THE 



Canadian Hopticuuurist 



FEBRUARY, 1903 



Volume XXVI 



Number 2 



THE NIAGARA GEAPE 



PERHAPS no grape, of British or 

 American origin, was ever intro- 

 duced with greater flourish than 

 the Niagara, and perhaps none ever sustained 

 a reputation more constantly or gave its in- 

 troducers greater financial gain. Although 

 the Concord, among the black grapes, stands 

 side by side with this " Queen of White 

 Grapes," in the vineyards and in the markets 

 of Ontario, yet the originator of the Concord, 

 Mr. Ephraim Bull, of Concord, Mass., lack- 

 ing that magic touch that transmutes to 

 gold, died a poor man ; while Messrs. Hoag 

 & Clark, ot Lockport N. Y., who intro- 

 duced the Niagara, made the enterprise a 

 great financial success. 



To-day the Niagara is recognized as the 

 leading commercial white grape and has 

 been planted more widely in Ontario vine- 

 yards than any variety except the Concord. 

 For dessert purposes it is second rate, and 

 must be well ripened to be even so classed ; 

 therefore it should not be planted in the 

 colder sections, unless it be in certain favored 

 localities. 



The Niagara originated near Lockport, 

 N. Y. , in the year 1868, from seed of the 

 Concord, and the vine bore its first fruit in 

 1872. The fruit was of such excellence 



that Mr. Hoag, with growing confidence in 

 its future, raised a few hundred vines and 

 planted the first Niagara vineyard ; at the 

 same time giving a vine each to some prom- 

 inent fruit growers, on whose reports he 

 could have confidence. Later on he formed 

 a company known as Messrs. Hoag & 

 Clark, and the firm began to propagate the 

 new grape on extended scale, taking great 

 care to prevent the propagation of it by 

 others, in order that they might themselves 

 control the whole stock as long as possible. 

 For many years they succeeded in their 

 plans, and, instead of selling vines outright, 

 they furnished them to planters on condition 

 that the wood should be the property of the 

 firm for a certain number of years, and that 

 the fruit should be shared between the firm 

 and the grower. 



In the Canadian Horticulturist for January, 

 1880, we read as follows : " No plants of 

 the Niagara grape have as yet been off'ered 

 for sale, but Mr, Hoag is now propagat- 

 ing it extensively, and in due time it will be 

 upon the market. The vine is an unusually 

 strong, vigorous grower, as we had ample 

 opportunity of observing when passing 

 through Mr. Hoag's young vines, while the 

 leaves are large and leathery, well calculated 



