The sun., 1901-09-15
FROM A CHANCE WILD VINE.
HOW EPHRAIM BULL FOUND THE
CONCORD GRAPE 90 YEARS AGO.
Fortunes Made Prom u. hut the Originator
Died Poor-A Hiack Grape Itself. u
Il the ProEenitor Of the Only sur-
cc>sfuiiy Marketed white Grape,

Died Poor-A Bia~k Grape Itself. u
u the proEenitor of the Only sue
ccssfuily Marketed white Crape.
There are perhaps more Concord grape
grown In this country than all other varie-
ties Of native grapes combined said tho
proprietor Of Chautauqua lake vineyard
There are many localities where other
varieties ara scarcely known. but there IL
not a nook or corner Of the land where
the Concord Ia not found. and Il appears
abundantly even IN the vineyards Of
France. Years and years ago Horace
Greeley gave the Concord the name ~ the
peoples grspe. and in spite 81 the fact
that since ts discovery nearly sixty years
ago many other excrllent varieties have
been put upon the market the reliable old
Concord has ever maintained it- lead
a remarkable thing In the history Of
this grape iS that tie original vine thc
parent Of all tho thousands and thousands
II acres ~ Concord vineyards, and Of th.
untold numbers 81 Concord vines that cover
the arbors and irnlliSs of homo gardens
throughout the country IL alive and Wig
orous yet and t~aring generously every
year of the crap" that has done more for
-
great commercial industry than any
other grspe. That patriarch vine IL on
the old Ephraim Bull place. mile from
Concord, close by the historic home of
Nathaniel Hawthorne
1t l. doubtful II even among vineyardist-
who have made fortunes out ~ the Concord
grape there ara many Who know how the
popular and profitable grape originated.
II was the product of a chan"' Wild grape
vine More than sixty year. ago Ephraim
W Bull. an invalid. removed from Boston
to Concord for the benefit of his health
His brother then lived in tho Hawthorne
HOUSE and Ephraim bought the cottage
and grounds near by n. had some knowl-
edge Of grapes and grape growing and
planted numhrr of Chas.slas and Black
Hamburg vines both foreign varieties
and the native lSah-lla. but the season was
~ short that II was only With the greatest
care and attention that he Succeeded Ia
getting ripo grap4- from them lie tried
other varieties IN his experiments In raising
a table grape successfully. but none could
withstand the late spring and early au-
tuinn frpri- Of that lucality. He then con
ceivrd he idea of producing grapo from
se,d
A neighbor nf Bulls had two sons who
were constantly Ia the woods or fields
hunting and fishing In the fall Of isio
they came home with a quantity of Wild
grapes. which they said grew on vine
In a pies" OF woods near the Concord River
They showed Bull where the vine was. hut
he grapes then upon u were not iu-' Ia b"
he desired Tor his experiment
Not until tn. fall 81 is.J did they bear and
ripcn In thai condition. and that fall early
In October, Bull planted numl-r ni the
grap"~ whole. They We're large. sweet
grape. ,awuy IN color and With foxy
after taste They were unlike any Wild
grave- he had ever seen. and there Mere uu
lt her. hk" them anywh here In he vicinity
The s'-cdling vines that came up from hr
grapes were tranSplanted and careSi for
until 1880 without result. but In that year.
N Sept 10 Mr. Bull picked a largo bunch
4 black grapes from one Of them the first
iunch of Concords TINT eyer grew Dei-
nous a. ia" grapes w"r". h" continued he |
'ultivatinn of the vines until is5. before lac
'ousidere,i thGt the lruit had come u
tate of perfection aud In that wear hc !
,laced basket of them ON exhibition with I
he Massachusetts, Horticultural Society. |
With the result that an instant demand for |
from hi vines aru-e
The creating oi the Concord crap" was /
he first successful Use 81 the -eed - the !
Wild graz" In Obtaining new variety ~ |
ablo grapes. tn" name Concord was |
given - this graz" hv Mr. Bull The grrpe
t-alf was not PVT on 10" market until 1854 /
l. has toen th"r,' ever since with a constantly
Increasing demand for II. Millions ~ dol
arr have been made fro'u it, sale and tho
,al. of the vines I'S disCoV"r"r died
ew Yeats ago a. The age of near ~ and
loor
Now York city receives 5000 tons of
,rar-,s from tho vincvards of tins STAT"
llou. every -eaEou. and the great bulk
4 that supply ~ made up Of touCprds
Tho Chautauuua district Of i2.O0 acres
,rows comparatively few other Craps.
nd great part of III" vast LAX" keuk
pgipn il planted with touCurd- II -
probably a fact lrtio known ou' side the
rade that th" faVorite Catawba grapP,
which IL the latest native grape to cunle IA
% market, canno, be pruhtably grown
'l,..w here than in Lake kcuka district.
wing 10 climatic and meteorological con
litiou- icuCC IN" supply uf tataNha
hat Comes Ia this city IL from that region.
II Wa for many vears n suurCe 81 wonder
- consumers 81 graIrs why th"r" was NO
tandard variety of nativ" whit" grape
10 the market such a. tho Concord, Caiawha
y ~
n the trade. all graIe- that ar" not white
~ black, whether they arr blark rcd
Y purple Ever since grapo culture he-
ane an industry IN this country, vine
n artiisis and nur-rrym"n have hean -iriV-
ng to pro,lu,s' natiy" white graJe whrh
would possess qualities to commend y ~
'runiahie m the market
MANY eNC,l"u' white grapes nre tha
,.sult ~ ths-e experiments. among them
eing tlo Lady Washington, Prrntiss.
nckhngtou. R"i-.'ca and Duche~= 1h-~-'
~ all grapes Of fine quality, and when he
~. utlr- was discovered u was behrVed
hat the ideal American white crap" had
{ last t-'en found II originated at Putt
ey, Stcuhen county, y Y and the first
.ar 10" vine Was offered for sale 7OmD
lanis vcr' sold hv rrruii~s i's di~Covcrrr
4 s. n plsui The sale 81 plants cpntin-
ed tn b. large annually for two or ,hf,-a
"ar-. bat when the grap' cane into g"n-
raj barring q Was found ihat, although u !
"a "a delicious fruit. it had not the quail
l's ue,r'-~arv to mak" u profitable market
rai-
III. trouhlr With all white grapes has
.-'n fraiity of h"'ty. lack of teuRcity a.
10" stem and n disposition To- do well only
i-platcd place ur loCali'I"S Of pe,1iliaT
d matte iufucuc,.- 1hu- the puCh,~s
rc uf ~" cNui,v'-' of white gTapc- can
:, gi..w WI to advantage In oniv one locality
thu, country. and that IL al Vim" Valley.
10 talauiaigul Lam" The Dutyhr-- holt
yea tH"rc. - limited. and the grRIr
~ ruis "a that i-i, IN auv diTeCiiou. can
.f - -ustys-.fIlIV gIuWp Tho adv |