40 THE MAGAZINE OF HORTICULTURE. 



perience, that this variety, had the growers chosen to come forward, would 

 have carried off the palm. 



Grapes, forced previous to the first Saturday in July, were contributed 

 somewhat in abundance, during the earliest part of the season, vieing well, 

 in earliness, size and coloring, with any former year. Many new contrib- 

 utors, from houses recently erected, are bringing in small contributions, 

 showing a diligence of culture highly commendable ; while the specimens 

 of culture shown subsequent to the above date, have been marked as of 

 superior size, both in bunches and berries, to former contributions of like 

 date. 



July 22. — Ignatius Sargent exhibited bunches of " Black Hamburg," 

 several of which weighed upwards of four pounds each, and the largest, 

 seven and one-half pounds avoirdupois weight. This was probably the 

 largest bunch of this variety ever shown at any exhibition of the Society, 

 and for which your Committee awarded a special premium of the Society's 

 Silver medal. 



Saturday, Dec. 30. — M. H. Simpson, Saxonville, made a fine display of 

 grapes, well grown and ripened, reflecting much credit on D. H. Burns, his 

 gardener. They were the White Nice, White Frontignan, Muscat of Al- 

 exandria, Syrian, Chasselas Musque and Black Hamburg, being from 

 vines from which a good crop was taken in March last. This we believe 

 is the first instance here of two crops having been grown in one year. 



In this department the Society has been mainly indebted to J. Fisk Al- 

 len, W. C. Strong, Mrs. F. B. Durfee, M. H. Simpson, Jos. Breck & Son, 

 Azell Bowditch, James Nugent and Thos. Page. 



Grapes. — Open Culture. — This has, indeed, been an awakening season 

 for seedlings, and all outdoor grapes. It is the first of a perfect furor or 

 mania, in bringing out of slumbering varieties, and though your Committee 

 have been obliged at the tasting board to make " wry faces" sometimes, yet 

 they have been well recompensed in believing that a few of the many may 

 prove essentially valuable, enabling almost every cottager to produce enough 

 for " home consumption," and though some of the seedlings may not rival 

 the Isabella in flavor, still the Committee think there are five or six varieties 

 which may prove sufficiently early in ripening to enable a sure culture, 

 where the Catawba and Isabella have in vain been attempted. 



The "Concord," a seedling raised by E. W. Bull of Concord, Mass., has 

 attracted much attention during the past year, and believing you desired 

 all the information which we could bring to bear on this one variety, the 

 chairman signified to Mr. Bull, that an invitation from him to the Committee 

 to visit his premises, with full privilege to examine and scrutinize all and 

 every fact at hand, (which might bear on the subject,) would prove accept- 

 able to the Committee — and in the event of his seedlings proving valuable or 

 not, the Committee, one and all, believe in the honesty of Mr. Bull. There 

 was on this occasion, as on all others, a modest bearing, free and frank an- 

 swers to each and every inquiry from the Committee. 



Mr. Bull responded to our request, and on the 7th September all the 

 Committee having been duly notified, visited Mr. Bull's garden at Concord, 



