12 
AMERICAN POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 
wine growing was considered one of the most honorable professions in* 
agriculture and horticulture. Wine drinking was universal. Even those- 
who used wine to excess were not dishonored nor disgraced as they are now. 
The people who in modern times have sought to inculcate upon the human 
race to “taste not, handle not” did not exist in those days; and it was a proud 
boast in those times, that 
“He who shall last by the table fall, 
He shall be king amongst us all.” 
When William Penn selected this spot for a town it was not merely because 
the place was situated between two rivers and was possessed of other advan- 
tages which he considered conducive to a place of habitation; but it was- 
also because, as we know from some documents which he left behind, that 
he thought it w r as a grand place for vineyards. One of the first things he did r 
after getting a charter for this city, was to send to France to look u-p vine- 
yardists and grapes -with which to plant the vineyards. The first vineyards 
ever planted in this country were planted on grounds owned by William 
Penn and which are now a part of Fairmount Park. They found, as we 
find now, that after a short time the grapes did not thrive as well as they did 
at first. They could hardly have thought the climate was changing; but 
eventually the vineyards failed and came to nothing. Penn was persistent 
and continued to send to France for the grapes and also for vineyardists. 
His first grapes w^ere planted two jmars after the beginning of the settlement 
at Philadelphia. Andrew Dor6 took charge of his vineyards. Later in the 
century another Frenchman, Peter Legaux, experimented on a grand scale. 
Large vineyards w T ere planted, but the results were still unsatisfactory. After 
a while the belief became general that the foreign grape would not thrive 
here. Even Penn came to the conclusion that Philadelphia was not hot 
enough. “In the Carolinas,” he declared, “it might do to raise grapes, but 
it is not warm enough in Philadelphia.” 
Then they set themeslves to look to the native grape. From the “frost” and 
“chicken” grapes along the Wissahickon and other varieties which we now 
class with the Clinton, wine was made in great abundance towards the end 
of the century. A quantity was sent to Benjamin Franklin, in France, and 
he thought it w T as equal to some of the best French wine. Meanwhile they 
were looking for an improvement on the native grape. The very first was 
called the “Alexander,” after the gardener at the Penn homestead, who found 
it on the Wissahickon. Although the bunches were small, it was not far in- 
ferior to the Concord, and the berries were larger; but it failed eventually. 
The Alexander ripened very woll for years, but finally failed to ripen, and they 
thought they must get a new kind again. 
Then came William Bartram, who thought he would plant a vineyard. He 
was one of the first to take a great interest in the culture of American grape 
vines with the idea of making wine from them. He heard of the “Bland” 
grape, which grew in Virginia, and at some considerable trouble and expense 
he sent to Virginia and brought that grape here. It was afterwards called 
the “Powell” grape and was known by other names. In those days, when 
there was no Society like our own, the same grape was often known by a 
number of names. The Bland grape was almost equal to the Delaware; I 
don’t know that there w T as much difference between them. But after a while 
that also failed, and then they went to the Susquehanna and found varieties 
quite equal to the Delaware. One of these, called the “Susquehanna,” was 
