112 AMERICAN GEAPE GROWING 



gives early and the second late grapes of extreme hardi- 

 ness, fine quality and pure taste. A number of these 

 fruited, some twice. It is too soon to select the best. 



Among the first hybrids I produced over fifteen years 

 ago are Nos. 50 and 56. They are crosses between a 

 large Summer or Post Oak grape and the delicious, but 

 very tender Herbemont. In quality, character of fruit 

 and vine, they have a close family resemblance with 

 various similar crosses evolved by Prof. T. V. Munson 

 of Denison, Texas. 



Besides being very liable to rot and mildew, I found 

 Nos. 50 and 56 entirely too tender to stand our extreme 

 climate, and therefore never propagated or even pub- 

 licly mentioned them. 



Of late years I find that spraying not only keeps them 

 free from rot and mildew, but that likewise (preserving 

 their foliage healthy till frost) it helps to ripen their 

 wood a great deal better. Thus these vines, which used 

 to suffer in our mildest winters, last January stood un- 

 protected and unharmed a temperature of 22° below 

 zero. Therefore I now consider Nos. 50 and 56 most 

 valuable grapes, especially so because they mature later 

 than Norton, are fine keepers, and may easily be made 

 to prolong our grape season from six to eight weeks. 



No. 50 is a very compact, medium-sized bunch with 

 medium-sized grapes ; black, with light bloom ; as sweet 

 and pure and sprightly as Herbemont. 



No. 56 is nearly of Concord size in bunch and berry. 

 Light Catawba color with white bloom. A sweet, pure, 

 beautiful and delicious grape, though not having all the 

 Herbemont sprightliness of No. 50. Both will no doubt 

 make fine white wine. These, as well as Mr. Munson's 

 new grapes of similar origin and hardiness, I now con- 

 sider the most exquisite late varieties we can grow in 

 the Middle and Southern States. 



