers and propagators as- 

 sumed such large dimensions that we discarded the 

 culture and propagation of small fruits, etc., and de- 

 voted all the space of our grounds, all our means, cares 

 and attention to Grape Culture only and exclus- 

 ively, for which we have unusual facilities, and a most 

 favorable soil and location. This enables us to raise a 

 superior stock, and to make it more advantageous to 

 the public, and even to the leading nurseries of other 

 branches of horticulture, to deal with us, whose grape- 

 nursery business is now admitted to be one of the fii-st 

 and most extensive of its kind in the United States of 

 America. 



We owe our reputation to our determination to give 

 complete satisfaction, and to deserve the entire confi- 

 dence of our customers. 



We have no seedlings of our own, and impartially 

 recommend such varieties only, new or old, as have real 

 superior merit, and while the demand compels us to 

 disseminate some inferior varieties (.Hartford for in- 

 stance) and untried novelties, over-praised, perhaps, 

 by their originators, our Descriptive Catalogue shall 

 save the reader from some of the bitter disappointments 

 which grape growers have so often experienced. 



We have carefully endeavored to avoid all undue 

 praise, and to mention the shortcomings of even our 

 best varieties; we especially desire to warn against the 

 error of considering any variety fit for universal culti- 

 vation. To this end a study of the classification of 

 our grapes in the Mamial, is earnestly recommended. 

 Many failures will thus be avoided which have blasted 

 the hopes, so prevalent ten years ago throughout the 

 country, with regard to grape culture. 



[FROM PREFACE TO THIRD EDITION, 1883.] 



Tlie BtJSHBERG Catalogue has i)ecome a vade mecum 

 of American grape-growers; it has also been translated 

 into French and Italian, an honor probably never be- 

 fore bestowed on any nurseiymans fruit catalogue. 

 Its reprint has long l)een demanded, but we could not 

 consent thereto until we had leisure to tlioroughly re- 

 vise it. The experience an<l rescaiclies of these eight 

 yi'ai-s, since the issue of the second edition, enable us to 

 rectify some of its defects, to si)eaU more detinitely of 

 tlie merits and demerits of many varieties, then new 

 and untried, and to add a very large number of new 

 (iUAi'KS wliich have since been produced or introduced. 



The A.MKRiCAN Gkai'e has also l)ecome of greater and 

 more compieliensi ve importance by virtue of its now 

 well (;stal)lislied Phylloxera-resisting qualities, and, 

 though giown in Europe cliiefly as a grafting stock for 

 their favorite kinds, every variety has been tested 

 there; tlius enabling us to add to our own opinion tliat 

 of the best foreign connoisseurs. Nor have we neg- 

 lected to consult the views of other gi'ape-growers, 

 an<l to avail ourselves of the many valuable essays on 

 the graiie, written by eminent hoi'ticultural authors. 



I)i{. (JKoiuiE Kngelmann, the celebrated botanist, has 

 enhanced the value of our Catalogue by revising for it 

 his Classification of the True Grape-vines of the 

 I'MTEi) States. He has, in fact, entirely re-written it. 

 He has also fav<ned us with a short essay on the I)is- 

 e\ses of the Grapk -Mildew and Jtot. We are well 

 aware tliat this chapter is still very defective, nor can 

 the subject be satisfactorily treated until scientific re- 

 searches and experiments may have found .some i)iac- 



tical means of curing or protecting our vineyards from 

 these pests, not less destructive to our vineyards than 

 the I'hylloxera to those of Europe. 



In this revised edition will also be found a far more 

 exhaustive article on Grafting than was presented in 

 the former. Our experience in this now so important 

 operation, and the excellent work of Aime Champin, on 

 the same subject, enable us to furnish a chapter which 

 to many may be both valualile and interesting. 



Assisted by I'rof. C. V. RiI/EY, Chief U. S. Entomolog- 

 i(;al Commission, we have been enabled to amplify the 

 chapter on Insects by a Itrief account of the beneficial 

 species, useful to the grape-grower. 



At the repeated re(iuest of a large number of grape- 

 growers, we have added a few hints on the subject of 

 Wink-making, which may not be quite useless to begin- 

 ners, though we have not clianged our opinion (ex- 

 pressed in iformer edition) as to the necessitj^of practical 

 knowledge and experience, in order to succeed. 



But far more than the Grape Manual has the 

 Descriptive part of this Catalogue been augmented. 



The favorable and highly complimentary opinions 

 voluntarily expressed liy our most prominent horti- 

 culturists, with regard to the previous edition (1875), 

 ])ermit us to hope that this new one will meet with a 

 still more favorable reception. 



That it may be useful to our grape-growers and en- 

 hance their love of the noblest fruit and its cultui'e, is 

 the wish of 



BUSH it SON & MKISSNER. 

 Bushberg, Mo., October, 1883. 



XESTIVIONIAI^S. 



We could lill a book with voluntary testimonials of prominent Ilorticnlturists, Grape-growers and 

 Nurserymen, who favored us with their commands, and to whom we may confidently refer, but we 

 flatter ourselves that our reputation is so well established, that testimonials are unnecessary. 



