THE GRAPES OF NEW YORK. 367 



ingly being a fair amount of fertility and soil warmth. The vines are robust, 

 very productive, especially on fertile soils, as free, or more so, from fungal 

 diseases than any others of our native grapes, and very resistant to 

 phylloxera. 



The bunches of Norton are of medium size, not averaging nearly as 

 large as the one shown in the illustration, and the berries are small; the 

 fruit is not at all attractive in appearance. The grapes are pleasant eating 

 when fully ripe, rich and spicy, and pure-flavored but tart if not fjuite 

 ripe; but still are in no sense table grapes. Tlie fruit keeps well. The 

 cluster usually ripens evenly and the berries neither shatter nor crack. 

 The variety is difficult to propagate from cuttings and to transplant, and 

 the vines do not bear grafts readily. 



Norton has been used to quite an extent in breeding work and the 

 l)lood may be found in a number of desirable grapes but it is not a prolific 

 parent of worthy grapes as has been the case with so many of its contem- 

 porary varieties. Like Concord, Norton gives, in experimental work, 

 many white seedlings. 



The origin of Norton is rather uncertain. In 1830 Prince writes that 

 he received the grape from Dr. D. N. Norton, one of the pioneer grape- 

 growers of Richmond, Virginia, who had originated it from the seed of Bland 

 with Miller's Burgundy growing nearby. This parentage, it appeared 

 later, was undoubtedly an error as the Norton shows none of the characters 

 of either Bland or Miller's Burgundy. Prince's description leaves little 

 doubt but that his Norton was the Norton of to-day. In 1861 there was 

 an article published in the Horticulturist' by a Mr. Lemosy saying that the 

 original Norton vine had been discovered in 1835 by his father. Dr. F. A. 

 Lemos)' of Richmond, Virginia, on an island in the James Riv^er and that 

 Dr. Norton secured the variety from this source. Since Norton had sent 

 this variety to Prince prior to 1830, this story is evidently wrong as to dates 

 and is suspicious as to facts. It is probable that the true history of the 

 variet>- will never be known. Many grapes of the Norton class have been 

 found at the South, a fact which has led to much confusion as to the origin 

 of varieties as well as in the varieties themselves. Grapes of the Norton 



' llorticidturisl. 16:286. 1861. 



