12 



weight of the bunch. When we come to the later grapes, I find nothing that pleases me 

 so well as Rogers' 44. It is a grape which you may cut, tumble into a basket if you like, 

 send to market, and every berry of it will come out sound after being cut a fortnight. 

 It will produce as many pounds of fruit as any of Rogers' hybrids. My wife on Sunday 

 evening brought me some bunches of Rogers' 44 that had jusb been thrown in a pile 

 inside of a store room, and subjected to light frosts, and they were really very fine fruit. 

 I think that of all Rogers' black grapes I would place Rogers' 44 at the head of the list. 

 It is a little later than 9 or 4. 



A ME."kiBER. — Is it better than 43 1 



Mr. Dejipsey. — Yes, with me. I find, however, that these grapes, like other fruits, 

 differ in different sections of the country. In some sections we find Rogers' 15 superior 

 to any other of Rogers'. In fact, I plant it extensively on account of it being a red grape. 

 This year we sent Rogers' 15, Rogers' 44, and one of my own hybrids, a white grape, to 

 the market, and it commanded a high price, and was sought for by nearly every person, 

 and they came a second time and a third time, and we did not lose any customers by it. 



Mr. Beadle. — How many tons of Concords do you get to the aci'e in your part of 

 the world 1 



Mr. Dempsey. — I cannot answer that question fully, because I have not given tlie 

 subject that strict attention. 



Mr. Biggar. — I have grown four tons to the acre. 



A Member. — What do you think of Rogers' 16. 



Mr. Dempsey.— It is rather a fine grape. Rogers' 34 and Rogers' 5 are also very 

 fine grapes; but those happen to be three varieties that we have rooted out altogether, on 

 account of mildew, it takes perfect possession of them, and I have abandoned the idea of 

 trying to cultivate them any more. I should include the Salem among them. The Salem 

 mildews with me. 



Mr. Gott. — You have not mentioned any white grape, I think. 



A Member. — He is delicate about his own. 



Mr. Gott. — We find Martha a profitable- white grape. It takes well in the market. 

 It is a heavy bearer. We used to have a good opinion of Rebecca, but last winter killed 

 it down. The root is living yet. Rogers' 15 with us is a failure. The fruit is good, 

 but it mildews so badly we cannot grow it. As to amount, we might give you a little of 

 our experience. Our plantation consists of 250 vines, and their net product was 5,000 

 pounds. That is, for the season last past. The average product per vine was 20 pounds, 

 and the value was $1.60 per vine. At the same rate of planting, an acre of grovind would 

 contain 544 vines, and the produce would be 1C^880, or five and a-half tons, which would 

 sell, at the rate that we sold ours at this season, for $870. This we find by looking over 

 the Commissioner's Report from Washington is in excess of the highest given rate for the 

 State of Michigan. In that State the highest given rate, according to the Commissioner's 

 Report, was 10,000 pounds, and that was in the County of Kent. The average for the 

 State was 4,523 pounds. 



Mr. Arnold. — I endorse what Mr. Biggar says about the Hartford Prolific gi'ape. 

 With us — when we get it, we have not got it — it is all on the ground. It does not stick 

 to the bunch. Take it to the market and it is all in the basket instead of on the stems. 

 And it is a very foxy grape. The lona does not succeed in our section of the country 

 — it is too tender. There are very few parts of the country that it will succeed in. I 

 think north of the Grand Trunk Railway it will not succeed. The Delaware is a very 

 fine grape. It is a gross feeder, and if it is well fed it will succeed. The Cveveling is 

 a splendid grape if it is well fertilized. It is so imperfect in its fructification that it 

 should stand near some other grapes that have abundance of spare pollen. Otherwise 

 you will find but three or four berries on the bunch. One favourite of mine is Rogers' 

 No, 3. It is the earliest grape I grow, and I can get a double price for it. It is an 

 early red grape, and has a good bunch. With me it is far more profitable than the 

 Concord. 



Mr. a. M. Smith. — How is it for bearing ? 



Mr. Arnold. — The first vine that I got seemed to be failing. I took a number of 

 layers from it, planted them in differents parts of the ground, and they bore an immense 



