Till' 



^aiKuiiai^ 4H[^^^'ticolUirist 



Vol. XII. 



FEBRUARY, 1889. 



No. 2. 



^t^£ZDL 



THE VERGENNES GRAPE. 



Ik various sorts of 

 grapes might well be 

 classified, as our* 

 apples and pears 

 are, according to their 

 keeping qualities. 

 Some varieties, as, for 

 instance, the Lady, 

 are fall grapes, antl 

 need to be eaten soon 

 after their time of ripening, or 

 they will begin to decay ; others, 

 like the one under consideration, 

 are winter grapes, and may, with 

 a little care, be kept in good 

 condition all winter. The Vergennes, 

 although it ripens with the Concortl, 

 is not in prime eating condition until flavor rich; sk'ui very thick, tough, 

 the month of December, by which red, covered with a beautiful bloom ; 

 time it has mellowed and improved flesh free from hard pulp, of pleasant 

 in flavor ; it reaches its best in but not rich flavor. 



The vine is of the Labrusca family, 

 and has the vigor and health so 



being Rogers' No. 22, and possessing 

 keeping qualities nearly equal to 

 those of the former. 



The Vergennes is a choice seedling 

 which sprung up in Mr. \Vm. E. 

 Green's garden, at Vergennes, Vt., 

 after which place it is named. The 

 first fruit was borne in the year 1874, 

 and in the winter of 1 880-1 it was 

 exhibited at various horticultural 

 meetings, receiving high commen- 

 dations, especially for its keeping 

 qualities. 



The following is a description of the 

 grape : — Clusters medium to large 

 and somewhat loose ; berries large, 

 round, holding firmly to the stem : 



February, and may be kept much 

 longer with due precaution. This is 

 an important point in its favor when 

 we remember the acknowledged 

 virtue of the grape as a medicinal 

 agent ; and in planting varieties for 

 family use we need not only to consider 

 variety of color, but also what selec- 

 tion will give us successiv.; supplies 

 for our table. For winter red 

 grapes, then, we may plant the 

 Vergennes and the Salem, the latter 



characteristic of it. That it is hardy 

 enough for most parts of Ontario 

 seems to be almost certain, for it has 

 been successfully grown by W. Meade 

 Pattison, at Clarenceville, Province 

 of Quebec. Mr. S. D. W'illard, of 

 Geneva, N.Y., gives his experience 

 with it of the past season as follows : 

 " I find the Vergennes coming 

 fully up to my expectations. As the 



