SOME HISTORY OF THE GRAPE IN THE UNITED STATES 61 



Col. Bland of Virginia, the latter part of the eighteenth century. 

 This is mentioned as having well ripened in New Haven, Conn., 

 in 1820. 



Isabella, a variety of Labrusca extraction, was introduced by 

 William R. Prince of Long Island, New York. The origin of this 

 is not definitely known. Prince, after nearly one-half century of 

 experimentation with Vinifera, devoted the last years of his life 

 to the growing and disseminating of native varieties. 



Flowers, the oldest cultivated black Rotundifolia variety, was 

 discovered by Popping Billy Flowers in 1819, in Flowers Swamp, 

 Robeson County, North Carolina. 



Mr. John Adlum, of Georgetown, D. C, brought the Catawba, 

 the origin of which is also not definitely known, into notice in 1823. 

 He wrote the first volume on American Grapes. In 1823 Adlum 

 wrote to Nicholas Longworth, of Cincinnati, Ohio: "In bringing 

 this grape into public notice, I have rendered my country greater 

 service than would have been done had I paid the National debt." 



Certain it was that the culture of native grape varieties gave a 

 new impetus to the industry and such rapid progress made that in 

 1830 Prince in his treatise on the vine enumerates 88 American 

 varieties. 



Since then such varieties as the Norton in 1835, Delaware in 

 1850, Concord in 1853, and many others made their appearance. 

 Grape culture had gradually increased and become general through- 

 out the land. 



Ephraim Wales Bull, of Concord, Massachusetts, is deserving 

 lasting gratitude for originating the Concord grape, the most 

 widely known, most generally planted, all purpose American grape 

 yet introduced. It is included in nearly every collection where 

 American vines are planted. To illustrate how important it has 

 become I will state that in the Chautauqua Grape Belt on Lake 

 Erie, 192,000,000 pounds of grapes were produced in one season, 

 nine-tenths of which, or 172,800,000 pounds, were Concord. My 

 Father, in his treatise on grapes in 1865, said, "One-third acre of 

 Concord planted five years ago has produced me, during that time, 

 in fruit, wine, layers and plants, the round sum of $10,000. 



The Creator has blessed this country most abundantly by giving 

 it more native species of grapes than all the other countries of the 



