GRAPE GROWING 



The Davereux, or Black July, has foliage very distinct 

 from the Lenoir. The bunches as small, scarcely ever 

 shouldered, and sweet, is also several days earlier than 

 the other two. It must be used immediately when ripe, 

 or it will rapidly decay. It is a shy bearer, and should 

 rest even at that. My Black July is now ripe and gone, 

 and are usually gone a week earlier than now. My Black 

 Spanish are hardly ripe, but will do to market now. I 

 have a plenty of bunches that will weigh a pound each, 

 without resorting to special care to secure specimens, and 

 I think I could get quite a number of Black Spanish 

 bunches on every vine that would weigh 24 ounces. Of 

 the Devereux, or Black July, I doubt if I ever made three 

 bunches that would together weigh a pound. 



I give these data carefully, because I am aware of the 

 confusion about these varieties, and wish to do my little 

 share towards correcting our nomenclature. 



I did not try the Elvira, because I had so signally failed 

 with its parents. In fact I do not feel much encourage- 

 ment to experiment outside of the cestivalis family for 

 this region, and give large preference to the southern 

 branch at that. Having carefully watched, on a small 

 scale, on my own grounds, every family of grapes, includ- 

 ing about 65 varieties, I have concluded that we must 

 get our grapes from the southern branch of that family. 



The Pauline and Cunningham have suddenly become 

 unthrifty, so that cuttings were scarce at the last prun- 

 ing. I speak of the old vines. The few young vines are 

 thrifty. The Cunningham grows so very compact upon 

 the bunch that the berries break each other, and cause 

 rot. For a year or so I have not been disposed to increase 

 my small stock of these two varieties. The Black Span- 

 ish and Warren continue to beat everything else here, and 

 are established beyond dispute to be, thus far, our grapes. 

 I do not exclude the Lenoir, which acts in every way like 

 the Black Spanish. 



