48 AMERICAN GRAPE GROWING 



perior excellence and hardiness for the Walter, which has 

 so utterly failed in most sections that it is now rarely 

 seen, we would accept his testimony with a good deal of 

 caution, and make allowance for his enthusiasm, but the 

 quality and appearance of the fruit, as we saw it, certainly 

 warrants trial. 



PRENTISS. This is now in the hands of that enter- 

 prising grape-grower, T. S. Hubbard, of Fredonia, N. Y., 

 and not yet offered for sale. He sent me a bunch in 

 1878, which impressed ms very favorably. The show at 

 Eochester was grand, and I determined to see it on the 

 grounds of its originator, and copy from the notes taken 

 there. Mr. Prentiss is an enthusiastic grape-grower, but 

 very cautious in recommending anything new, which, 

 perhaps, has kept his seedling in the dark so long, as he 

 has fruited it for nearly twenty years. The original vine 

 stands in rather a poor location, on the side of a ravine, 

 and had an immense load of fruit, but made a good 

 growth of wood nevertheless. I think its present crop 

 would come to 25 Ibs. at least. The bunches were all 

 perfect, though backward in ripening. It is a seedling of 

 Isabella ; bunch medium, very compact, occasionally 

 shouldered ; berry medium, slightly oblong, resembling 

 Eebecca very closely, and about the same quality, green- 

 ish-white ; skin tough and firm, enabling it to carry to 

 market in good condition ; sweet and good, though not of 

 high character. Mr. Prentiss has quite a number of 

 vines of it in bearing, in different parts of the vineyard, 

 all heavily loaded. Foliage also resembles Rebecca, but is 

 larger, not so deeply lobed, thicker, and more leathery. 

 He ships to New York markets, and readily obtains 16 

 cents per pound for all he can send of the Prentiss. The 

 particular location near the lake may have something 

 to do with this eminent success, but the grape certainly 

 deserves trial as a market grape in other sections. I 

 think it lacks the sprightliness of a good wine grape. 



