Secretary's Budget. 351 



''driving the devil out." The cost of unfermented wine in bottles 

 is usually about six dollars per dozen.— P. *S'. 



REMARKABLE VARIATIOX IN A CONCORD GRAPE. 



A correspondent at Newark, N". Y. , writes : " We mailed you 

 to-day some sample grapes. They are taken from one branch of a 

 Concord vine, which for the past three or four years has borne 

 grapes double the size of the balance of the vine, and has borne as 

 many. Can you give any reason for it ? If you will give us your 

 opinion of it, and send copy of paper, we will be very thankful." 



This is the most remarkable variation of the grape that we 

 have ever seen. The dark blue berries were three inches in cir- 

 cumference. The main stalk (racliis) was double the thickness of 

 an ordinary grape, and the whole appearance was that of an 

 unusually large and well developed Black Hamburg as raised 

 under glass. 



By the last paragraph, we take it our correspondent is not a 

 regular reader of the Monthly, but this was apparent by his send- 

 ing the grapes in a box of wet moss. One of our regular readers 

 would surely have understood that, to prevent fermentation, we 

 should keep fruits as dry as possible, so that they would not shrivel. 

 The moisture added to these caused rapid putrefaction, and the 

 size and color of the berries, is all we can note. The flavor and 

 allied qualities are, of course, out of the question. 



The case we take to be one of bud variation, not uncommon 

 in the vegetable kingdom. Among flowers it is well known. Some 

 of our best and most popular varieties of roses have been obtained 

 in this way. The branch which makes the departure is taken for 

 propagation, and is usually persistent enough to reproduce itself 

 under these circumstances. 



The same attention to getting new varieties from bud variation, 

 has not been given to fruit as to flowers ; although the most ex- 

 perienced pomologists know of them. Variations worthy of selection 

 may often be had from sportive branches. We have in Penn- 

 sylvania, an apple called the Penn, which is certainly superior to 

 the ordinary Baldwin, and retains its superior chaiacter under 

 propagation, yet it is well known to have come originally from a 

 Baldwin tree ; and theSeckel is notorious for its numerous varieties, 

 none of which are from seeds, but must have been obtained from 

 sporting branches ; or, as physiologists would say, by bud-variation. 

 The subject is one of great interest, and deserves more attention 

 than it has received from fruit growers. 



