Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1900-05-24
THE CONCORD GRAPE mEmoRIAL.
interesting History of the Birth Of the
Famous Vine.
Country Gentleman

| Z r :
Interesting History of the Birth Of the
Famous Vine.
I, Country Gentleinan.)
A meeting unique in character and
peculiarly interesting TO all horticult-
| uralists was held at Concord, Mass,
| April 16. 1t was in honor of Ephraim
w. Bull, originator of the Concord
grape, and was held in the cottage
where he lived, which Mrs. David Lo-
throp, neighbor and friend, has re-
modelled and furnished as memorial
Of the man and his work, having pur-
chased the little twelve-acre estate for
that purpose. 1t may be mentioned
that the place once belonged to John
Hoar, ancestor of the present senator
of that name, also a resident of Con-
cord.
r.. B. Sanborn presided, and taking
for his text some stirring events in
the life of the elder Hoar, managed to
say more about the present political
situation from a Massachusetts point
OF view than he did about Mr.. Bull.
However, this was made up for by the
"reminiscences and letters from num-
Der of prominent people.
The central point of interest was OF
course the original Concord grapevine,
now enclosed in a high green lattice,
surmounted by memorial urns. We
should have been glad of more details
of its appearance and condition than
the Boston Herald has given us. On an
oaken tablet are these words OF Mr..
Bulls account of the origin of the Con-
cord:
Il looked about to see what i could
find among our wildings to begin
with. The next thing to do was TO
find the best and earliest grape for
seed, and this | found in an accidental
Seeding at the foot of the hill aforc-
said. The crop was abundant and ripe
| in August. and of very good quality Of
wild grape. / sowed the seed in the
autumn of 1s43. Among them the
Concord was the only one worth saw
ing.
| ''Ephraim Wales Bull
The house has been carefully remod-
eled, decorated and furnished, preserv-
ling the original lines and character.
the whole scheme being Mrs. Lothrop's
own. All the floors are hardwood. An
old colonial staircase winds up from
the library, formerly Mr.. Bulls bed
room, and a Dutch door opposite opens
on a wide piazza The drawing room
is as large as the original house, light
ed by four windows, and has large
old fashioned fireplace, such as the
earlier days used to enjoy. Over this
is a set of photographs of Mr.. Bull and
his garden at various periods. Attach
ed is the following quotation:
| II confess did not expect to arrive
/ at so great a success SO soon, hut
when had the good fortune to find
the Concord among the first crop of
seedlings, the thought dawned upon
me that in the perhaps far-off future
higher success awaited the cultivator.
who had the patience to wait, / had
almost said the courage to venture,
for / was sensible that any attempt to
| improve the wild grape would be con
sidered an imputation upon the judg-
ment and sagacity of the operator. Full
ly aware of this | kept my own coun-
sci, and if / mad not succeeded, nobody
would have known that / had ever
lyentured."
The dining room, opening out Of the
parlor, contains a china closet filed
with rare old china, a colonial bow
window, and Mr.. Bulls old armchair.
Over the mantel is another quotation
from Mr.. Bulls statement:
Final summing up Of thirty-seven
years work from over $4,000 seedlings,
twenty-one grapes, which in the liehl
of today / consider valuable. l had
at one time 125 vines which / thought
worth saving, but, grown more critical
with every new success, have discard
ed most of them"
Back of the dining room is large
snug kitchen and convenient pantry.
Upstairs are the sleeping rooms, each
finished in some delicate tint. One
blooms, like an orchard in spring, with
apple-blossoms; another has wild roses,
a third yiolets. In the front room,
downstairs, the paper near duplicates
that which was on the walls in Mr..
Bulls time--immense rose blossoms.
He used to call it Rose Cottage" The
dining room is rose-pink; the library,
olive-green and white.
Mr.. Bull learned the goldbeater's
trade in youth, and set up in business
in Boston. But ill health drove him 20
the country, and going to Concord ne
settled next to brother who occupied
the now famous "Wayside,' about
1886. The pine belt and other health
ful surroundings proved of great bene-
fit. In the autumn of 1S43 Mr.. Bull
sowed the seed that produced the Con-
cord grape, but it was not put on the
market till 1855. That year he re-
ceived a silver trophy from the Massa-
chusetts Horticultural society, and in
1874 a gold medal. The state board Of
agriculture gave him silver piece in
1872 Tor collection of seedlings. He
served on this hoard twelve years and
in the legislature two years Among
his lifelong friends was Prof. Agassiz,
before whose class he delivered three
lectures on grapes and grape growing
in 1865. Hawthorne, while living at
the Wayside, was his intimate friend
and spent many hours in his house
and garden, for Mr.. Bull was philoso-
pher and student as well as a grower
of uraneS Iapy IF his ,,aiuh lorr do.