Lynchburg Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1829-185?, 1829-06-22
From The american Farmer.
GRAPE VINE AND SUGAR CANE.

y
Greene Co. Alabama, May 18th, 1920
Mn. SKINNER;
| am now trying experiments with the su.
gar cane ~ vine, hemp, g. some of my ne Rh.
bours are entering on the cultivation of silk on
as large sca'e as their means and faciliiIe,
will admit. With regard 10 the vine all our
efforts were fruitess so long rs we confined our
attention 10 the cultivation OF the foregn--
particularly the French varieties. Being my.
self resident in The French Grant, one of the
leading provisions in the tranfer " which "a
the French Emigrants. was the cultivation Of
the vine have had many opportunities Of
seeing experiments fairly tried with a great
many varieties, and Under the cae OF PROBES
sed Vignorons. bu never in one instance have
they been repaid for the ir labor and I'D. nses
Beng generally entirely unacquatnted with
any other kind Of cultivation except tina, OF The
wac, aud finding theTselvss So entire baifi ID
in their best direct efforts TO insure IT'S success
many of them abandoned their golden dreams
and the country together. Hence II is that
ne her the views Of Congress, nor the expsc-
tatiuns Of individuals h, We as vet been al all
realized With such discouraging prospects
few others were induced 10 embark in the cul.
tivation ofBordeaux vines, but it happened
that while tina, experiment was going ON, a
gentleman in New Orleans. who was agent for
the Swiss association at Vevay, and an &C.
qnaintance OF the unfortunate General Lefebre
Deseunoue, sent him lew cuttings Of vine,
without any description of the kind, or history
of the manner in which he became possessed
of them, which upon trial have revived our
responding hopes. They are evidently think
natives, having an entuey different aspect from
any Of the imported vines, and agreeing en-.
y whthe other native viiies .Lhiyas in their
joints, red appearance offHt b3fk, eXu-
.berance of growth, and pulpiness of fruit,
he Vigneron who lived 18th him at the time
Ekhd who fell hsi0nanost OF tue products OF his
forlunal . snip Sllslsa, loasd that they ysry far
exceeded all oths nds Divine y. his Sipsy ard
them the Mad9 ri grspc but he knOwsnolh'
ii a their history. He now cuI,lEates- them
however, to the exclusion of every otffdf kinu-
haviri4 1seven dug up all his imported varieties,
Efepcceeding n'makiug.a handsome. vineyard
of five or six acre sf,hem. They are not more
rapid or luxuariant in their growth than an0-
ther variety have-the Schuykill muscadel-
but the fruit is more esculent, and has not
so much of the wild muscadne character.
SINE wine ola very good quality has been
IN de from them, and this year have latter.
these varieties. This spring my French Wig
heron has dug up all my Bordeaux vines,
hpaping upon them all the maledicuonS which
we're bestowed on the Improbable fig tree,
and telling them that they have behaved them
selves so badly in this country, that he could
no longer claim any friendship with them.
In confirmation ofmy idea that II we ever
succeed in cultiyating the vine prohably IN The
United States, it will be with the native varie-
ties, l have found IN my travels during the last
year, which extended through sixteen Of the
states, that the same idea is almost universally
enter,aiL ed, by all who have been engaged in
that Kind of cultivation. Al New Orleans
saw very fne muse abel vine in the garden
Of q horticultural in the upper FauxbouTg but
was grated, as he told me, ON a native, while
one which stood Immediately contiguous, but
which had not been grated was un,hTilty and
insignificant in its appearance and bore com
paratiye,y no fruit all. They were beth
planted at the same time, and were then sixteen
wears old. so that the experiment in ihatin
stance was completely de cisive, that unlesss
grated on native stocks they will not sue
coed.
The experiment Of the Swiss colony which
seited in the United States some twenty years
since 18th the view OF cultivating the VINE, led
TO the same results. As you are already no
doubt aware their first location was in Jes.a.
mine county, Kentucky, where by throwing in
their own funds and by subscriptions Of some
American gentlemen in the vicinity, who were
anxious 20 embark in the Enterprise. they raised
a common stock of about $4,000, the whole
of which they expended without even succeed
ing in making vineyard much less any wine
A few of the most eu,erprising still perssting
in the idea. that inc could be pro6tably made
from some kind OF vine or other, as the woods
were well supplied with native ones, removed
to Ve,ay in Indiana, where spent day in
nv travels last summer, and found them living
comfortably and happily from the products Of
small vineyards composed entirely ofour ma
tive vines. principally The Schuyikil musca-
del.-They there generally call it the Cape
grape, but say they obtained it from the
SchuylklI river, near Philadelphia, and there
i, no rea on TO que ston in my mind Of its being
the verv one described by Mr. Landreth and
others, as tho AIexander's or Schuylkil mus
cadet Besides, they agree that no imported
vine. so far as their own experience extends,
has ever wi,hmood the mhdew or earbon,