The southern press., 1851-12-03


rs found wild in this region, as we'll as a purple
variety commonly called with MS Bullus
Inc Catawba, IA its name designates, Is also
native OF this State, and it is to this day to be
found wild on the Catawba river in Lincoln
county, and all over that neighborhood. be-
lleye that 1t Is from this locality that Mr. Album
first obtained it in 1920, or thereaho and sue
cessfully cultivated it near Georgetown. ID. G.
Mr., N. Longworth, of Cincinnati, in a letter
to me, states Of hi4 having obtained the Catawba,
that he now so successfully and profi,ably cul.
tivates in that locality, frJm Mr.. Album. | OBJ
tainad last winter from Senator Haws, of Lin
coin county, cuttings of the Lincoln grape"
which from the appearance of the wood, is nei-
ther more nor less than synonym for the Ca
tawba.
The history of the so.caled isabella grape"
is not SO easily comprised, owing to diversity of
opinion. have taken great trouble to investigate
It's history, and as yet have only obtained some
links of this broken chain. And first, is the
isabella" native or foreign grape!
DR.. james f. McRee, of this place, whose
high scientific attainments and observation in
the natural sciences, imparts to his opinion and
statement Of facts great certainty, and his tes-
timony is entitled to great weight in settling this
first question. He states that he distinctly re-
members as far back as 1910, when the Laspev-
re grape (the Isabella of Vim. Prince,) was sold
in the market of Wilmington by Mr.. Laspeyre,
who cultivated it in Baden county, and that he
perfectly remembers that Mr.. L,speyre had
stated it to be European variety, and not only
sold it rs snch, but it was never doubted by Dr.
Mckee and others, that the vine had all the
character OF European variety, and what makes
it still more certain, is that even in this congo
NAL climate it frequently rots and did rot with
the first cultivator of it. Mr.. NJ Longworth has
entered the same complaint against il to me.
DR.. McRee states also, that he heard as early
as he can remember, that the said grape had
been imported by Mr.. Laspeyre, and that Cat
alonian having seen the grape here, claimed it
az being grape common in Span his native
country OF course Dr. Mckee has never con-
sidered the grape an Indigenous one; but a
European, possessing, as it does, all the charac-
tiers off Europern grape, and none OF our native
grapes. This is also my own conviction. In
the whole of this neighborhood the said grape is
to be found in gardens, and everywhere its
origin is referred to the liberal distribution of
cutting by Mr.. Laspeyre. SO that Mr.. Las
peyre must have planted his grape vines at least
five years before he brought to this market his
grapes from Baden Co. This would carry US
back to 1905, period far anterior to all the
Ia" mentioned by Mr Allen in Mr.. Downings
Horticultural -..
These Northern writers doubling not on a
superficial examination of the case, at many
hundred miles distance from the scene, have
undertaken to settle for the good people of the
State of N. C.. that which even here, on the spot,
has required the most assiduous diligence to
ferret out the facts in this case and even then,
prudence and caution have caused me to be very
circumspect how | came to a conclusion. So
much for this first point.
Now for the history of the so-called Isabel
la" grape.
On the authority and positive statement Of
Mr.. R. w. Gibbs, son of Mr.. r. Gibbs of this
place, and the nephew Of Col. George Gibbs,
after whose wife, Mrs Isabella Gbbs,) the " Is
abela" grape was named by VIM. Prince. He
states that his father, Mr.. r. Gibbs, at the
time he purchased Woodford plantation on
Cape Fear river. in Brunswick county, ~ Car
olina. found vine planted in the garden by
the previous owner, which vine was taken up
root and branch. sometime between 1910 and
1913, Che cannot positively say, but he knows
that it must be at this time we shall soon see)
and sent to Col. George Gibbs, who was then a
merchant in New York, and who resided at
Brooklyn, in whose garden he planted il. Soon
after lSl5) the narrator, Mr.. r. w. Gibbs,
then boy was sent to school at Brooklyn, and
resided with his uncle % years, and found the
vine there in a flourishing condition, and he
helped 10 take care of il every winter by laying
it down and covering II with earth, &c. When
Gen. Swift inhabited the same house, he still
found the vine in the garden and il is there that
Mr.. VIM Prince first saw the vine, and named
and propsgated it, as he himself has published
So far so good but still the identity Of the
stock sent TO Brooklyn and the Laspeyre grape
is not completely made out, except in their gen
eral resemblance and habits and the still greater
reason of their identity is that the " Isabella"
had its origin in a country where the Llspeyre
grape was in very great repute and was very
generally cultivated at that time.
Comte Oiart, in his celebrated work on the
description and classification Of the known grape
vines in the world, alluding 10 the Isabella
says: Although the president Of several vine
yardist congresses have called il excellent and
have recommended its cultivation, and though
the Marquis Ridolh, distinguished agriculturist,
and director Of an agricultural institute in Tus-
cany has praised its supposed advantages, still
unite with manv French vineyardist,s who think,
like myself, that this grape with A It and medi-
cinal TASTE is good for nothing, neither for max
ing wine nor for the table However, we can
not deny to 1t of being pretty productive"
But here is one reco.Dmendable, we mean
the Catawba-which is easf known by its
berries, very slightly red, and >sste has pc
culiar and agreeable favor, sli 2ous. In
this respect il is much preferable 70 vsabslI1,'
which has been brought from the 81 kpntry
Catawba has appeared TO me rather D. oduc-
tive, and its grapes do not reach 80 easry their
maturity a. those Of the stocks Of this chapter,
though il blooms first Its lunches slightly
elongated, or rather fine, and keep for long
time, the berries are covered with bloom which
deadens its red color they are big, round. and
well spaced Its wood is Of a uniform reddish
brown colour, its leaves large, round, curling
under, and their under surface is cottony, which
impats TO il a white colour"
A oudou paper st7tes that deputation from
the Society for the Emancipation Of Wonen,"