OF BEGINNINGS 



of Barlow's to gardens. In his "Description of New 

 England" written in 1614, Captain John Smith tells 

 of "sandy cliffes and cliffes of rock, both which we 

 saw so planted with Gardens and Comefields." Fur- 

 ther on, discoursing on the fertility of the soil, he says, 

 "the winter is more colde in those parts wee have yet 

 tryed nere the Sea side then we finde in the same height 

 in Europe or Asia; Yet I made a Garden upon the 

 top of a Rockie lie in forty-three and a half, (latitude) 

 foure leagues from the Main, in May, that grew so 

 well, as it served us for sallets in June and July." 



It is a fact universally to be noted that the cultiva- 

 tion of fruit has first engaged the attention of every na- 

 tion, as far back as any history of planting or working 

 the soil, reaches. And of all fruits the grape has prob- 

 ably been cultivated from the remotest time, for there 

 is no literature in the world so old but proves, by its 

 references to wine and the vineyard, the far greater age 

 of these. Whether the Indian cultivated the grape, 

 however, it is impossible to say. Probably not, for it 

 grew in such abundance everywhere that there was no 

 need to do more than gather the harvest. But they 

 made a beverage of its juice; "while the grape lasteth 

 they drink wine, and for want of casks to keep it, all 

 the year after they drink water," says Barlow : adding, 

 with evident, naive pleasure in the recollection, "but 

 it is sodden with ginger in it, and black cinnamon. 



