The American Vine-Dresser's Guide, by Jean Jacques (John James) Dufour is a treatise on growing grapes in America, specifically the eastern half of the country. This early work, first published in 1826, is an amazingly thorough text on grape growing and wine making. Dufour's keen sense of observation gave him an understanding of grape growing comparable to many "experts" of today, without the benefit of the modern sciences of biology, plant physiology, plant pathology, soil fertility, and so on. Despite the fact that the book was written nearly 200 years ago, many of the practices recommended...