THE GRAPES OF NEW YORK. 365 



dark purplish-red somewhat resembhng Catawba, covered with a fair amount of dark 

 lilac or faint blue bloom, shatter, rather soft. Skin thin, inclined to tender, astringent. 

 Flesh somewhat tough, stringy, rather coarse, vinous, sweet at skin to acid at center, 

 fair in quality. Seeds adhere to the pulp, numerous, quite large, long to medium, 

 distinctly notched. 



NORTHERN MUSCADINE. 



(Labrusca.) 



I. Horticulturist. 9:518. 1854. 2. U. S. Pat. Off. Rpt.. 1854:315. 3. Mag. Hort., 22:25. 

 1856. 4. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt.. 1856:166. 5. lb., 1862:143. 6. .4))!, Pom. Soc. Cat.. 1862:90. 

 7. Phin, 1862:259. 8. Minn. Hort. Soc. Rpt.. 1877:59. 9. Bush. Cat.. 1883:126. 10. X. Y. Sta. 

 An. Rpt., 17:533, 548, 556. 1898. 11. Tc.^. Sta. Bui., 48:1151, 1160. 1898. 12. Mo. Sta. Bui., 

 46:40, 42, 44, 46. 1899. 



E.\RLY Northern Muscadine (2, 7). 



To those who profess to Hke a foxy grape, the Northern Muscadine 

 should be the grape par excellence. Many of the differences in opinion to 

 be found in grape hterature regarding the quality of grapes have hinged 

 upon whether foxiness in taste and aroma is liked or not. Thus some 

 horticulturists put Northern Muscadine, both for the taVjle and for wine, 

 well toward the head of the list of American grapes, while others condemn 

 it as tmfit to eat. The fact that this variety, with Lucile, Lutie, and others 

 with the foxy taste strongly marked, has not become popular, in spite of 

 particularly good vine characters, is presumptive evidence that the Amer- 

 ican public do not want such grapes. In appearance of fruit Northern 

 Muscadine is much like Lutie, and much like it in quality, the two being 

 distinguished from most other grapes by an unmistakable odor. A serious 

 defect of the fruit is that the berries shatter badly as soon as the grape 

 reaches maturity. Taken as a whole, the vine characters of this variety 

 are very good and it offers possibilities for the grape-breeder because 

 of them. It cannot he recommended for either the vineyard or the 

 garden. 



This variety originated at New Lebanon, Columbia Count\-, New York. 

 It was first brought to notice by D. J. Hawkins and Philemon Stewart 

 of the United Society of Shakers at that place about 1852. It was placed 

 on the grape list of the American Pomological Society fruit catalog in 

 1862 and dropped in 1871. It is a typical red Labrusca in all of its 

 characters. 



