136 ANNUAL REPORT. 



i 



Mr. Gould, These new grapes are being offered for sale with high 

 recommendations and people are buying more or less of them, and 

 so I think it proper to discuss the merits of them as far as we know 

 them. What I rose to say in particular was this, that there seems 

 to be a craze for new and high priced fruits. That is all right, to 

 keep things moving; something will come out of it, but I advise 

 everybody that hasn't any money to throw away, to go a little slow. 

 They come well recommended; they always do, if there is a good 

 price. Now, I have been very cautious about expending money on 

 new things; I tried it a little years ago, and I learned a lesson that 

 has stuck by me so far. And notwithstanding this new grape, the 

 Empire State, comes with such high recommendations, (and I be- 

 lieve it stands the best show of anything at present) still I am not 

 convinced that it is all right. I think it is well enough to discuss 

 these things, as I said before, because people are buying them. 

 There has been quite a large quantity of the Niagara grape sold at 

 very large prices. Well, my impressions on first seeing that grape, 

 were that it was a success. T saw some of them last winter in solu- 

 tion, pickled, and I noticed that part of them were hung oii the 

 cluster, and part of them were in the jar. That aroused the suspi- 

 cion that they had dropped from the bunch, and I have made some 

 inquiries, and I have been told that they had that failing. That is 

 a very great fault. 



Mr. Latham. I had an opportunity to try the Niagara grape 

 several times this fall. Some of them I tasted were passable; many 

 of them were distasteful according to my idea. If these samples of 

 the Niagara were the best that could be produced, I am not favorably 

 impressed with it. I think it must be two or three weeks later than 

 the Concord. At the time these were picked thej^ were in the con- 

 dition when the pulp parted readil}^ from the skin, but at the same 

 time they Avere unripe. I have never had a chance to test them 

 when fully ripe. 



Mr. Smith. I would like to inquire Avhether it* is not considered 

 later than the Concord. 



Mr. Latham. Those were gathered at the same time as the Con- 

 cord I should judge; they were shipping them at the same time that 

 Concords were selling. But they certainly must be ten days later. 



Mr. Smith. In correspondence with parties in the East who are 

 not groAving thcui or selling them, but living where they have had 

 good opportunities for judging, they have Avritten me that it was 



