IN MISSOURI 69 



An important grape center early sprang up in 

 Gasconade county, eastern Missouri, a Locality which 

 later became conspicuous because of the labors of 

 George Husmann and Jacob Rommel. The former 

 settled at Hermann, and the latter al Morrison. The 

 first cultivated grape to fruit at Hermann, according 

 to Husmann, was an Isabella, which was planted by 

 .Mr. Pugger, ami which bore in 1845. The first wine 

 was made in 1846. The Catawba was introduced, and 

 firsl bore in L848. This variety awakened greai in- 

 terest, bul it .-u.ni Buccumbed t<> disease, and its ph 



was taken by Norton's Virginia, of which we have ye1 

 to Bpeak (page 78). Husmann early gave his attention 

 to writing, and has produced "The Cultivation of the 

 Native Grape, and Manufacture of American Wines" 

 I L866), which, in its modern and enlarged form (18£ 

 is known ;i- "American Grape Growing and Wine 

 Making." He also established and edited the "Grape 

 Culturist" (1869-1871), which was the firsl American 

 journal to devote itself exclusively to a single type of 

 plant. Since Adlum, no writer of hooks has so clearly 

 and forcibly emphasized the importance of the native 

 grapes as Husmann. Jacob Rommel gave his atten- 

 tion to the breeding of varieties, using a new stock — 

 the river- 1 >,i nk grape ( Vitis vulpina, or I'. Hparia) — 

 as the parent of crosses. Some of his results are 

 Elvira, Transparent, Faith, Etta, Montefiore, and the 



like. 



It is not our purpose to follow this history further, 

 except to note the introduction of n few remaining novel 

 t \ pes of varieties. 



In 1843, a aew grape was exhibited before the Mas 

 sachusettfl Horticultural Society, in Boston, bv Mr-. 



