NOMENCLATURE OF GRAPES. 173 



wild and in great abundance on the islands in the Tennessee 

 river, and my friend has furnished me with the following de- 

 rails. The vine is stated to be naturally of dwarfish habit, a 

 great bearer, and to produce fruit of good size ; the leaf re- 

 sembles the Scuppernong or native Muscadine, and the stock 

 that of the common small grape. He values it the more par- 

 ticularly, because no insect troubles the foliage, although other 

 vines are much injured by the green caterpillar, which often 

 destroys their leaves in toto. He mentions that the oval and 

 round black muscadine grapes grow naturally in that state, as 

 well as some other varieties. 



I expect the vine above described will prove to be of the 

 Scuppernong family, and it is quite probable it may be the 

 genuine Scuppernong already described as a native of North 

 Carolina, comprising the white and black varieties which are 

 distinguished by their tendrils. 



ALEXANDER. PR. CAT. No. 372. 



Sclmylkill muscadel. Pape of Good Hope grape, 



Spring Mill constantia. Tasker *s grape. 



Vitis labrusca v. Mexanderia. PRINCE. 



This vine is a sure and plentiful one in its crops. It has 

 been erroneously called, at the Spring Mill vineyard and at 

 Philadelphia, the Constantia, or Cape of Good Hope grape, but 

 is unquestionably a native of our own country, and originated 

 in the vicinity of Philadelphia. It is stated to have been 

 first found growing on the rocky hills near the Schuylkill 

 river, above the upper ferry, previous to the revolutionary 

 war, by a Mr. Alexander, gardener to one of the Penns. 

 The berries are black when fully ripe, sweet, and of a slight 

 musky flavour, but contain a pulp. Wine of a fair quality 

 has been made from this grape in different sections of the 

 Union ; and Mr. Adlum, of the District of Columbia, and 

 a number of other gentlemen, have succeeded in making from 

 it wine of quite a pleasant flavour. I have also in my pos 1 - 



