The History of Grapes in Florida and Grape Pioneers 1 Robert P. Bates John A. Mortensen2 Jiang Lu3 Dennis J. Gray4 1. Professor Emeritus Food Science & Human Nutrition Department, University of Florida 2. Professor Emeritus, University of Florida 3. Professor Center for Viticulture Sciences and Small Fruit Research, Florida A&M University 4. Professor Mid-Florida Agricultural Research and Education Center, University of Florida Acknowledgements Preface I. INTRODUCTION II. PREHISTORY A. Origin and development of Vitis B. Indigenous people’s involvement in dissemination and propagation III. COLONIAL ERA GRAPE DISSEMINATION AND PROPAGATION IV. EARLY INTRODUCTIONS – Successes and Failures V. THE SECOND GRAPE BOOM – Realists, Optimists, and Scientists VI. FOUNDING OF THE FLORIDA GRAPE GROWERS ASSOCIATION A. Background B. FGGA Presidents C.The Dynamics of Volunteer Organizations D.The Triad E. Federal and Florida Agricultural Research and Extension Services 1. University of Florida Grape Research 1891-1929 2. IFAS Today 3. Florida A&M University Center for Viticulture and Small Fruit Research 4. The Leesburg Station F. The Successful Search VII. REBOUND FROM THE 1930s - Moving Ahead VIII. THE SECOND HUNDERED YEARS A. The Wine Revolution B. Back to Tallahassee C. The Viticulture Policy Act D. The Viticulture Trust Fund (VTF) and Viticulture Advisory Council (VAC) E. The Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) F. Small Acreage - Big Results G. The Romance of the Vine H. Vinifera Chauvinism IX. THE NEW MILLENNIUM X. WHAT WE HAVE LEARNED FROM THE PAST- Is it Prolog? A. Lessons B. The 30 Year Itch Bibliography 1 TimeLine PeopleLine A.Grape Families B.Grape Individuals C.Excerpts from “Foundations of American Grape Culture” By Munson ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The purpose of this entire text and accompanying background material is to acknowledge the People behind the Florida Grape Industry, past and present. In addition, there are individuals that have helped immeasurably in advising us regarding literature sources, search techniques, and data organization and presentation. The enhanced depth and scope of our investigation is largely due to them. They are: • Vernon Kisling - Associate Chair and Senior Associate Librarian at Marston Science Library at the University of Florida, guided us through the complexities of identifying and accessing literature resources. With his background in both agriculture history and library sciences, his guidance and knowledge was very valuable and appreciated. • Jami Beserock – Library assistant in the reference services and collections at Library West, and staff in the department of humanities and social sciences at the University of Florida assisted us in clearing up the complications faced in retrieving information in the microfilm collection, from which most of our documents were digitized. She is currently organizing and recategorizing the vast Florida newspaper microfilm collection and was a key person in helping us get to the source in a thorough and time efficient manner. • Carl Van Ness – University of Florida’s University Archivist and Official Historian provided exceptional expertise in the photo and text archives at UF and in Florida as well as advice in organizing and formatting our final work. His perspective has been most helpful and we thank him for his time and assistance. He recently co-authored a book entitled, “Honoring the Past, Shaping the Future” which depicted UF’s history from 1853 to 2003. • Ashley Wood and Ligia Ortega – Director and Web Manager of Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) Communication Services, suggested the value of a website and provided guidance in organizing and transferring material. In first introducing the project to them, they saw the value of the information that was collected made it possible for IFAS to help support and administer the project. There were numerous e-mail and phone correspondences to which they both have only been most helpful and patient. Their vision for a more accessible document expands the value and utility of this final work. • Debra Herrera – Faculty Development Program Coordinator and Training Coordinator at the Center for Instructional Technology and Training (CITT) provided important details on photo and text scanning, handling, and formatting techniques. Her expertise insights into multi-media presentations and suggestions for an on line dialog to acquire additional pertinent historical information broadened our perspective appreciably. • Rebecca Matta - Food Science & Human Nutrition Department staff provided essential advice and formatting services in dealing with the numerous unexpected media complexities. Her help in identifying and meeting deadlines was vital to our project. 2 An absolutely essential participant, whose talent and endeavors have substantially increased the focus, depth, and detail of this treatise, is Mana Watanabe. She was employed to handle routine literature searches and copying duties. However, in view of her keen insights into our needs and devoted commitment to the project, she is a valued contributor, whose ideas and findings are incorporated throughout the text. Mana graduated from the Food Science & Human Nutrition Department and is now a graduate student in Public Health. We consider her a proficient coauthor and accomplished professional. We have learned much and benefitted greatly from her outstanding services - while she maintained a full academic course load. PREFACE In 2006 we submitted a proposal to the Viticulture Advisory Council to provide a history of grapes in Florida and the people behind the Florida Grape Industry. The project was approved in 2007 with the objectives: • Produce a comprehensive, well illustrated article, “The People Behind the Florida Grape Industry” or “Florida Grape Pioneers” that recites the history of grapes in Florida from the ancient past, pre-colonial epoch to the present, stressing individuals and their accomplishments. • Provide a historical narrative that can serve as an inspiration and basis for documenting the efforts and accomplishments of future contributors to the industry. • Archive this information in forms - print, photographs, Internet, and disk - that can be utilized by the Florida Grape Growers Association (FGGA), Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS), and other professional organizations in describing and promoting Florida grape activities, programs, and potential. In the process of addressing these objectives, we have accumulated a considerable amount of information pertaining to the historical background, individuals and organizations involved, and the various phases of the grape industry in Florida up to the present. In fact, we have uncovered so much text and graphic material available that it is important to make it part of a permanent record to maintain and build upon. In addition, the task of identifying information sources and individuals is time consuming and should extend far beyond the project termination. Indeed, by providing information and identifying individuals who are part of the story, we hope to uncover more details from interested parties (yourself included) and fill in many of the historical gaps that exist. How to use this narrative and navigate the Digital Universe The impressive and ongoing advances in Information Technology have both enhanced and complicated our task of collecting, organizing, and presenting this historical information. The traditional step of perusing library archives, requesting documents/copying from cooperating libraries, and assimilating the results in print are now easier. Documents either exist on line or can be scanning and both integrated into easily accessed and edited files. Furthermore, online services – either free or available through University of Florida library or other nation-wide links - put hitherto unavailable or unknown material at one’s fingertips. However, ease of access has also expanded the amount of material requiring perusal and evaluation. Over one and a half century of archives – texts, microfilm, even well indexed and reproduced periodicals (unfortunately, the minority) have been identified. Much is not indexed and some almost unreadable due to the condition of the original documents or poor original microfilming – focus and 3 lighting. Then there are frustrating gaps in useful publication series containing potentially valuable articles, even missing promising volumes. Mana Watanabe, our capable document locator laboriously went through available resources at the University of Florida libraries and interlibrary loan requests. The accessibility of documents is as follows: Florida Dispatch- University of Florida has the most complete set of volumes and they were viewed through microfilm and online sources. However, there were missing issues and volumes scattered within and although we had tried to tie up some of the loose ends, it is impractical to search for all missing articles, particularly when information contained might be redundant or trivial. The Florida Agriculturist- UF has all of the volumes in hard print and on microfilm from 1878 to 1911 as well as a few years digitized through the online library. All have been reviewed. The Florida Grower- Was obtained through hard print and microfilm. The University has a complete set of the publication from its beginnings to present day. Volumes from 1998 to present are digitized and available through the library catalog also. Florida Experiment Station Reports- Were obtained