This section is from "The Horticulturist, And Journal Of Rural Art And Rural Taste", by P. Barry, A. J. Downing, J. Jay Smith, Peter B. Mead, F. W. Woodward, Henry T. Williams. Also available from Amazon: Horticulturist and Journal of Rural Art and Rural Taste.
An issue having been made on this point, testimony is now in order. The following is from Mr. Mottier, of Cincinnati, whose large experience gives a direct value to his testimony:
" I was quite surprised at the account of the effect of eating freely of the Catawba grape about Cincinnati, causing violent deaths, etc. I have been for thirty-one years in the neighborhood of Cincinnati, in the vineyard business, and have had from eight to twenty-four hands, male and female, at the vintage every year for twenty-eight years. I never knew of any such bad effects. On the contrary, some feeble female would improve very much in health and appetite. I have always known our native grapes as being the healthiest fruit, when ripe, that any one could eat. I have been in market in Cincinnati, and have heard people, hundreds of times, inquiring for ripe Catawbas for sick people.
"I have been to see an old physician of over twenty-five years' practice in Cincinnati and surrounding neighborhood, to ascertain whether he had heard of any deaths or bad effects from the eating of Catawba grapes. He said positively he never did. I pointed out the article of Dr. J. S. Houghton, of Philadelphia, on native grapes, in the January number of the Horticulturist. He promised that he would reply to it soon.
" I recollect of an old German, about forty years ago, (I lived then near Vevay, Indiana, neighbor to this man.) One season he was very sick of fever; the doctor could not help him; he said to me that he had made up his mind that he must die. He had a little vineyard close to his house of the Cape grape; he crawled out to it, sat between two stocks, ate a few grapes, and had hard work to get back to the house. Next day he went back and ate more, and so on for ten days, eating more and more every day. By that time he was able to get on his horse and ride two miles. So much for eating native grapes".
This confirms what we have already said. We shall be glad to hear from your friend, the physician, Mr. Mottier.
 
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