Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-07-20

thor of the first American book on
grapes. He had an experimental vine
yard in the District and from this sec
ton. in 1923. he began the general dis
tribution of the Catawba grape The
Rambler has been at pains to locate the
spot of Maj. Albums valuable expert
ments, but the effort has been vain.
1t was also brought out that toward
the close of the eighteenth century and
the opening of the nineteenth century
men intelligently interested in the de-
velopment of American fruits concluded
that American viticulture must depend on
the cultivation and development of ma
tive species. nearly all efforts to domest-
cate foreign varieties having failed. Maj.
John Album was one of those grape ex-
perimenters who early came to this deci-
sion. and there is extant interesting let
tiers that passed between him and Thomas
Jefferson.
In this matter relating to Maj Album
and his experimental vineyard in the Dis
trict of Columbia the Rambler last week
got in communication with Oscar E. Ian
caster of No. o1S 18th street northeast,
and Mr.. Lancaster had all the facts at
hand He said that In the fall Of 1912 he
happened to be thumbing the volumes In
the agricultural alcove in the Library Of
Congress mir. Lancasters hobby is land
Scape gardening and hit upon book, a
Sketch of the Evolution of Our Native
Fruits. hy L. \. Bailey. In that book
as frontispiece, was a reproduction of
an oil painting of Maj. Album and about
ten pages Ct matter relating to him and
his work.
Acting on Prof Baileys hint" said
Mr.. Lancaster. Il wrote TO Mrs. Cor
neiius Barber, the granddaughter of Mai
Album. living in Washington. and receiv-
ed gracious reply. Maj. Albums vine
yard covered the ground now occupied
by the bureau of standards, running east
and south to Rock creek. How far south
the bounds extended | could not learn
although | have gone over many old plat
books and maps of Washington"
In Railey's book on The Evolution of
Our Native Fruits in that part devoted
TO Maj Album and his grapes ii is said
that the chief distinction of the Cape
grape is the fact that it was the variety
which frst introduced to public notice
distfnetfvely American type Of viticulture.
IL appears to have had little merit in
point of quality, notwithstanding Bar
trans encomium of it. The first great
American grape was the Catawba,
and ii is still one of the four leading CO.
temporaneous varieties of the fox grape
type. the others being Concord. Delaware
and Niagara. This superb grape which
leads all successful northern varieties in
Its wine-making qualities, was brought
to the attention of fruit growers by John
Album of the District OF Columbia, one
OF the most ingenious benefactors of our
agriculture. Album merits our attention
In three respects for his perception of the
general fact that American grape culture
must be built upon the improvement of
our native species. for his attempt to
establish governmental experiment sta
ton and for the introduction of the
Catawba grape
Mr.. Bailey says that Album began his
experiments toward the close of the
eighteenth century. and continues He
planted a vineyard on Rock creek, in the
District of Columbia, comp rising both
imported and native varieties. In 1923
he published in Washington the first
indigenous book upon grape culture; and
Rafinesque further commemorated him by
giving the name Adlumia to the beautiful
Allegheny vine or smoke vine of our