THE 



%e^ 



VOL. VII.] 



FEBRUARY, 1884. 



[No. 



THE JESSI 



The pvogi-ess that has been made in 

 the matter of grapegi'owing within a 

 few years is truly astonishing. It is 

 not more than twenty-five years since 

 all the varieties in cultivation in the 

 open air did not exceed half a dozen in 

 number. The principal of these were 

 the Isabella, Catawba and Clinton. The 

 Isabella is supposed to be a native of 

 SoutJi Carolina, and to have been in- 

 troduced to the notice of northern horti- 

 culturists about the year 1818 by the 

 late Wm. Prince, who named it in 

 honor of Mrs. Isabella Gibbs, of whom 

 he obtained it. It does not mature its 

 fruit well in Ontario generally, although 

 until the advent of the Concoi-d it was 

 the variety most often to be found in 

 our fruit gardens. The Catawba is said 

 ^o have originated in North Carolina, to 

 have been taken from there to Mary- 

 land, and was introduced by Major 

 Adlum of the District of Columbia about 

 th^year 1820 to the horticultural pub- 

 lic. This grape though unsurpassed in 

 quality, unfortunately is later in ripen- 

 ing than even the IsaVjella. It is said 

 that the original Clinton was planted in 

 the grounds of Professor Noyes, of 

 Hamilton College, N. Y. in 1821, by 

 the Hon. Hugh White, where it still 



OA GKAPE. 



remains. This variety is very hardy, 

 ripens its fiuit over a large part of 

 Ontario, but the flavor is too acid to 

 admit of it ever becoming a fa\niir(- in 

 this Province. 



For a long time these coutii.uetl tu 

 be about all the varieties we had. In 

 1853 Mr. E. W. Bull, of Concord, 

 Massachusetts, first exhibited his now 

 celebrated Concord grape, which has 

 been widely disseminated, and more 

 abundantly planted than any other, per- 

 haps than all the others combined. 

 From this time we date a new era in 

 grape growing in America, and great 

 improvements in the earliness, hardiness 

 and general adaptation of the vines to 

 our northern latitudes. 



The variety called Jessica and now 

 presented to the notice of our readers 

 is of Canadian origin, having been grown 

 from seed by Mr. W. H. Read, in 

 the County of Lincoln and Province of 

 Ontario. It has proved itself thus far 

 to be perfectly hardy in our climate, 

 free from disease and enormously j)i-o- 

 ductive. It ripens very early, among 

 the earliest we have ; it is very sweet, 

 free from all foxiness, sprightly and aro- 

 matic. The colour is a yellowish green, 

 in some Vjerries a vellow ainh»er. For 



