VARIETIES OF GRAPES 375 



productive vines, its laro;e fruit-clusters and <j;rapes that cling 

 in the cluster unusually well i'or a variety of this species. The 

 crop ripens in North Carolina in October and November. The 

 fruit is valuable only for wine and grape-juice, having little to 

 recommend it for dessert purposes. Flowers was found in a 

 swamp near Lamberton, North Carolina, more than a hundred 

 years ago by William Flowers. Improved Flowers, probably 

 a seedling of Flowers, was found near Whiteville, North 

 Carolina, about 1869. It differs from its supposed parent in 

 having a more vigorous and productive vine and larger 

 clusters, the berries of which cling even more tenaciously. 



Vine vigorous, healthj^ upright, open, verj^ productive. Canes 

 long, slender, numerous. Leaves variable but average medium in size, 

 longer than broad, pointed, cordate, thick, dark green, smooth, leath- 

 ery ; margins sharplj^ serrate ; flowers perfect. 



Fruit very late, keeps well. Clusters, large, consisting of ten to 

 twenty-five bemes. Berries large, round-oblong, purple or purpUsh- 

 black, clinging we^l to the cluster-stem ; skin thick, tough, faintly 

 marked with dots ; pulp white, lacking in juice, hard, sweetish, austere 

 in flavor ; poor for a table-grape but excellent for grape-juice. 



Gaertxer 



(Vinifera, Labrusca) 



The berries and clusters of Gaertner are large and hand- 

 somely colored, making a very showy grape. The plant is 

 vigorous, productive and as hardy as any of the hybrids between 

 Labrusca and ^'inifera. In view of these qualities, Gaertner 

 has not received the attention it deserves, probably because it 

 is more capricious as to soils than some others of its related 

 hybrids. As a market grape, the variety has the faults of 

 ripening unevenly and of shipping poorly. The fruit keeps 

 well and this, with the desirable qualities noted, makes it an 

 excellent grape for the home vineyai'd. Gaertner is often 

 compared with Afassasoit, the two varieties being very similar 



