PLANT BREEDING. 121 



Eaton, Martha, Moore's Early, Pocklington, Worden, and 

 others. 



A marked step in the improvement of the grape was made in 

 1850 when John Fiske Allen of Salem, Mass., crossed the for- 

 eign Golden Chaselas with Isabella. The first of these Ameri- 

 can hybrid grapes, known as Allen's Hybrid, was exhibited 

 before the Massachusetts Horticultural Society September 9, 

 1854, Though of excellent quality, this grape was so tender 

 and subject to rot that it was never widely planted. It is of 

 importance, however, as one of the parents, with Concord, of 

 that delicious white grape Lady Washington ; but its chief 

 significance was the fact that it was the beginning of a new era 

 in the improvement of grapes, namely, the production of seed- 

 lings of known parentage by means of systematic crossing. 



With a few exceptions, all of the American table grapes are 

 the result of careful selection and breeding since 1850; and a 

 record of the productions since that date is a record of the work 

 of Rogers, Ricketts, Caywood, Jacob Moore, Munson, Campbell 

 and other equally enthusiastic amateurs or practical nurserymen. 



There is little difficulty in producing seedling grapes of the 

 finest quality by crossing the best native species with varieties 

 of Vitis vinifera. Unfortunately, however, hardiness of vine and 

 vigor of constitution are usually sacrificed. Occasionally a 

 seedling is produced which combines the excellence of the two 

 parents, and here is the first step in improvement. It was along 

 this line that E. S. Rogers of Roxbury, Mass., following the lead 

 of Allen, worked; and many of his hybrids have justly w^on a 

 place in popular favor. Among these may be named Salem, 

 Agawam, Wilder, Massasoit, Goethe. The greatest weakness 

 of these varieties results from their imperfect blossoms and con- 

 sequent irregular bunches of fruit. Rogers believed that the 

 line of improvement lay in crossing his hybrid with the foreign 

 species ; but, though thus producing fruit of exquisite flavor, 

 the increased tenderness and weakness of the vines rendered 

 these second crosses nearly worthless. 



J. H. Ricketts, a bookbinder of Newburg, N. Y., for more 

 than 20 years continued his careful work in the production of 

 crosses and hybrids. His early work, like that of Rogers, was 

 m.ainly in the effort to produce hybrids with the European 

 grape. Later, however, he undertook the production of derivi- 



