FLORIDA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
133 
or European grapes in Florida after more 
than a half century of efforts on the part 
of thousands of people who have been suc¬ 
cessful grape growers elsewhere, is in it¬ 
self ample demonstration of the verity 
of the statements herein made. Never 
was there so much interest as now in grape 
growing in Florida. The reason is be¬ 
cause there has been substantial success in 
the development of this industry in the 
past several years, due to the planting and 
proper care of grape vines adapted to 
Florida soil and climatic conditions. Wild 
grapes grow in all parts of Florida. Why 
not others? It has been amply demon¬ 
strated that only those grapes combined 
with the native wild grapes will perma¬ 
nently continue to do well in this State. 
The scuppernong is no exception, that also 
being a hybrid grape. Some of the hybrid 
grapes have been growing successfully in 
Florida for the past twenty-five years. 
That is ample demonstration of their stay¬ 
ing qualities. There is no part of Florida 
where they will not do well. During the 
next grape planting season it is certain 
that the number of acres of hybrid grapes 
planted in Florida will be limited only by 
the supply of the vines, and this will be 
true for years to come. This year there 
will be upwards of 15,000 carloads of Cal¬ 
ifornia grapes sold in the markets of the 
United States and every California grape 
will be marketed weeks after the Florida 
grapes are gone. This gives some idea of 
the possibilities of the development of 
grape growing. 
“There is much to be learned by the 
individual grower as to planting, care and 
marketing of the fruit, but enough prog¬ 
ress has been made along these lines in the 
past few years to demonstrate that this 
new Florida industry is bound to prove a 
tremendous success, in time rivaling the 
great grape production industry of Cal¬ 
ifornia and European countries.” 
Finally and as a conclusion I offer this 
sentiment. Florida, the discovered nat¬ 
ural home of the grape. 
