THE CULTIVATOR. 
367 
no fire at all, if there is only wind. On a still morning, 
there may be a little smoke in kindling a fire before a 
current of hot air is formed, but at no other time. 
Mott does not say that he has patented this invention; if 
he is a man of sense he has not; for defending patents is 
only another name for “ vexation of spirit.” But if he 
has patented it, I hope he will allow me to use my cap 
for this “recommend” I have given it. And to those 
who cannot afford to subscribe for the Cultivator, I can 
say that this one fact learned from it, is worth many 
year’s subscription. J. T. 
SELECT AMERICAN GRAPES 
In the Bririkleyville (AT. C.) Vineyards. 
Our successful experiment of grape culture and wine 
making, is mainly attributable to the system being Ameri¬ 
can throughout. And, as to kinds of grapes, not only, 
after trial, rejecting foreign, butalso such natives as are not 
profitable in most respects. On canopies supported by 
posts ten feet each way apart, and all clear beneath, for 
passage of wind, persons, or teams, might be seen, aj 
month since, a complete spread or sheet of grapes, so 
thick in many places, as to yield at rates of a thousand 
and more gallons of wine per acre. And now, after 
having made our barrel of wine a day for some weeks 
past, and entertaining visitors, sometimes more than 
twenty a day, the vineyards are very full still, and a 
stranger might conclude that few grapes had been ab 
stracted, and that only from some vines. But designing 
a mere list of most select vines, with a passing remark or 
two, we proceed at once to enumerate— 
1st. Such grapes as are good and profitable in every 
respect, and from most of which, we make not only gal¬ 
lons but barrels of wine annually, of late years. 
1. I he White Scuppernong, the noble native of our 
own state. But north of latitude 37| degrees of no 
peculiar excellence. 
2. Weller's Halifax—a native of this county, but 
calculated, so far as we have learned, for any part of our 
country. Out of a large number of vines from the seed 
of this grape, one we call the Halifax seedling, promises 
according to best judges, to be inferior to none in every 
respect. Its culture is yet limited. Fruit like the Ca¬ 
tawba, but sweeter. 
3. Vine Arbor—so called from its very l.arge leaf, as 
well as extended growth, and consequent peculiar fitness 
for arbors. 
4. Somerville. 
5. North Carolina. This is late in ripening, and its 
peculiar excellence is for wine, not table use. 
6. York Madeira. 
7. Fragrant. This delightfully perfumes the air around j 
when ripe. 
The above kinds have all large berries, and average 
the Isabella and Catawba in size, and consequently are 
not subject to depredations from birds. We have seve¬ 
ral other fine sorts of like sized grapes. But we pro¬ 
ceed to those of intermediate size, (or that say, of buck¬ 
shot,) in our first class, viz:— 
8. Norton's Virginia Seedling, called after the late 
Dr. Norton, of Richmond, Va. This we find one of the 
finest in all respects; as for table use, winemaking, pro¬ 
ductiveness, (capable of 2,000 gallons per acre,) and free 
from rot. 
9. Cunningham. This is also a grape from Virginia, 
most excellent for eating, and with one difficulty only as 
to wine qualities, viz: on every raceme, some small 
green grapes are interspersed among the ripe ones. But 
to obviate this we omit picking out the green berries, 
and make the wine in the way the late Mr. Herbemont 
made his best Madeira, or a white wine from his colored 
grape; that is by putting the grapes unmashed under the 
press, and after pressing, the ripe grapes only are found 
mashed by pressing. 
10. Woodson—also from Virginia; much later ripen¬ 
ing than the Cunningham; and not so good for the table. 
11. Lenoir—a grape of a grade smaller berry. Among 
the first of peculiar excellence in ripening here. 
In the fine vineyard of Mr. John Carter, near Rich¬ 
mond, Va., he showed me, some years since, the Cla¬ 
rence of France, imported by him as identical with the 
Lenoir. If Mr. Carter is not mistaken, this is a foreign 
grape, only not subject to rotting in our country. The 
juice is very strong, and as the late Mr. Herbemont 
observes, capable of making a good keeping wine with¬ 
out the addition of either spirits or sugar. 
But omitting further enumeration of excellent grapes 
of intermediate size, we proceed to the second general 
class, viz:—Of some kinds excellent in many respects, 
but exceptionable on account of propensity to rot, (at 
least at the south,) smallness of berry, &c., and therefore 
no dependence on them for a wine crop; though a few 
of each are retained in the vineyards as a variety of 
fruit, and in contrast, and for visitors. Among a con¬ 
siderable number of kinds in class second, the following 
are here noticed. 
1. The Catawba, the favorite grape of Mr. Adlum, 
j Georgetown, D. C., and now I see from Agricultural 
(periodicals, mostly cultivated in the northern and mid¬ 
dle states. But its proneness to rot on the vines renders 
it a very uncertain fruit in the south; and the older the 
vines the worse, so that some, as I learn, in this slate and 
Virginia have given up vineyard culture in despair of 
profit, whose principal vines were the Catawba; and 
2. The Isabella. And no effectual remedy we have 
found for this tantalizing casualty, but that of cutting 
down, in the fall season, most of the vines of these sorts, 
and grafting on their stocks, some of the first general 
class, as good at least in every respect, and far better as to 
certainty of a well matured crop. Three years since 
we procured a kind of Catawba said not to rot. The 
young vines of what we call Eaton's Catawba, so far, 
have matured their fruit, 
3. Colesvine. 
4. Alexander. 
5. Constantia or Vevay. This last is that chiefly cul¬ 
tivated by the Swiss settlers in Indiana. But however 
succeeding with them, when the vines are young, at 
least it proves here one of the rotting kinds; although 
it, as well as all just named, produce fine, large fruit 
when happening to mature. 
This second class now continued with grapes of inter¬ 
mediate size, as 
6. Herbemont's Madeira. This as seen in the columns 
of the “ American Farmer” was called the Warren, or 
Warremlen, eie it received the above name from the late 
excellent Mr. N. Herbemont,. of Columbia, S. C., who 
gave it notoriety. It appears to be of foreign extraction, 
from the shortness of the vine joints, and especially its 
proneness to rot. Mr. Herbemont himself calls it a tan¬ 
talizing grape; because, as he states, just when giving 
ipromise of an abundant yield (once he made at rates of 
■more than 2000 gals, per acre from it.) its frequent habit is 
ito begin rotting without any assignable cause of too wet 
lor too dry, or the like. 
7. Longworth's Ohio. The distinguished agricul¬ 
turist, Mr. N. Longworth, near Cincinnati, sent me a 
few years since, some cuttings of this by mail, in a 
newspaper, and by grafting I have cultivated it to some 
extent. But here it is of no peculiar excellence, and I 
find, prone to rot, though Mr. L. informed me it had 
proved a most excellent variety in his locality. 
We have procured from nearer and more distant parts 
of our country, a considerable number of other kinds of 
i intermediate sized berry, and exceptionable in some re¬ 
spects; among which I name 
8. Baltimore Seedling. 
9. Bland’s Madeira or Red English. 
10. White English. 
11. Enfield. 
12. Hunterville, &c. 
And also several varieties of small berry and small 
yield, though otherwise fine. Three only of these we 
add to our list of the 2d class, viz:—13 Wilcox. 14. 
Guinard’s Native. 15. The Elsingburg. 
We have under trial a large number of seedlings, and 
of those procured from every where we could hear of a 
good native; and may give the result in due time. 
Sidney Wf.ller. 
Brinkleyville, Halifax county , A 7 . C., Sept. 15, 1845. 
