STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 99 



berry, medium; a beautiful grape. Duchess, almost identical 

 with the above. Empire State is of very fine quality, white; 

 bunch, long; usually shouldered, productive. It is difficult to 

 believe that a grape of this character can be the offspring of 

 two such parents as Clinton and Hartford, both black and 

 inferior. My Lady Washington is spurious, but have eaten the 

 grape which lacks flavor, and is neither as handsome or desira- 

 ble in any respect as the last three. Jefferson ripens after 

 Concord some eight or ten days ; a good-sized, handsome bunch ; 

 color red, with good, but peculiar, flavor. Niagara did not 

 bear; believe it spurious. Brighton, large, copper-colored; 

 large bunch; excellent quality; reliable. Bacchus is a very poor 

 Clinton. Etta, a seedling of Elvira, white; bunch and berry, 

 medium; good quality; ah improvement on the parent. Pock- 

 lington, a large, thrifty, productive white grape; one of the 

 most reliable of the white grapes; quality better than its parent 

 (the Concord). Woodruff, a handsome, red grape; bunch, 

 medium ; berry, large ; quality only fair, but I think it will prove 

 hardy. The older grapes, such as Salem, Massasoit, Senasqua, 

 Elvira, Delaware, Nortons, Cynthina, Herman and Martha, 

 have done fairly well. Dracut Amber is handsome, but worth- 

 less, and I should imagine it to be of extremely aristocratic 

 parentage. Skin tough, of a catty flavor, that none but people 

 of the most intense "feline" tastes can appreciate. 



It is best when one wishes to grow grapes for home use, to 

 plant only the old, well-tested varieties. If you will invest in 

 the new, high-priced novelties, buy only of the originator, or 

 old-established nurserymen. Even then you will not always get 

 them true to name, as the latter are themselves often victim- 

 ized. When you buy a new grape, you will, when it comes to 

 bearing, three times out of four, regret that the seller didn't 

 substitute a Concord for it. And thousands of them are sold 

 every year for new varieties, at from seventy-five cents to one 

 dollar each. But when you find a nurseryman that will do 

 this, his name is never "Dennis." Perhaps it will be in the 

 hereafter. 



REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON GRAPES. 



BY GEO. W. ENDICOTT, VILLA RIDGE. 



Mr. President and Members of the Illinois Horticultural Society : 



Our worthy Secretary has called on me for a report on grapes 

 from Southern Illinois. In complying with his call I want to say 

 that Southern Illinois is a large territory for one man to make a 

 report on, so that any thing I may offer will only include Pulaski 

 County, and only that portion of said county that is designated 

 as God's Country. 



