THE VINES OF NORTH CAROLINA. 183 



to the well known cultivated variety. Some of the 

 dark Muscadines are very nearly as luscious as the 

 ScuiJfernong^ and have been brought under culture, 

 as the MUh G-rape^ and Alexander s Grape^ which are 

 black, and also the BulVs Eye^ so named from its 

 superior size. 



The Hickman Grape I take to be identical with 

 the true Scuppernong and derived from Tyrrell 

 County, the home of the original. For some of this 

 information, as well as for the following history of 

 the Scuppernong (proper), I am indebted to Rev. E. 

 M. Forbes, who has resided in the region and has 

 taken much pains to obtain an authentic account 

 of this vine. Two men, of the name of Alexander, 

 while clearing land near Columbia, the county seat 

 of Tyrrell, which stands on the east side of Scupper- 

 nong River, discovered this Grape, and were so much 

 pleased with it that they preserved the vine and 

 the tree upon which it grew. " That was the vine 

 which I saw," says Mr. Forbes, "and from which 

 other vines were propagated." They called it the 

 " White Grape," and from it made what they called 

 "Country Wine" At the suggestion of a relative, 

 who had been in the Mediterranean, and knew the 

 indefiniteness of such names as these, they subse- 

 quently named the Grape from the river upon which 

 it was found. " This is the history given b}" a grand- 

 daughter of one of the discoverers, who was alive 

 when I first went to Scuppernong." 



A tradition is furnished me by Dr. Hunter, that. 



