112 



THE CANADIAN HORTIOULTUEI8T. 



His Lady Washington, a similar cross, 

 runs to the other extreme as to time of 

 ripening. Where frost holds off into 

 October it may ripen, and its mammoth 

 clusters can only be produced by proper 

 care. His Naomi in foliage shows the 

 weakness of its Muscat parentage late 

 in the season, and its fruit is retarded 

 in ripening thereby. In anticipation 

 of this it is necessary to thin it out, 

 with this calculation, early in the sea- 

 son. It is a long jointed strong grower, 

 and for fine double-shouldered, compact, 

 large clusters of most beautiful color it 

 transcends any out-door grape that I 

 know of. His Golden Gem ripens early, 

 but its berry is as yet quite too small 

 to be of much value. This may be 

 remedied in a measure by liberal thin- 

 ning out of clusters. It is very pro- 

 ductive, in habit short-jointed, with 

 delicate small leaf. Without further 

 trial it would be unfair to decide against 

 a grape Mr. Ricketts recommends, and 

 it may yet prove a valuable variety. I 

 have fruited a grape he calls Undine, 

 which looks at present favorable, being 

 of large berry, but late; also his No. 

 346, a long, tapering bunch, of small 

 berry, probably a cross with a Vitis 

 -i:Estivalis species, which may improve 

 after a time. Erapire State has not 

 fruited here yet. There is good evi- 

 dence to lead us to view this grape as 

 the crowning success of Mr. Ricketts' 

 labors. Early in September last we 

 were favored with specimens of its fruit 

 from its present proprietors, Pratt 

 Bros,, of Rochester, N.Y., though T 

 first saw it in Boston in lb^81 at the 

 exhibition and session of the American 

 Pomological Society. Its vigor and 

 health of foliage are remarkable, and the 

 fruit is as fine as it is showy. Though 

 this variety has been placed before the 

 public with modest pretensions, it may 

 in time be found " the grape for the 

 million." 



Peter Wyley gives promise of being a 



popular variety, is a strong grower, 

 with healthy foliage, medium berry and 

 bunch, very fine in quality, and early 

 here. 



Pocklington did better this season, 

 and fruited as early as Concord, im- 

 proved in size and quality over pre- 

 vious years. Much of the prejudice 

 against it has arisen through its intro- 

 ducers at first sending out feeble vines 

 propagated from unsuitable wood. 

 Though not showing mildew, its foliage 

 here is enfeebled by extremes of tem- 

 perature late in summer. 



Prentiss still bears heavily, and is a 

 good market variety. Its foliage is 

 also affected by atmospheric extremes. 

 With all such varieties the cultivator, 

 early in the season, should leave only 

 the quantity of fruit on the vine which 

 the leaf can reasonably ripen. 



Grein's Golden again bore very large 

 fruit, bunches small and berries loose. 

 It still drops from the stem when ripe. 

 It may, however, recover from that se- 

 rious failing as vine gets older; ripens 

 with Concord. 



Romell's white grapes have so far 

 been disappointing. Faith is the best, 

 but still small in berry and late. His 

 July, though very early, drops badly as 

 soon as ripe. Amber I dug up after a 

 fair trial as too late. If Romell's Su- 

 perior does not improve it will share 

 the same fate next fall from this cause. 



Minor's Seedlings, Belinda, Antoi- 

 nette and Carlotta, have fruited here for 

 three years — the first quite early and a 

 good cropper ; the second a few days 

 late]' but better in quality; the last has 

 proved late and a shy bearer. We have 

 in the old standard Lady a grape as 

 large as either of these, of better qual- 

 ity, and much earlier, though it takes 

 more time for the vine to arrive at a 

 good bearing condition. 



Purity, a Delaware cross by G. W. 

 Campbell, of Ohio, is a small grape, 

 which compensates for this in exceed- 



