The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1899-05-24
The FARM.

Ten farmers OF Dover, Me- have formed
q syndicate to be known az the Enterprist
stock improvement o., and purchased
the lest Durham bull they could buy, for
use in their herds. They have selected a
young dairy bred Shorthorn bull from the
celebrated Waugh herd of Starks, and
from the best COW In that herd. His sire
is from the best milking strain of short
horns 10 Vermont.
Messrs Howard aud Ellis of Fairfield,
have bean breeding Shorthorns since
1863, having commenced to breed from
q COW brought direct from Kentucky, "
years ago. Both Of these gentlemen are
now well advanced in years, Mr.. Howard
being SO years old and Mr.. Ellis 20.
Homemade cider. vinegar is having q
hard time In competition with acid vine,
car, which costs ten cents gallon aau
is said to be made of alum anu liquor
from birch shavings and other ingredients
forming an unhealthy compound.
HOME OF THE CATAwBA GRAPE.
Few of the thousands who pass to and
fro on the Chevy Chase road at Washing
ton, d. G., know that within few
rods OF the poiot the catawba grape
originated. Here was / the home for a
quarter of a century of Major John
Album, prominent figure In the history
Of American horticulture.
For two hundred years the early set
tiers In this Icountry had been trying,
with many failures, to introduce and &C.
climatizs the grapes OF Europe. 1t re-
m lined for Major Album, In the District
OF Columbia, to develop the grape grow
ing industry experlmentally and spread
throughout 1.-THE country al knowledge OF
the first native American grape that could
be cultivated successfully both for the
table and the production Of wine.
The spot where Major Album had his
vineyard lies to the west Of the Chevy
Chase road, distance Of perhaps thirty
or forty rods, and on the south side Of
Pierce's Mill road. Tie name OF the
place i, which originally embraced Sc veral
hundred acres, shas for nearly hundred
years been "Ths Vineyard. The old
house in which M,jor Album lived stands
upon hill near the road commanding
a magnificent view of the south and east
over the wooded slopes that descend to
The terraces Of the vineyard are still to
be seen where Major Album for so many
years pursued the culture Of grapes
There are ten acies Of land in the tract
and 1t slopes abruptly to the south. The
soil is Q stony, mellow clay loan, and
does not have the appearances Of excessive
fertility. The vinegar is.now utilized to
to be found In the vineyard of the thous-
ands Of vines which onoe grew there. 1t
Is now the property of syndicate, an d
in few years will doubtless be covered
with suburban residences.
The story of the origin Of the catawba
grape is involved somewhat in mystery.
The official lists of native American
logical Association attribute the catawba
to North Carolina. Yet the grape was
never known as the catawba until 1t had
been growing In the District of Colum-
bia for many years. MI. Allen Dodge, of
Georgetown, one Of the pomologists Of
the United States department OF Agri-
culture. says that 1t is his recollection
CHANGED to ride through the village OF
Clarksburg, Montgomery County, Md,
and stopped at public house kept by
Mrs. Soholl, who gave him some grapes
from a vine which grew over the porch
of her tavern. Mr.. Shoemaker called
Major Albums attention to this grape
ana the latter went to Clarksburg and
pruned the vine for the sake of the cut
tugs. A German priest In the neighbor-
hood said that the grape resembled a
grape growing in Tokay. Hungary, and
Album called the grape Tokay.
In 1928 Major Album published "a
Memoir ON the Cultivation Of the Vine in
America and the Best Mode in Making
Wine" This book, among the first pub
lished here, was printed in Washington
by Davis and Boroe in their printing
office, which was known by this sign of
"Franklin's Head" In this book Major
Adlnm gives catalogue Of the grapes In
his vineyard. He mentions the "Tokay,"
and only called 1t "Catawba" some years
q fterward.
In q second edition of this memoir.
published in 1928 and printed in WASH
ington for the author BY William Greer,
Major Album gave revised cats logue
of the grapes In his vineyard, and the
first on the list is tho oatawbA
The kcatawba was found wild In the
woods of Buncombe County. N. g., about
ten miles southeast OF Asheville. In 1907
Senator Davey, who lived on the Cstawba
river, transplanted some Of the vines to
his farm, and some time between that
year snd 1876 brought cuttings of his
vines to Washington and gave them to
some friends in Maryland. The Scholl
vine undoubtedly came from these out
tings. American horticuiturists are
agreed that the catawba is purely q
native grape,