THE GRAPE-VINE. 



389 



vating. Emit large, long, ovate, bright black; tender, 

 juicy, and sweet, with an agreeable bitter, or rather aro- 

 matic flavor ; growth upright, becoming recumbent at the 

 top. There is said to be a white variety. One, more 

 common, is of light red color, with fruit sweet and good. 

 We have also a variety in this State with blossoms per- 

 fectly double, but the fruit is abortive. The New Eochelle 

 is probably the best variety now known. The fruit is the 

 shape of Hovey's strawberry, very pulpy, and of excellent 

 flavor, and continues for some weeks in use. 



Vitis of Species — The Grapb-Vine. 



The vine was one of the first plants brought into culti- 

 vation. The foreign grapes are all varieties of Vitis Vinifera, 

 and came originally from Asia. Of native grapes, we 

 have Vitus Labrusca, of which the Isabella, Catawba, and 

 Diana are varieties ; Vitis Cordifolia and Vitis ^stivalis, 

 from one of which the Elsinburgh and Ohio originated ; 

 Vitis Rotundifolia* which is the parent of the Scuppernong, 

 our most valuable grape, and some other species from 

 which no valuable varieties have yet been produced. 



Of the other fruits, as the apple, pear, &c., we are cul- 

 tivating kinds removed many generatio^is from their na- 

 tural state, and improved in quality by a long course of 

 culture ; but our American grapes are chance seedlings of 

 the wild varieties taken within a few years from their 

 native w^oods. Seedlings from these generally revert to 

 the original wild species ; but the Catawba is the parent 

 of the Diana grape, one degree further removed from its 

 original type ; from this we may expect seedlings will be 

 derived, still more improved, until they rival in sweetness 

 and freedom from pulp, the fine European varieties. 



Foreign grapes do not generally succeed in our climate. 

 The exceptions are the Black Burgundy, the Sherry, and 

 * Micbaiix and Le Conte. 



