THE 



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VOL. VII.] 



DECEMBER, 1884. 



[No. 12. 



THE NIAGARA GRAPE. 



It is now almost five yeai'S since we 

 called the attention of readers of the 

 Cuiiadian Horticulturist to this grape. 

 In the January number of the thii-d 

 volume, 1880, we gave the history of 

 its origin, and such information con- 

 cerning its characteristics as we had 

 teen able to gather from our own 

 limited observation and the testimony 

 then obtainable. Since then vines of 

 this grape have been greatly multiplied 

 by [)ropagation, and sold under strin- 

 gent i-estrietions, which prevented the 

 purchaser from propagating it himself, 

 or disposing of cuttings or plants to 

 any one else than the company from 

 whom the purchase was made. Nor was 

 it possible even under such restrictions 

 to obtain one or two vines ; only those 

 who purchased largely for vineyard 

 purposes could get them. 



The public were this fall taken great- 

 ly by surprise to learn that vines could 

 now be px'ocured in small quantities 

 through any of our niirserymen and 

 dealers in grape vines, to be delivered 

 in the spring of 1885, without any 

 restriction whatever. We are not in 

 possession of the reasons which have 

 induced the proprietors thus suddenly 

 'to throw open the grape to the public ; 



but, whatever these may be, it is of 

 little consequence so long as pui'chasers 

 can obtain the vines for their small 

 graperies without being burdened with 

 special stipulations. 



We have no experience with the 

 Niagara grape that we can give our 

 readers. Not being growers of grapes 

 for market, we had no occasion to plant 

 a vinej'ard of Niagaras, and, being ex- 

 cluded by the policy of the company 

 from purchasing a small number, have 

 never become the o%yner or possessor of 

 one of the vines. The only informa- 

 tion we can give is solely from the tes- ^ 

 timony of others. Some vineyards of 

 this variety have been planted in On- 

 tario, mostly, we believe, in the vicinity 

 of G-rimsby. There is one also as far 

 northward as Lindsay, in the County 

 of Victoria ; the property of Mr. Thos. 

 Beall, one of the Directors of the Fruit 

 Growers' Association. Some of these 

 vineyards produced some fruit this past 

 autumn, probably their first beai-ing 

 season. Mr. Beall's opinion may be 

 gathered from what he says of it in the 

 October number of the current volume, 

 page 232. 



From all that we can gather it seems 

 certain that the Niagara wUl ripen its 



