THE CONCORD GRAPE AND ITS ORIGINATOR. 

 By Wilfrid Wheeler, Concord, Mass. 



Delivered before the Society, January 11, 1908. 



In order to place the subject of the origin of the Concord grape 

 fully before you it will be necessary to go back and trace very 

 briefly the history of the grape up to the time that our story proper 

 shall begin. 



The grape is probably the oldest of cultivated fruits and certainly 

 no other fruit has been cultivated so extensively, although its earlier 

 uses were largely confined to wine making. In this connection 

 we hear a great deal of it in the Bible, even as far back as Noah, 

 "who planted vineyards." The grape is undoubtedly of Asiatic 

 origin, but was early introtluced into Europe, where now as many 

 as 300 varieties are cultivated in the great wine-growing countries. 

 European varieties of the grape were brought to America very 

 early in the history of the colonies, particularly in the South; but 

 all attempts at cultivation failed owing to the incursions of mildew 

 and rot. Early growers in America followed the same ideas that 

 were practiced in Europe and planted on terraced hillsides. So 

 when European varieties proved unsuccessful many horticulturists 

 turned their attention towards our native grapes and attempted to 

 improve them through cultivation. 



x\s far back as 1800 many eft'orts were thus made, but it was 

 only in the South that any real success was attained and Isabella 

 and Catawba were produced from native varieties, the former in 

 Sotith Carolina and the latter in Georgia. The introduction of the 

 Isabella in 1819 gave a great impetus to grape growing; and as 

 this variety proved hardy in New England, everyone who owned a 

 back yard bought some of these vines and began growing grapes; 

 so that up to 1850 this was the only grape grown in New England, 

 for table use with the possible exception of the Diana. 



