American Grape-Growing. 83 



that a grape which behaved so uniformly well throughout the country de- 

 served the highest praise they could give it. Perhaps they also had some 

 remarkably fine samples of Concord grapes before them, such as we often 

 grow here, and which thousands have pronounced good enough for anybody 

 {such as Mr. Mead and Dr. Grant evidently have never seen and eaten, or 

 they could not talk so much of x!^^ poor quality of the Concord as they do) ; 

 and they awarded the prize to the universal favorite, — the grape which 

 the million have adopted, and are satisfied with. Perhaps they also judged 

 that the " as far as possible " of Mr. Greely was meant for just such an 

 emergency. Committees are placed in a verj' unpleasant position by such 

 requirements, which I will more particularly consider after a glance at the 

 prizes now before the country again, offered by the Longworth Wine House 

 of Cincinnati. T^ey offer, — 



" I. A silver pitcher, two goblets, and waiter, to cost not less than $350, 

 to be given to the best general wine-grape of our whole country. 



"2. A silver cup, costing not less than $100, for the best grape, for wine- 

 purposes, for the State of Ohio ; provided it shall not be awarded to grapes 

 receiving the first premium, in which case it will be given to the second 

 best wine-grape of our whole country. 



"3. A silver cup, costing not less than $50, for the best table-grape, for 

 general purposes, in the whole country. 



" The plants, when generally cultivated for wine-purposes, should be 

 perfectly healthy, hardy, and productive; and the fruit should produce a wine 

 o{ good quality as Xo flavor, strength, and quantity." 



Now, does any one of your readers suppose that a grape can be found 

 which will justly be entitled to the first premium t Let us remember that 

 it covers the ground of " our whole country, one and indivisible," from 

 Maine to California. Let us glance at a few of our leading varieties, which 

 have already been sufficiently tried for wine-purposes, and see how they 

 would fare when competing for the prize. 



The Concord is uniformly healthy, hardy, and productive, — more so 

 than any other grape, perhaps ; but, good as its wine is here, they will not 

 even admit in Ohio that it will make a first-class wine. How would it be 

 in Maine, or even in Massachusetts, where it has that tough, acid centre, 

 and rank, foxy flavor, which has filled men possessed of highly sensitive 



