vin 
PREFACE. 
on record in holy writ, Gen. ix. 20. And if we duly confider 
the vaft importance of its fruit in every fliape and view, it may 
juflly be efleemed the bell and mod ufeful fruit-tree in the 
world. The ripe fruit ferves to conditute a rich and whole- 
fome repad ; and when dried, forms a mod material and 
lucrative article of commerce to the inhabitants of many 
parts of the globe : But the mod important and mod tran- 
fcendant article, wine, mayjudlybe edeemed as one of our 
choiced bledings, fo the mod valuable gift of nature. 
From the dtuation of this ifland, and from the nature of the 
Vine, it may feem doubtful whether wine can be made in this 
country to any confiderable national advantage : But dill we 
find, by experience, that by artificial means, even the lated 
kinds of grapes may be brought to almod as high a degree of 
perfedion as they are in their own native foils and climes. 
The principal objeds of expence required for this end are 
fuel 2.'[i^glafs\ the former article is of fmall confideration in 
counties where coals abound, but glafs is become a truly ferious 
affair; and indeed it were much to be widied, that glafs em- 
ployed in gardens fhould be exempt from duty; for pleafe to 
confider, by the aid of this ufeful material in gardening, our 
markets would be more plentifully fupplied with many kinds 
of fruit, and alfo with rare and wholefome vegetables, at a 
much earlier feafon than in the natural way they can poflibly 
be ; and thefe, let me obferve, are not to be confidered as arti- 
cles of luxury. 
But 
