The new exhibit in Springfield’s Discovery Center showcases how a Missouri scientist saved the European wine industry.
Hermann Jaeger came to the U.S. from Switzerland in 1864 and started a vineyard in Neosho. In the 1870’s European grape vines began do die due to a rare bug infestation.
Jaeger, in Missouri, created more than 100 varieties of grapes and sent his rootstocks all over Europe, saving the industry.