Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-11-01
THE scUppERNoNG GRAPE.


equally favorable for it. Among the re-
eicns in which it did not fruit was Texas
west of the pine belt along the eastern
border of the state. at least. In those re-
gions the vines grew Inagnifcently, espec-
tally on the sandy lands, appearing to be
entirely at home, in every respect, but they
bore no fruit. The late Hon. c. c. Lang
don, who owned the extensive Langdon
nurseries near Mobile, Ala, and who sold
an immense quantity of stock in Texas. had
world Of trouble over his scuppenonF
grape vines. They would not bear in this
state, ani hence it was impossible to con-
vince the people that he had not supplied
them with bad stock. This invariable fail
ure Of his scuppernong grapes hurt Col
Langdon's nurseries here worse than any
thing else that took place. Everybody
ordered scuppernongs and everybody's
scuppenongs failed, hence everybody lost
confidence in the Langdon nurseries.
In the course of our investigations we
finally discovered the cause of this short
coming on the part of the scuppernong
grape We found that the Wits vulpina
family of the grape (the muscadine) is
strictly di9cious; which, in plain English,
means that the male flowers and female
flowers are each borne on separate plants.
No plant bears either perfect flowers carry
ing both male and female organs, or separate
flowers of different sex. As a consequence,
two vines are absolutely necessary TO the
production Of fruit-a female vine and
male yIne The female vine caH develop no
fruit unless fortified from the flowers of
the male vine, and the male vine bears no
fruit at all, of course.
The scuppernong is simply a freak of the
wild muscadine. 1t bears fruit under IA
yorable conditions, hence it is female
vine. It's flowers are fortified, not from
scuppernong vine flor there are no male
scuppernongs), but from male plants among
the wild muscadines. AS 4 result, when
the scuppernong Is planted in regions
where tho wild muscadine does not grow
there can be no fertilization of its flowers,
and therefore no fruit. The wild musca-
dine does not grow in Texas, west Of the
long-leaf pine belt, a fact in whic h we find
an easy explanation of why the scupper-
nong is failure west of that belt.
When we Lad made this discovery we
published it broadcast. We assured the
people of Texas that if they would plant a
few male muscadines III their scuppernong
vineyards those vineyards would become
as fruitful rs were tho scuppernong vine
yards east of the Mississippi river, but
Bn In
seem to take with them. No botanist had
yet mentioned this di9cious character of
the Wits vulpina, therefore nurserymen
wicked at each other and expressed their
doubts, and the people thought the nur-
serymen knew all about it, and there the
matter rested.
From time to time we have been hacking
away at that thing since its first discovery
up to this present writing, and now it af-
fords US no small degree of pleasure to an
nounce that at last we are victorious, and
to advance the not at all unreasonable
theory that IS a consequence Texas will
speedily become the greatest scuppernong
grape state in the Union.
Undoubtedly the best American authority
on grapes is Professor T. v Munson of
Texas. His eminence in this direction is so
fully realized that for years the United
States government has had him making q
special study of the vine in all parts of the
country, with Il view to bringing out an ex-
haustive work on the subject, for national
circulation at the hands of the nation.
That work is now going through the press,
and will soon be put forth as our standard
on grapes.
Professor Munson is furthermore 4 nur-
seryman. Ills latest catalogue of nursery
stock las Just been received by US. Judge,
then, of how well it made US feel. under all
the circumstances, when we read from that
catalogue, in the department devoted to
grapes, as follows:
Flowers, medium, black, good wine, Is
cents; Thomas, very large, black, good
wine, Il cents; scuppernong, large, brown
ish yellow, good wine, IL cents male mus
cadine, if planted near the above, renders
them very fruitful anywhere in the South
Without such polliuators near by, they are
unfruitful; % cents each.
1t may be well enough for US to explain
here that the Flowers grape and the Thomas
grape are simply freaks of the wild musca-
dine, the same as is the scuppernong grape
They are merely better muscadines than
the ordinary wild kinds common in the
woods where the Wits vulpina grows.
Some ones attention was attracted by their
unusual appearance and superior quality
and this led to their appearance in cultiya-
ton. Being female muscadine vines they
require the same conditions to make them
fruitful as does the scuppernong, hence
they, like the scuppernong. are failure in
Texas where the wild muscadine does not
grow, unless male muscadines are planted
near to fertilize their flowers
This position taken by Professor Munson
will doubtless start these grapes on boom,
and particularly the scuppernong, which is
more marked in its variation than is either
OF the others, and, all things considered,
decidedly the best grape of the three, we
think.
There is no risk in planting the scupper-
nong Tor the other two kinds for that mat
teri, at almost any point in Texas, especi-
ally on our sandy lands. And the scupper-
nong is certainly very fine grape. 1t has
no insect enemies whatever that are worthy
OF mention, and is entirely exempt from all