266 THE GRAPES OF XEW YORK. 



medium-sized single shoulder but sometimes so heavily shouldered as to form a double 

 bunch, very compact. Berries medium to small, roundish to frequently compressed 

 on account of compactness of cluster, rather pale green, sometimes with a faint yellow 

 tinge, dull, covered with thin gray bloom, shatter considerably when overripe, firm. 

 Skin thin, tender, contains no pigment. Flesh juicy, fine-grained, somewhat tough 

 and stringy, slightly foxy, neither rich nor high-flavored, sweet at skin to tart at center, 

 mild, intermediate in flavor and quality. Seeds separate from the pulp quite easily, 

 medium to above in size and width, long to medium, somewhat plump and blunt, brown- 

 ish ; raphe buried in a broad, shallow groove ; chalaza of medium size, oval, nearly central, 

 moderately distinct. 



EUMELAN. 



(Labrusca, Vinifera, AestivaUs.) 



I. Rec. 0/ Hort., 1866:38. 2. Mead, 1867:220. 3. Fuller, 1867:241. 4. Am. Jour. Hort., 8:144, 

 299. 1870. 5. Barry, 1872:418. 6. Mich. Pom. Soc. Rpt., 1872:543, 555. 7. III. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 

 1875:393. 8. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1875:24. 9. Bush. Cat., 1883:99. /ig. 10. Wis. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 

 1885:174. II. \V. .V. Y. Hort. Soc. Rpt., 36:43. 1891. 12. Va. Sta. Bid.. 94:i34- 1898. 13. .V. 

 Y. Sta. An. Rpt.. 17:530, 545, 546, 548, 549, 552. 1898. 14. Tex. Sta. Bui., 56:271. 1900. 



Washington (i). Washington (3). 



Eumelan was introduced about forty j-ears ago, with the general 

 opinion among the leading viticulturists of the time that it was one of the 

 best black grapes that had been brought to the notice of grape-growers. 

 It seems now, as one studies its characters, to show an association of as 

 great a number of valuable good qualities and as few objectionable ones as 

 almost any other of our black grapes, yet the variety is now but little 

 grown. Brief!}" summarized, its good qualities are: Vines above the average 

 in vigor, hardiness and productiveness, remarkable for their short-jointed 

 wood; clusters and berries well-formed, of good size and the latter a hand- 

 some black with fine bloom, making a very attractive cluster of grapes; 

 flesh tender, seemingly dissolving into wine-like juice under slight pressure; 

 the flavor is pure without a trace of foxiness, rich, sweet, and vinous, making 

 a very delicious and refreshing fruit, though the large seeds are somewhat 

 objectionable. Eumelan makes a very good red wine. The season of 

 ripening is such that the variety may be called early, yet it keeps much 

 better than most of the other grapes maturing with it and becomes, there- 

 fore, a mid-season and late grape as well as an early one. It neither cracks 

 nor shells badly, and ships very well. 



It is more difficult to name its defects. So far as we can discover. 



