230 Mississippi Val/ey Horticultural Society. 



parent, though all have a strong fami'y likeness. All are vigorous and healthy 

 growers, and, so far as I have tested them, productive. Amber, Black Taylor, 

 Faith, Grein's Golden, Missouri Riessling, Mouteliore and Pearl are among 

 the most prominent. Black Taylor is the earliest ripening, and tome the 

 best liavored of the lot, and may prove useful both for wine making and the 

 table. It and Montetiore, both of which were originated by Jacob Rommel, 

 are the only lihtck grapes of the Taylor and Elvira class whicii I have seen. 

 Noah, another white grape of this type, which originated in Southern Illinois, 

 has found much favor for vineyard planting in France and in some sections 

 of this country. 



The Empire Stiite is said to be a cross between the Hartford Prolific and 

 Clinton. Judging from the fruit, I should regard this as highly improbable, 

 for it is a white grape of beautiful appearance and excellent quality, neither ■ 

 coarse nor foxy, but rich, delicate, sprightly, with a peculir perfumed flavor 

 suggestive of the Muscats and Frontignans, which I have never found in a 

 l)urc native cross. But after growing this grape and noting its healthy growth 

 and foliage and the early and perfect rii)ening of its wood, I hardly know 

 what to say, as in habit of growth the vine appears to be a pure native Ameri- 

 can. I had no vine on my place the past season with more jierfectly healthy 

 foliage, which remained fresh and green till removed by severe winter freez- 

 ing. I hope its record may be as good in the future, and that it may prove 

 to be worth the $4,000 its owners paid for it. 



I will say a few words about the famous Niagara, which none of us are al- 

 l(jwed to have, except under restrictions, which, to me, render it undesirable. 

 I have personally visited but two plantations of this grape, but have taken 

 some pains to obtain reliable information from those who have planted and 

 fruited it in difTe rent sections the past season. The first plantation which I 

 visited was in Western New York in the summer of 1882. I found the vines 

 growing very unevenly, some making a good growth, others quite feeble. It 

 is a rather coarse looking vine, somewhat like tiie old Isabella. I learned 

 afterward that a large portion of this plantation was killed by the cold of the 

 foll(jwing winter. It is but fair to say, however, that a good many vines of 

 other varieties were also winter-killed in the same neighborhood. 



Another small plantation near Sandusky I visited the past summer. The 

 same uneven habit of growth prevailed here also. Some plants had made 

 four or live feet of growth, others not more than as many inches, and some 

 spaces were vacant, the vines having been killed the previous winter. I had 

 anotijer oppcjrlunity of testing the fruit of this grape at the last meeting of 

 the American Pomological Society, at Philadeljihia, in September, but it was 

 gnnvn ill Virginia. Some wine made from it was also exhibited. I saw notli- 

 ing in it Uj change my former opinion. The gra[)e is tolerably well flavored, 

 though somewliat foxy; to my taste rather better than Concord, and I think 

 it will l>e, wherever it can be successfully gr(jwn, a fairly acceptable, and per- 

 haps profiUible, market grape, it is called a white grape, but its color is a 

 dull, light, unattractive green. All with whom I conversed who had grown 



