ii6 OLD-FASHIONED GARDENING 



native fruits and trees and mentions wheat, barley, 

 oats, rye, peas, beans, squashes, pumpkins, water- 

 melons, and muskmelons as the artificial produce of 

 his land, as well as "all herbs and roots that our 

 gardens in England usually bring forth," Of flowers 

 he says that the woods are adorned with them, "lovely 

 flowers, for colour greatness figure and variety; I have 

 seen the gardens of London best stored with that sort 

 of beauty, but think they may be improved by our 

 woods." 



He too had great hopes of the grape, it seems, it 

 was everywhere so abundant. "The great red grape 

 (now ripe) called by some the 'fox-grape' (because 

 of the relish it hath with unskilful palates) is in itself 

 an extraordinary grape, and by art doubtless may be 

 cultivated to an excellent wine, if not so sweet yet little 

 inferior to the Frontiniac, as it is not much unlike in 

 taste, ruddiness set aside; which in such things, as well 

 as mankind, differs the case much; there is a white 

 kind of muskadel, and a little black grape like the 

 cluster grape of England, not yet so ripe as the other; 

 but they tell me, when ripe, sweeter, and that they 

 only want skillful vinerons to make good use of them; 

 I intend to venture on it with my Frenchman this 

 season, who shows some good knowledge in those 

 things. Here are also peaches, very good and in great 

 quantities, not an Indian plantation without them ; but 



