THE CONCORD GRAPE AND ITS ORIGINATOR. 21 



sprightly aroma. The foUage is broad and thick and the berries 

 have never been known to mildew, rot or drop off under any cir- 

 cumstances during the five years it has borne fruit. All good 

 judges who have tasted it pronounce it far superior to the Isabella in 

 its ripest condition." 



To quote Mr. Bull's own words: 



"I confess I did not expect to arrive at so great a success so soon, 

 but when I had the good fortune to find th& parent of the Concord 

 among the first crop of seedlings, the thovght dawned upon me 

 that in the perhaps far off future, higher success awaited the culti- 

 vator, who had the patience to wait. I had almost said the courage 

 to venture, for I was sensible that any attempt to improve the 

 wild grape would be considered an imputation upon the judgment 

 and sagacity of the operator. Fully aware of this I kept my own 

 counsel and if I had not succeeded nobody would ha^e known that 

 I had ever ventured." 



"I said chat grape growing is possible in Massachusetts. I 

 do not mean by that that all grapes can be grown here; but I do 

 mean, that grapes have always been here since the first white man 

 set his foot on the soil of ^Massachusetts, when he found the grape 

 so abundant that he christened the coimtry " Vineland.''' We had, 

 then, only to get out of this native stock, which was atlapted to our 

 climate, and perfectly hardy, a seedling of good quality; we had 

 only to break it of its old habits, in short, to make it edible, to attain 

 the object we had in view. I do not doubt that this idea occurred 

 to many before I took it up. The intelligent horticulturist said 

 that it would be the work of a lifetime, and we are a people impatient 

 of delays; we want our results swiftly; and, therefore, although 

 they saw it to be possible, and might recommend it to others, they 

 forebore to proceed with a course of breeding which involved the 

 work of a lifetime and perhaps more. In my own case after 

 growing grapes of all kinds in my garden at Boston, with great 

 success, I found myself unable to grow them on a sunny slope where 

 I felt sure that I could do so. What was I to do? I loved the 

 grape and must have it. I might go to Pennsylvania and grow 

 grapes, but I could not take Massachusetts with me and I wanted 

 Massachusetts and I wanted grapes too." 



"So I set about raising seedlings from this native stock and in 



