SOUTHERN CULTIVATOR. 
319 
yields an abundance of beautiful fruit, when they do not 
rot. This year one-half of the crop was destroyed by that 
disease. Whether the rot is caused by insects or simply 
by adverse changes in the weather, is unknown ; but the 
fact is so, that vines adjoining each other in the same row 
will be affected differently— the one will have its fruit 
destroyed, and the other not. Again, sometimes the 
branches on one side of the same vine will have its fruit 
rotted and the fruit on the opposite branches continue 
sound — in other cases, one part of a bunch will rot and 
the rest of the grains on the same bunch will remain per- 
fect to maturity. All this looks like the work of insects, 
and not to the effect of certain soils or even changes of 
weather, although the last may be necessary to the de- 
velopment of certain animalcula and their propagation. 
The Isabella makes a fine claret. 
The Warren Grape is a much more luxuriant grower 
and a greater bearer than the Isabella, the bunches are 
large and the berries of medium size, with little or no 
pulp. It make a fine wine, the flavor being between Port 
and Sherry ; but it also suffers from the rot. The rot oc- 
curred in the Warren Grape on the 10th of June, and 
passed off in five or six days with the loss of a fourth or 
perhaps a third of its fruit , whilst the Isabella was but 
slightly touched; and yet later on the 1 6th of July, it recur- 
red in the Isabella, and swept oft' one-half of its fruit, but 
did not reappear in the Warren, 
The Burgundy Grape bears the largest bunches of the 
three, and the fruit is the sweetest of all these grapes. 
The grains are of medium size, free of pulp, the bunches 
sometimes weighing a pound. It does not rot, but is very 
much injured by bees and wasps, the skin being so thin 
that they prefer it to all others. It does not have as much 
fruit as the Warren, and requires four years to come into 
bearing. It makes a fine rich wine, quite superior to the 
Warren. 
The Blue Grape, or, as it has been termed by some, the 
“Black July,” is a poor bearer, and, though it does not 
rot, it is very much destroyed by birds. It makes a wine 
similar to Port. It is a native of North Carolina. 
I have two varieties of Rose Crtapes. One has been 
called the Bland's Madeira, but whether that is its proper 
name I have not been able to satisfy myself, as hitherto 1 
paid but little attention to it ; but this year I have noticed 
that it is an abundant bearer of large berries, pale red and 
fair sized bunches, free from rot I have not made wine 
of it, but will do so this year. 
The Catawba, I am little acquainted with. Among a 
variety of native vines from North Carolina, I imported a 
Catawba from Dr. Welt^er. Those Catawba vines are 
now in full bearing and free from rot, and are identical 
in the appearance of the wood, stalk and leaf with the 1000 
vines which I obtained (through the polite attention ofR. 
Buchanan, Esq., of Cincinnati) from the Nursery of 
Kelly, Evans & Co., of Cincinnatti, Ohio. They are free 
from rot with me, but they occasionally rot in Ohio, 
The Scuppernong vines occupy a separate vineyard of 
four or five acres, planted ten by twenty feet. They are 
not liable to spring frosts, as they bloom very late, but a 
cold change will at the early formation of fruit cause the 
grains to shed off. The crop of these will be very light 
this year, in consequence of the cool nights in June. The 
fruit of this grape has a peculiar rich aroma, but it will 
not make a good wine without the addition of sugar. The 
wine, when thus made, is of the quality of Champagne. 
The Herbcrtiont, it seems, is amongst my collection, but 
its culture was not extended, as it came to me from a 
Nursery in New York, under the name of“Guignard,” and 
again as tlie “Red Hamburg.” The culture was not ex- 
tended as the fruit was not as sweet as others ; some 
few vines, however, got scattered in the vineyard, and the 
originals continued to grow, when a friend of mine who 
knew the Herbemoni enlightened me as to its real name. 
There is more fruit on one of those vines than on any 
other in the vineyard, and not a particle of rot about them . 
I have Mr. N. Longworth’s authority for saying that it 
makes a pleasant wine like the Spanish Manzanilla. 
Now that my basket of Grapes has been freely present- 
ed to your “correspondent and others,” I think that they 
can make a fair selection. For myself, I must confess that 
I like them all. And although I have a great many 
French Grape Vines in bearing, I would not exchange the 
most indifferent of the former for the best of the latter, for 
open culture. 
The culture of the Grape and the making of Wines in 
the primitive style, without any addition of foreign matter 
to pure juice, may form another article, when more at 
leisure. Respectfully, &c. 
James C. W. McDonnald, M D. 
Woodieard, S. C., August, 1855. 
A NEW RHODODENDRON. 
Editors Southern Cultivator — I send you a draw- 
ing of a flowering evergreen shrub, recently discovered on 
some of the mountains in Macon county. North Carolina, 
which, in point of beauty and magnificence, is second only 
to Magnolia Grandiflora. 
It is a nameless and undescribed variety of Rhododen- 
dron ; there is, however, a traditionary account of its dis- 
covery some 60 years since, by a botanist by the name of 
Fraser, then exploring this country, under the patronage 
of the then Emperor Paul, of Russia. Fraser died sud- 
denly on his return to St, Petersburgh, which, probably, 
is the cause of an account of it never having been pub- 
lished. 
The annual burning of the forests in which it grows, 
usually destroys it so that it is extremely difficult to find 
a specimen ofit. Some four or five years since, however, 
S. McDowell, Esq., of Franklin, Macon coanty. North 
Carolina, re-discovered this truly gorgeous plant, and for 
a year or two past has been engaged in propagating them, 
by removing the plants to his garden near that place. The 
shrub grows to the height of 4 or 5 feet and is of easy cul- 
tivation ; the foliage is larger and more rich than that of 
the Pontic varieties with which we have compared it; the 
panicles of flowers, too, are larger and more brilliant in 
color. Mr, McDoa^ell sent us a box of the flowers in 
June, which we compared with those of Ponticum, which 
we fortunately then had in bloom, and which were inferi- 
or to it in all respects. The foliage also differs from if, 
being larger and heavier, having golden yellow foot stalks 
and mid-rib, the peduncles to the flowers being hkew'ise 
of the same color, whilst those of Ponticum are green ; the 
under surface of the leaves are nearly white and of a vel- 
vety texture, differing from R, Maximum and R. Cataw- 
biensein not becoming ferruginous. No native American 
flower can exceed it in habit and beauty, and it must be- 
come a popular acquisition to the shrubbery and flower 
garden, being sufficiently hardy to endure any climate. 
Its color is a bright crimson approaching towards scarlet ; 
the panicles are composed of a large number of flowers, 
from 20 to 30, forming a conical mass nearly as large as a 
man’s head ; the contrast between these and its dark-green 
foliage is very rich and magnificent, and can only be con- 
ceived of by being seen. 
The labors of !Mr. McDowell have been both arduous 
and unremitting in transferring these plants to his 
grounds, as they have only been found on the tops of the 
highest and most inaccessible mountains, the only ap- 
proach being on foot; he has employed men to bring them 
