UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
BULLETIN No. 861 { 
Contribution from the Bureau of Markets g 
GEORGE LIVINGSTON, Chief ^Sr^**^L 
Washington, D. C. T September 13, 1920 
MARKETING EASTERN GRAPES. 
By Dudley Alleman, 
Assistant in Market Surveys. 
Introduction 
The rise and fall of commercial pro- 
duction 
Changes in market outlets 
Present commercial outlets 
Commercial varieties 
Methods of preparation for market_ 
CONTENTS. 
Page. 
1 
Description of leading producing 
sections 
Page. 
26 
o 
3 
4 
5 
9 
Market preference 
Distribution 
Conclusion 
Appendix : Destinations of grapes 
50 
53 
54 
55 
INTRODUCTION. 
There are three main types of grapes produced in the United 
States, the European or vinifera type, grown extensively in Cali- 
fornia, among the principal representatives of which are the Tokay, 
Malaga, and Emperor; the labrusca type, grown in practically all 
sections of the country, represented by the Concord, the Niagara, 
and the Catawba; and the Muscadine grapes, grown in the South 
Atlantic and Gulf States, of which the oldest and best known variety 
is the Scuppernong. This bulletin deals with the marketing of 
labrusca grapes, known commercially as Eastern grapes; the Euro- 
pean or Western grape and the Muscadines present very different 
problems of production and use. 
HISTORY OF VARIETAL DEVELOPMENT. 
When the first colonists reached eastern America they found the 
native grapes growing luxuriantly. As early as 1616 Lord Dela- 
ware wrote to England, " In every boske and hedge we have thou- 
sands of goodly vines running along and cleaving to every tree." 
These flourishing native species of grapes encouraged the importa- 
'tion of the best English and French varieties, which were planted in 
great number from New England to Florida. All of these vines 
sickened and died, but apparently only those planters immediately 
178922°— 20 1 1 
