132 AMERICAN GEAPE GROWING 



improved varieties will spring, either by seedlings or by 

 cross fertilizing with other natives, than in its individual 

 capacity. I find it quite healthy, and among the hardi- 

 est, as well as most productive of American grapes ; free 

 from foxiness, but as grown here, rather negative in 

 character, with always something of the immature flavor 

 which characterizes the Taylor. In southern latitudes it 

 is, doubtless, higher flavored, and valuable for wine mak- 

 ing, and perhaps also for the table. Its great fault seems 

 to be, excessive crowding of the berries in the clusters, 

 which, accompanied with a thin and tender skin, causes 

 the berries to crack and rot in the most wholesale manner 

 about the time of ripening. This evil can be remedied 

 by severe thinning out of the berries, but this involves 

 an amount of labor which would not be undertaken with 

 our present views of vineyard culture. 



The past season seems to have been unusually prolific 

 in the exhibition of promising new varieties, and al- 

 though time must be required to determine their true 

 value, I think it evident that advance has been made in 

 the direction of substantial progress. The Noah grape 

 seems to be a decided improvement upon the Elvira, 

 having apparently all the merits without the serious faults 

 of that variety. 



At the meeting of the American Pomological Society, 

 at Rochester, in September last, several very handsome 

 and attractive new varieties were shown, which will soon 

 be oifered to the public, and which appear to have suffici- 

 ent merits to render them worthy of extensive trial; 

 among these were : 



NIAGARA, a large white grape, of good quality, with 

 heavy and apparently healthy foliage, and said to possess 

 great productiveness and vigor of growth, was among the 

 most promising. 



POCKLINGTON, another white variety, claimed to be a 



