State

Роде Four THE STATE February 2, 1935 Scuppernong Grapes \OHOIIV seems to know exactly where they eaine from or how they got there. However, it looks as though they were first planted in Tyrrell County. By 1*1. E. GARDINER fiend of the Deimrtmeiit of Agriculture. .State College A characteristic old Scuppernong trunk, cnce measures seven feet and six in vine is located in Tyrrell County. IX the inind* of a great many peo¬ ple of Xorlh Carolina, there ap¬ parently i» as much confusion about Scuppernong grape* a» there i* about the birthplace of Andrew Jack- ton. Practically everybody ha* eaten SellpiM-rnong grapes, hut opinions vary regarding their origin. Some think it is a foreign variety, which was introduced into this country many year* ago: others contend that it is a nntive of Virginia, and was brought to North Carolina hv the early wi¬ lier*, while still other* believe it to be a native of Xorlh Carolina. Of those who hold the laM hclii-f, some claim Roanoke Island and other* Tvrrcll County as the original hon-e. Scuppcrnongs on Roanoke Island It frequently i* stated that the «riginal Seuppetnong vine is still growing on Ib-anoke bland. However, hortieultnnsts are frankly skeptical about this, breau-e the vines on the idand appear to have l>een planted in row*. It i* true that they are very old, but not as old as some in Tyrrell County. It ii not definitely' known who ear- lied the young plant* of this grape from Tvrrell Countv to Konnokc I. land, but it is thought that the vine* were car¬ ried there by Ann A s h b c e. This may be possible, as Mias Ash bee married The circumfer- “auric* **•»«" This particular ‘ n 1 7 9 9. M r. Baum purchased the Roanoke Is¬ land property, on which the oid vines now stand, in 1797. Some records seem to indi¬ cate. however, that these vine* were planted at an earlier date. Naming the Scuppernong It seems that the honor of naming the Scuppernong belong* to The Star. a newspaper publishes! in Raleigh about 1311. At (hat time Dr. Calvin Jone*, a noted naturalist, and Thomas Henderson were the editors. The grape was named Scuppernong breau-c of the numerou* planting* along the Scup- pernong River at that time. It i* very probable that I>r. Jones was largely responsible for naming the grape as lie was the Agricultural Kditor of The Slut. A number of contributors to The Star wrote of the merits of the grape ami especially of it* wine mak¬ ing qualities. On January’ 1, 1811. The Shir quoted Mr. James Blount, of Scuppernong, who had been appointed a ciwsus taker of Washington County, a* follow*: “Having taken an account ■>f the wine in my division. I think it my duty to *tato the result of my inquiries on this small but very inter- o-ting branch of our infant industry— and one vine is worth more than fifty apple trees." Commenting on this re- port, the editors of The Star wrote, •‘Our readers will recollect a communi¬ cation on this singular and excellent specie.* of grape which, for the sake of distinction, until we are better in- structed, we shnll denominate the Seup- pernong Grape.” Earliest Record of the Grape The earliest authentic record that we hare of (his grape come* from Xew Hern. According to a letter written by Judge Gaston and dated Juno 4, 1838, his old neighbor, a Mr. Tlick- nian, brought a young plant of this grape from Tyrrell County, about 17C0, and planted it near Xew Bern «here it became generally known a* the Hickman grape. The most reliable information to be found regarding the finding of the original plant was sup¬ plies! by the great grand daughter of the supposed discorerer, Isaac Alex¬ ander. who went from Mecklenburg to Tyrrell County about the middle of the eighteenth century to take po*s*4- *ion of a tract of land granted to him by the English King. In exploring the region not far from Albemarle Sound, he found a wild grapevine bear¬ ing large, luscious white grape». It is said that this was the original vine which many years later was named Scuppernong. Collecting the Data In 1999 Mr. F. C. Reimer, then Horticulturist for the Xorth Carolina Agricultural Experiment Station, de- termini to clear up the confusion about the origin of Scuppernong grape*. Every source of available in¬ formation was traced. The man im¬ portant facts were obtained from fi!« of old newspapers of the Mate, espe¬ cially those published in tire early part of the nineteenth century. While it •ее ms impossible to locate with abso¬ lute certainty the original Scuppcr- (Continued on page lu/cnty-fovr)