San Antonio, Oct. 11, 1876 



Dr. G. Engelmann, 



St. Louis, 



I received your esteeraed letter as well as the box cacti in due time and am very 

 much indebted to you for the latter, the small one from Fort M # Kavitt unfortunately 

 did not take root, also I would not like to say for certain if it would continue to 

 grow cylindrical at least I have had it happen, that from such a beginning large- 

 leaved Opuntia developed; it occurs in dry times in very stony ground. The Opuntia 

 serpentinus from San Diego seems to develope strongly. Several days ago a Mam . 

 fissurata bloomed here, the first I have seen, I will send it to you, perhaps it 

 will interest you. The color was an extremely delicate blue-red at the edges 

 almost merging into white, it was open only one day. 



Of the, under the name "Black Spanish" wine, now so much in demand, I am 

 sending you a branch and enclosed seed, because upon receipt of your letter it 

 was too late for berries. As far as I could learn up to now about the origin, it 

 should have been grown from a seedlinr, and first from a Frenchman in Georgia. 

 The characteristics which make it so populär ^re: 



1. Its easy cultivation from cuttings. 



2. Its unusually strong and rapid growth, this year I have seen a vine which 

 has grown 34 feet since spring. 



3# And probably principally, because it is completely free of the Phylloxera 

 which unfortunately can only be said of very few grapes from there and 



northern ones. I myself and several others have examined various 



with the microscope and could find nothing, For here it is moreover the 

 most abundantly bearing vine. All expe-iments with other wine from the 



North and Europe have been unsuccessful up to now, also those from El Paso 

 and Mexico, whereby probably also the transplanting from primitive rock 

 into calcareous soil may contribute its part. 



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