88- TRANSACTIONS OF THE AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 



poor flesh. And this appears to be the case with them out of doors in 

 California, on the same ground that produces grapes that will make wine 

 as sweet and rich as the grapes of Spain. 



From what we have heard to-day the results of native grapes in Cali- 

 fornia seem to be similar to growing our native varieties under glass, 

 which is a perfect failure. The Herbemont is claimed as a native, but I 

 have no doubt is from foreign seed, and when grown under glass has all 

 the distinctive characteristics of a foreign grape. 



The only variety of grapes from which wine has been made to any extent 

 here, of sufficient excellence to command a market, is the Catawba, which 

 I believe will be entirely superseded by the Delaware. 



Subject for the next meeting: "Detention Houses for Fruits and 

 Strawberries." 



Adjourned. JOHN W. CHAMBERS, Secretary. 



June 11, 1862. 

 Mr. Francis C. Treadwell in the chair. 



Barren Grape-vines. 



Stephen Haight, of Washington, Dutchess county, sent in the following 

 communication upon this subject: 



"Gentlemen: I am a constant reader of your discussions, and have dis- 

 covered that you have got into a puzzle about barren grape-vines. 



" Allow me to say that such things do certainly exist, as barren grape- 

 vines, and here I present the proof. I have two vines set by my kitchen 

 door for the purpose of making a shade; have been there ten years; always 

 blossom very full, and always fall from the vine before July overtakes them. 

 They were both layers from the same parent vine. A native grape of 

 excellent quality; ripens the latter part of August. I have others which 

 were taken from the same vine, which are productive. 



"Here are the samples for you to examine: one from the barren vine, 

 and one from the parent vine." 



Mr. William* R. Prince, of Flushing. — The matter stated in this letter is 

 absolutely impossible. Barren vines may and do often come from seed, but 

 this specimen represented as a layer, and the other from the one which 

 produced the other, must have been derived from some other source. The 

 man must have been mistaken; his statement is contrary to science. There 

 are particular kinds of grape-vines which produce fragrant flowers, which 

 are all staminate, and have an odor like those of miguonnette; these are 

 grown only for ornament. 



Mr. Andrew S. Fuller, of Brooklyn. — The point at issue is, that some 

 person made an inquiry here by letter, whether there were such things as 

 barren grape-vines, and stated that he had one that blossomed freely and 

 never produced fruit; another letter-writer ridiculed the idea, probably 

 because he had never seen a barren grape-vine. I have seen them, said to 

 be fifty years old, which never produced a grape. How, then, do you know 

 they were grape-vines, if they never showed fruit ? 



