The next forward step was the introduction of the Isabella and Catawba, both having originated in America, not long previous to 1820, although of unknown parentage; but, perhaps, as the results of accidental crossing between our native wild grapes and some of the foreign kinds. The Isabella is supposed to have originated in South Carolina, and was brought from there by Mrs. Isabella Gibbs and planted in her garden in Brooklyn, N. Y., where it came to the notice of William R. Prince in 1816, when in full bearing. He named it Isabella in her honor, and introduced it to the general public.
The Catawba is supposed to have originated as a seedling near the Catawba River, in North Carolina, but was not generally known until Major John Adlum, of the District of Columbia, found it in bearing on the premises of Mrs. Scholl, a tavern keeper of Clarksburgh, Md. He was at once delighted with its good qualities, and planted it in his experiment grounds at Georgetown in 1819, and introduced it to the fruit-loving public soon after.
The next impetus to grape culture was caused by the introduction of the Delaware and Concord. The exact origin of the Delaware is not known, but it came to public notice about 1855, through the efforts of Mr. A. Thomson and George W. Campbell, of Delaware, O. It was learned afterwards that the same variety was growing in 1850, in the garden of a Swiss immigrant, Paul H. Provost, at Frenchtown, N. J. It may be that it originated at this place from a chance seed, and that cuttings were thence carried to Ohio. It is evidently a cross between the foreign species and one of our natives, and is to-day about the best of all the grapes grown in the Eastern States.
The Concord is a pure native seedling, produced by Ephraim W. Bull, of Concord, Mass., and first shown to the public at Boston in 1853. It has proved itself to be the greatest blessing of all grapes that have ever been grown in America. Its thriftiness and reliability under all circumstances are unequaled. It is not only good in itself, but it has been the parent of a race of seedlings which have filled our vineyards, gardens, and markets with the most delicious grapes, and at a very slight cost of labor or money. Whoever gathers or buys a basket of blue-black Concord or Worden, purple Brighton or opal Niagara, should render a silent thank-offering to the memory of Ephraim W. Bull, who made their existence a possibility.
The first commercial vineyard of importance was planted by Nicholas Longworth, on the hills overlooking the Ohio River, about ten miles below Cincinnati, and it was largely of Catawba. Many others followed his example, and from about 1830 to 1860 so great an interest was shown that the hills bordering the Ohio for many miles were dotted with vineyards. But mildew and black rot devastated them and almost destroyed their usefulness. These diseases are now largely overcome by spraying with a solution of sulphate of copper.
In northern Ohio, about Cleveland and Sandusky, and on the islands near the southern shore of Lake Erie, the Catawba was planted with much better success, owing, perhaps, to the climate not being so favorable to grape diseases. The lake region of western New York is perhaps more densely planted with grapes than any section east of California. Thousands of carloads of grapes of high quality are shipped from there every year. The Southern States have awakened somewhat to the importance of grape culture. Some of the poorest sandy lands of North Carolina and Florida have been planted to vines and found to produce, when fertilized, excellent grapes. Texas is also a most productive grape region. Their earliness causes them to find a ready market in the North.
But in all of North America there is no section where the grape flourishes with such wonderful success as in California and other regions beyond the Rocky Mountains. There the tenderest and most delicious of all the grapes of France, Italy, Persia, and Palestine ripen their luscious clusters beneath the glowing skies. The grapes of Eshcol, I imagine, did not surpass those now grown in California, Arizona, New Mexico, and Idaho. All up and down their fertile valleys and foot-hills may be seen great stretches of vineyard after vineyard. The raisin industry alone is immense; and the product is of such high quality and is produced at so low cost that the importation of European raisins is becoming less each year, and may soon be practically at an end. We have already begun exporting our raisins to England and other parts of the world. Over 103,000,000 pounds, filling 5000 cars, were shipped from California alone in one year. Single clusters of grapes have frequently been grown in California that weighed from ten to fifteen pounds, and four or five pound clusters are very common. Truly, America is a land of grapes.
The Berries.—America stands alone in the popular use of berries. Except in the matter of gooseberries and currants, which are rather plentiful in some parts of Europe, and a few strawberries and raspberries there and in Japan, there are very few berries grown outside of America.
The strawberry was found wild here in all sections. The fruit was small but of most delicious flavor. A few of the varieties grown in the mother country were brought over here, but they did not flourish. About 1834 C. M. Hovey, of Cambridge, Mass., grew some seedlings of the old Pine strawberry, which is an offshoot of the wild strawberry of the west coast of South America, and his introduction of varieties named Hovey and Boston Pine marked the first step in our modern strawberry culture. Next came the Wilson, which originated about 1850 on the grounds of John Wilson, of Albany, N. Y. This variety really popularized the growing of strawberries, because of its hardiness and productiveness. Soon after this the Crescent was found at New Orleans, La. Other kinds were soon originated from seed by experimenters, and chance seedlings were found coming up in all fruit-growing regions. It was not long until there were hundreds of named varieties of good quality and that bore abundantly. Within the last decade or two there have been hundreds more originated by the most skillful hybridizers using our native species and the foreign ones also. Others just as good were picked up wherever they chanced to grow from seed. Thus, we now have the most wonderful assortment of varieties of the strawberry in the world. They are early, medium, and late. The facilities for shipping are so convenient that, now, it is possible to have strawberries in the fancy markets almost every day of the year, from some section of our great country. In the flush of the season they are so cheap and abundant that the poor can enjoy them along with the rich. From little garden patches fifty years ago, and very small ones too, we have now come to grow them by the thousand acres.
The raspberry is another of our delicious berries. At first our pioneers were satisfied with those they could gather from the wild bushes. Following the same plan that was used with most other fruits, the European raspberries were brought over the sea and planted in the gardens of America. But they did poorly, and about 1850 our people began to plant the native varieties. These grew and bore well. Now we have hundreds of the very choicest named kinds, black, red, purple, and yellow, early and late, and more being originated every year.