New Yoek Agricultural Experiment Station. 451 



rich flavor, delicious to the taste; dark ruby-red color under the 

 skin which makes it as pleasing inwardly as outwardly; freedom 

 from brown-rot, in this respect excelling any other market sort; and 

 a vigorous, healthy, productive tree. There is a good deal of en- 

 thusiasm in New York over several new sweet cherries from the 

 Pacific Coast but in this vicinity none of these is equal to the Schmidt. 

 Schmidt, as the name implies, is of German origin having been 

 grown from a pit in that country about 1850. It was introduced 

 into England about 1870 from whence it came to America about 

 thirty years ago. 



Tree large, vigorous, upright-spreading, open-topped, productive; trunk and branches 

 stocky, rather smooth; leaves large, light green; season of bloom intermediate; flowe-s 

 borne in scattering, well distributed clusters in twos and in threes. Fruit matures 

 in midseason; nearly an inch in either diameter, cordate; color purplish-black; stem 

 slender, strongly adherent to the fruit; skin tough; flesh purplish-red, with dark 

 colored juice, very meaty, crisp, firm, mild, sweet; of very good quality; stone semi- 

 clinging. 



GRAPES. 



Berckmans is not receiving the attention in this State that it 

 deserves. To those who have not seen the variety, it may be said 

 that the fruit is like that of Delaware and the vine like the Clinton, 

 these two sorts being its parents. In quality it is not quite as good 

 as the Delaware but it does not fall far short of the last-named 

 sort in tenderness, sweetness and richness. The fruit keeps and 

 ships better than does that of its well known parent. It is in vine 

 characters, however, that Berckmans surpasses Delaware, being 

 much more hardy and vigorous, less subject to mildew and well 

 suited to more kinds of soil but having the fault of not coloring 

 well in an environment to which it is not adapted. Berckmans 

 has been grown as an amateur's grape for forty-five years The 

 popular verdict seems to decree that it must remain a grape for the 

 amateur, but from its behavior on these grounds it would seem 

 certain that it has value in commercial plantations wherever the 

 Delaware is grown and, in particular, as a grape for local markets. 



Berckmans was produced by Dr. A. P. Wiley of Chester, South 

 Carolina, from Delaware seed fertilized by Clinton. 



Vine vigorous, hardy, productive; canes long, slender; nodes prominent, with short 

 internodes; leaf -buds open very early; leaves rather small, light green; flowers open 

 early, fertile. Fruit ripens with Delaware, keeps unusually well; clusters resemble 

 Delaware in shape and size but are longer and more often shouldered; berries slightly 

 larger than Delaware, roundish to slightly oval, somewhat darker than Delaware 

 when well ripened, persistent, firm; flesh tender, inclined to melting, vinous, sweet 

 to agreeably tart, sprightly; very good in quality; seeds separate easily from the 

 pulp, average three, below medium in size. 



Delago is another offspring of Delaware, the male parent in this 

 case being Goethe. Delago, too, is an old sort almost passing from 

 cultivation, which should be retained for two qualities at least. 

 It is one of the latest-keeping grapes on our grounds out of a col- 



