188 THE AMERICAN GARDENER. [Chap 



about two acres of ground, and the vines of which 

 w^ere loaded with fine grapes of, at least, twenty 

 different sorts. The vineyard was on the side of a 

 little hill ; on the top of the hill was a corn-field, 

 and in the front of it, across a little valley, and on 

 the side of another little hill, was a wood of loftv 

 trees ; the country in general, being very much 

 covered with woods. Mr. La Gau made wine from i 

 this Vineyard. The vines are planted at about k 

 four feet apart, grew upright, and were tied to 

 sticks about five feet high, after the manner of ; 

 some, at least, of the vineyards of France. — Now, j 

 are not these facts alone decisive in the negative , 

 of the proposition, that there is a generally preva- . 

 lent obstacle to the growing of grapes in this . 

 country ? — Mr. Hulme, in his Journal to the West . 

 {See my Year's Residence, Paragraph 892,) gives 

 an account of the Vineyards and of the wine made, 

 at Vevay, on the Ohio. He says, that, that year, \ 

 about five thousand gallons of wine were made : 

 and, he observes, what more can be wanted for the 

 grape-vine, than rich land and hot sun, — Besides, is 

 not the grape-vine a native here ? There are many 

 different sorts of grapes, that grow in the woods, 

 climb the trees, cover some of them over, and bear 

 and ripen their fruit. How often do we meet with 

 a vine, in the autumn, with Grapes, called chicken 

 grapes, hanging on it from every bough of an oak 

 or some other timber-tree ! This grape resembles, ^ 

 as nearly as possible, what is, in England, called 

 the Black cluster ; and, unquestionably, only wants - 

 cultivation to give it as good a flavour. Does the j 

 Rose hug prevent these vines from bearing, or from , 

 ripening their fruit ? — Taking it for granted, then, [ 

 that this obstacle is imaginary, rather than real, I ^ 

 shall now proceed to speak of the propagation and ; 



