THE CULTURE OF THE GRAPE. 233 



growing rapidly. I will have a fine crop of fruit from 

 tliem next year, for you will understand that - a vine 

 grows in this latitude in one year, what they do in your 

 latitude in at least three years. The last season, I raised 

 a fine crop from a graft of the Muscat of Alexandria 

 (on wild stock) one year'old, one bunch weighing eight 

 and a half pounds, and perfect in form and flavor." 



" The birds are the only evil we have in this climate 

 in raising foreign grapes. They never touch a white 

 grape, probably waiting for them to turn black." 



" Our season has been quite backward this year and 

 my grapes have not matured as early by a month as last 

 year. During this montli I have had the Early Musca- 

 dine and Malaga in abundance.^ The Black Ilamburgh, 

 Black St. Peters, and Muscat of Alexandria, are ripen- 

 ing rapidly, and will be in pel-fection the following 

 months, July and August. My native grapes, Isabella, 

 Catawba, &c., ripen in August and September. The Isa- 

 bella here is a very inferior grape, and ripens very bad- 

 ly. The Catawba is its superior in every respect. Bland 

 is superior to either. But the great southern grape is the 

 Scuppernong; in this latitude far superior to iNorth 

 Carolina, its reputed native place. A gentleman of high 

 character and intelligence, who cultivates the Scupper- 

 nong in Louisiana, says it is a Grecian grape, and that the 

 Greeks make their finest wine from it. We never prune 

 it, and its yield is almost incredible ; when perfectly ripe 

 the fruit is a very deep bronze, very sweet and with but 

 little pulp." 



" The foreign grapes, grafted on our native stocks, do 

 far better -than when growing on original stocks, are 



