I notice in your valuable journal for November, that the war about the origin of this invaluable grape, its productiveness, and adaptability to vineyard culture, is not yet ended; and as you seem to wish information about it from all quarters, I thought what little I could say about it here, might prove acceptable to your readers.

Two years ago, I obtained a few scions from Mr. Samuel Miller, which I grafted; and one of them, the only one which lived, made a firm, short-jointed growth of over twelve feet that season. It was grafted on a Catawba vine in the open vineyard, in a rather favorable location. Another graft in our neighborhood (Mr. M. Poeschel's vineyard) also made about the same growth. At the same time I procured a plant, a very small one, and planted it in common soil, without any extra care. The first season it grew but sparingly, but made a fine growth the last very dry summer, and I expect fruit from it next year. It made as good a growth as a Catawba would have done, under the same circumstances. My graft I pruned, in the fall of 1859, to a cane of twelve eyes, and a spur of one eye, and it produced last summer forty-six fine bunches of fruit, while Mr. Poeschel's, under similar treatment, produced, as near as I can recollect, forty-eight bunches, besides making about twenty-five strong layers. The fruit was ripe the first of August, all ripened equally, and was, in my opinion, and the opinion of more than fifty others who tried it here, the best grape we ever tasted.

It may not be as rank' a grower as some varieties, but it makes wood enough, and I am so well convinced of its hardiness, that I have left it, and about fifteen other vines which were grafted last spring, entirely unprotected, although I would not lose them for a thousand dollars.

As you seem to wish for information upon certain points, I will take them up in succession, and give you the opinion or all here who have watched its habits with anxious eyes, not simply mine, although I heartily concur in them, but of at least twenty of our best grape-growers here.

1. It mildews as little as any other grape known to us. 2. It bears more than we ever saw any other vine bear under the same circumstances. 3. It is one of the hardiest vines we ever saw. 4. It is of robust, healthy growth, quite strong enough. 5. It is the best American grape we ever tasted. 6. We think it a native variety, probably produced from seed of the Traminer, from which grape (well known to many of us) it is, however, entirely distinct. To all this we may add, that we consider it eminently adapted to wine-making, and are so confident of its success as a wine grape, that all the wood to be had in this neighborhood will be used to graft on old Catawba vines next spring; besides which a good many plants will be planted here. A small quantity of wine made last fall was so rich, that it could not be weighed by the saccharometer, which only weighs 100°, but was estimated to weigh 115º.

' I consider Mr. Thomson, and all who labored to disseminate this grape, as benefactors of the public; and here, as we are on the subject, and Mr. Wm. R. Prince has made similar assertions against me in regard to the value of Norton's Virginia, that he has made against others in regard to the Delaware, I will state that, even if the disseminator. of a fruit of small merit is a nurseryman, it does not necessarily follow that self-interest must be his leading principle. Is Mr. P. perhaps so invulnerable on that point, that he should judge of others? But I will be charitable, and only state the facts, as far as I think the public are interested, as they ought to be enlightened as to the true merit of a fruit or vine, and the reliance they can place upon the assertions of the disseminator, not with any wish of becoming personal toward Mr. Prince. But as this must necessarily involve some leading facts in the history of Norton's Virginia here, I will sum them up as briefly as possible.

It was introduced in 1848, as near as I can find out, and planted by a few of our vine-growers; and as Mr. Longworth was then considered the great authority in grape-culture, they made inquiries about it of him, and his answer was extremely unfavorable, as he stated that it would make a harsh, acid, good-for-nothing wine. Still a few cultivated it, as a sort of forlorn hope; and in a few seasons it bore fruit, which, although small, seemed very good, bore plenty of it, and in seasons when Catawba and Isabella failed on account of mildew and rot, this escaped unharmed; and when it was made into wine, it produced an excellent Claret, nearly resembling Port. I became acquainted with it in 1852, and observed it closely for several years; and in 1859, when I was fully satisfied of its merits here, I published the following assertions in the Valley Farmer, proposing at the same tune to bring in. the testimony of more than twenty of our best grape-growers in support of them.

1st It is as hardy as an oak, having even withstood tie terrible winter of '55 and '56 without injury.

2d. It adapts itself to any soil, bearing plentiful crops on the rooky and steep hillsides, as well as in the deep and rich bottoms of our rivers and creeks.

3d. It starts late in spring, blossoming about a week later than the Catawba, and ripening its fruit a week sooner than that variety, which will make it very valuable in localities subject to late frosts in spring, and early frosts in autumn.

4th. It is never touched by mildew and rot, and will produce, under fair treatment, an average crop of from 300 to 500 gallons of wine per acre.

5th. It makes an excellent dark-colored wine, which, under good treatment, will compare favorably with good Burgundy or Port, (though it has a peculiar, strong flavor of its own,) and which sells very readily at $2 per gallon, or $12 per dozen bottles.

6th. It will stand more hard treatment than almost any other variety, as it bears fair crops, even if utterly neglected, though good culture will much improve it.

7th. It is a fine ornamental vine, as its foliage will remain fresh and green until touched by the frost; and a strong, grower, whose hardiness fits it extremely well for the covering of arbors.

8th. It is even, when fully ripe, a pleasant eating grape, though it will never be a popular market grape, as the berries are small, but it is very sweet, and many prefer it to the Catawba.

Since then, the two seasons following have only served to prove more fully its great value for our State, and I could bring witnesses by the hundred, (and respectable ones too,) if needed, to prove every iota there said. Yet Mr. Prince asserts, in a letter dated February 3,1860: "Your culture of Norton's Virginia Grape, provided you could replace it with the Black Guignard or Carter's Favorite, would be the most false economy, and yet we suppose you will not enlighten the public, because it is not your personal interest to do so. Such is poor human nature".

So says Mr. Prince, and all this without having seen the grape here, or having investigated this subject. Without even the slightest personal acquaintance with me, he asserts that I am willfully and knowingly misleading the public, because it is my personal interest to do so; he does so, although the facts, proved here beyond a doubt, stare him in the face; and hundreds of respectable men, men whose statements deserve, charitably speaking, at least as much credit as Mr. Prince's, are ready to testify to them. These are the simple facts; let your readers judge whom they will believe.

Did I not think it of great importance to clear up all this saying and doing about the new grapes, and reduce it to something real and tangible, I would not have taxed your patience and that of your readers to such an extent. If you think it will be acceptable, I will make some notes on about fifty varieties of grapes which I fruited this season, and promise beforehand that I will not be so prosy about them as I have been this time.

[We make no apology for the space recently taken up by this subject; we desire, however, that.it should for the present take the form of testimony rather than of controversy. There is such a vast and important interest involved in this question, that we should be justified in devoting all our space to its speedy settlement. We are willing to risk our reputation on the principal points made in our leader of last month. If we can not do our readers any good, we are determined never knowingly to mislead them: they may therefore pot some confidence in whatever we may say of our personal knowledge. It is thus that we indorse the Delaware grape. In regard to Norton's Virginia, we have grown it for many years. When fully ripe, it is sweet, but it ought not to be thought of for a table grape. Mr. Husmann treats it as a wine grape, and he is not the only one who thinks it has much merit in this respect. We shall be very glad to have your notes on the new grapes. - Ed].