PROCEEDINGS OF THE FARMERS' CLUB. 297 



but the bunches were uneven, from the rot. Anna was mode- 

 rately productive, and very decided in its rich Muscat of Alex- 

 andria flavor, but like its prototype, some of its bunches were 

 uneven. Rebecca has not yet produced much, and I fear is tender. 

 A few of its bunches were very beautiful, it lacks in pronounced 

 flavor and is not markedly refreshing, and you like it better the 

 first year than the second — in this respect differing greatly from 

 Anna, which fixes in the memory and calls you back to it as to 

 something good. These and Diana keep remarkably, retaining 

 their briskness until March, or later. Union Tillage is monstrous 

 in size and bears early, and beyond belief, its first crop lacked 

 flavor like Isabella, but the last was very good — good all the way 

 to the centre, and ripe much before Isabella. Elsingburg and 

 Lincoln ripen early, and are so spicy and rich without the least 

 of unripeness in the centre, and my fastidious foreign friends find 

 no fault with these, but praise them highly. I shall speak another 

 word about them soon. 



"About the flavor of Delaware and Diana I shall not say one 

 word, for 



'None know them but to love them. 

 None name them but to praise.' 



"Delaware and Concord plants were large layers for immediate 

 bearing, and with the Hartford Prolific, bore specimens the first 

 season, but only from three to five bunches each. Those of the Dela- 

 ware were small, but transparent, most beautiful and good, Diana 

 had a little clearness, and was tolerably good, but not better 

 than good Catawbas, nor much earlier, and my faith in Diana 

 waned. Concord, bunches pretty large, and began to ripen one 

 week earlier than Isabella, but the skin gave a decidedly unpleas- 

 ant feeling to my mouth, and its fragrance, too, was quite dis- 

 agreeable. On tasting a few of the berries, the first sensation was 

 of a good degree of sweetness, but the unripe slug in the middle 

 was very large, tough, and very disagreeably acid; even the part 

 in which resided the sweetness left an unpleasant taste and sensa- 

 tion, which became more noticeable on further acquaintance. The 

 next season the Delaware gave from fifteen to twenty bunches 

 each, after judicious thinning; bunches larger, no imperfect ber- 

 ries, and fruit more spicy and refreshing. Diana, this year, quite 

 clear and beautiful in appearance, and most excellent in flavor, 

 so that some thought it almost equal to Delaware. Concord not 

 perceptibly better than before, and far less satisfactory to my 



