48 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



to endure our sudden alterations of tem- 

 perature and to resist the attacks of mildew. 

 We were not able to find a leaf that showed 

 any sig-n of suffering- from any cause what- 

 ever. The bunches are of good size and 

 very compact. The berries are of the same 

 size as the Concord, and, when perfectly ripe, 

 of a light, greenish, amber color. The skin 

 is tough, does not crack so far as we can 

 discover, and seems likely to bear handling 

 and carriage well. The pulp is soft, juicy, 

 sweet, of good flavor, with a little touch of 

 that peculiar muskiness which shows its 

 American origin. The fruit begins to ripen 

 with Hartford Prolific, and will continue to 

 hang on the vines, not only without injury 

 but gradually improving in sweetness and 

 richness, until hard frosts indicate the near 

 approach of winter. We shall be very much 

 disappointed if this grape does not take the 

 same place among white g^rapes as the Con- 

 cord has taken among- the black. Every- 

 thing about the vine indicates constitutional 

 health, vigor and hardiness." 



How truly have these prophetic words of 

 of Mr. D. W. Beadle, written twenty-three 

 years ago, been fulfilled regarding this 

 grape ! 



Of course, like all other introducers of 

 novelties, Messrs. Hoag & Clark made 

 some rather extravagant statements, as for 

 example, the following paragraph : *' The 

 Niagara grape grows, thrives and produces 

 its enormous crops in the cold of northern 

 Canada, the heat of South Carolina, from 

 New Jersey to Michigan, wherever planted, 

 and can be shipped to the most distant 

 markets ; it is equalled by no other grape 

 for vineyard planting ; and every farmer in 

 grape growing sections should have a large 

 and substantial vineyard of Niagaras. If 

 the instructions we give for its management 

 a.re observed, it will soon pay off the mort- 

 gages and leave a balance to invest, besides 

 furnishing a genuine and attractive business 

 for the boys who get tired of the old ways of 



small or no profits and leave home for other 

 fields." It is quite true that very high prices 

 were obtained for this grape when it was 

 first placed upon the markets, the average 

 being abont ten cents a pound ; and certainly, 

 could such a price have been maintained for 

 the Niagara grape with its enormous crops, 

 farmers would very soon have made fortunes 

 out of it ; but unfortunately, as soon as the 

 large plantations came into bearing, the price 

 dropped to about the level of the Concord. 



For several years we have been trying to 

 open an export trade in the Concord and 

 Niagara grapes, hoping that a market might 

 be encouraged for them in Great Britain, in 

 view of the high prices prevalent there for 

 their home grown varieties ; but so far we 

 have been disappointed, and our shipments 

 have brought nothing in return to pay for 

 the grapes, after the expenses were fully met. 

 Strange an Englishman should be so different 

 here from the same man at home, for walk- 

 ing through our vineyards we notice he 

 plucks and eats our Niagaras with as keen 

 a relish as any native born Canadian ; while 

 in England he despises these grapes and lets 

 them go begging for a buyer at twopence 

 and threepence a pound, prefering to pay 

 two shillings a pound for Black Hamburgs ! 



The vine of the Niagara is as healthy and 

 vigorous as the Concord, and about as pro- 

 ductive ; the bunches are very compact and 

 at the same time very large, sometimes 

 measuring six inches long by four across and 

 weighing nearly a pound. The berry is 

 roundish; in color, pale green, turning pale 

 yellow at maturity, and is covered with a 

 delicate whitish bloom ; the pulp is soft, 

 juicy and sweet, of good flavor when fully 

 ripe, but with a muskiness. The quality 

 for desert purposes is very good when fully 

 ripe, and for canning it is counted among 

 the best. • 



REPORTS ON THE NIAGARA GRAPB. 



R. B. Whvte, Ottawa: — The Niagara 

 grape is not considered satisfactory for this 



