_ 



118 Yearbook of the Department of Agriculture. 



transplanted by him to a location a few hundred yards dis- 

 tant. It has since been grown quite extensively for home 

 use in the region of its origin. It is the oldest named black 

 variety of Vitis rotundifolia in cultivation. 



DESCRIPTION. 



Cluster nearly round, fairly compact; large for the species, composed 

 generally of 6 to 10 berries; berries slightly oval, medium size, purplish 

 black; dots only faintly visible; skin very thick and tough; flesh whitish, 

 meaty, tough, not very juicy; seeds usually 3 to 4, more angular than other 

 varieties and adhering tenaciously to the pulp; flavor sweetish, lacking in 

 sprightliness; quality medium; season late, from about October 15 until 

 destroyed by frost. 



The vine has an upright, slender growth and is more open 

 and hardly as vigorous as other varieties of the same species. 

 The leaves are thick, rather dark green in color, leathery, 

 cordate, with sharp-pointed tip and sharply serrated margin. 



The distinguishing characteristics of the Flowers are its 

 tendency to bunch, coarseness and meatiness of flesh, thick- 

 ness of skin, late season of ripening, good shipping qualities 

 due to strong adherence of berries to peduncles, and pro- 

 ductiveness. In these respects this variety is well distin- 

 tinguished from other sorts. It is used mostly for making 

 wine, though the product is not considered as good as that 

 from the other important Muscadine varieties. 



It appears to be especially well adapted to sandy-loam 

 soils having a relatively high elevation, and it is reported to do 

 well in such locations from North Carolina southward as far 

 as the Florida Keys. 



The cluster illustrated in Plate XI was grown in 1910 at 

 the Fender Test Farm of the North Carolina Department of 

 Agriculture, Willard, Fender County, N. C. 



JAMES GRAPE. 1 



[PLATE XI.] 



EARLY HISTORY. 



The first vine of the James variety was found growing, 

 about 1866 or 1867, by Mr. B. M. W. James, near Grindool 

 Creek, a short distance from the post office then known as 

 Grindool, Fitt County, N. C., but now called Whitehurst, 

 about 3 miles south of Parmele. 



i History and description condensed from notes published by George C. Husmann and 

 Charles Bearing, The Muscadine Grapes, Bureau of Plant Industry, Bulletin No. 273. 



