10 



The Grape Culturist. 



Last Spring the wide area of Ca- 

 iawbas suffered some abridgement, 

 supplanted by Ives, Norton's Virginia, 

 and Delaware. The Spring of 1869 

 will witness still greater inroads and 

 besides the three last name! varieties, 

 many of the Eoger's Hybrids, includ- 

 ing Salem, Creveling, Clinton, Con- 

 cord, Hartford, lona and Marlha, will 

 be planted. 



I have not much to add upon va- 

 rieties in detail. 



The Adirondac does not yet afford 

 encouragement to increased plant- 

 ing. He is really in luck with us 

 who gets a crop. 

 Alvey grows apace in fiivor. Too 

 loose in bunch, and not productive 

 enough. 

 Concord already touched upon. Cu- 

 riously enough it was unusually 

 good this season and its wine pro- 

 mises so well as to have w^on it much 

 favor. 

 Creveling is forcing the conviction 

 upon everybody that it is the best 

 early grajje we have. Since it has 

 been found that is will yield full 

 bunches b}^ alternating it with Hart- 

 ford, there is more disposition to 

 plant it largely. 

 Clinton is attracting much atten- 

 tion. Old heads are surprised at 

 the excellence of its wine of late, 

 expressed after the mellowing of 

 the frosts. Age adds largely to its 

 value. The must here reached 90'\ 

 Catawba dwelt upon full}' above. 

 Delaware, long tried and ever true 

 with us. On black soil, on clay, 

 on sand, it yields abundantly deli- 

 cious fruit. The thrip persists, on 

 the Islands particularly, in dam ig- 

 ing the leaves, but I hnoic that sul- 



phur faithfully used will drive off 

 these little pests. It is effectual also 

 against the mildew, which sets in 

 slightly sometimes just before the 

 fruit is all fully perfected. 



Diana loses ground here eveiy yeaiv 



Hartford as steadily gains ground. 

 Its extreme earliness recommends 

 it for market and it ships without 

 difficulty if gathered when fairly 

 good but not fully ripe. 



loNA has not j'ct made a good record 

 in this vicinit}' save in isolated cases. 

 Mr. Wires of North Bass Island had 

 a fine crop for first year of beai-ing. 

 His vines suffer no injury from the 

 Avinters exposure. I am beghuring 

 to have hopes of ultimately seeing 

 some success in favored localities. 

 These no man can divine. Ex- 

 perience alone can safely point the 

 rod. So fcir it has generally proved 

 tender, slow of growth, non-produc- 

 tive and late rather than early 



Ives pleases generally by its thrifty 

 growth, hardiness and productive- 

 ness. Its wine has warm admirers 

 and as warm opponents. The must 

 this year ranged about 80". 



Lydia is a good Avhite grape, rcliablc-^ 

 as most of the older sorts. It grows 

 vigorously, ripens earl}', but some- 

 times mildews 



Maxataavney presents many claims 

 to favorable attention as a desirable 

 white grape. Vigorous, excellent 

 quality, but ripens too late for the 

 country at large. (Early enough for 

 the S. West.— jE:^.) 



Martha so far shows verj^ promising 

 characteristics. To the casual ob- 

 server its foliage is strikingly like 

 the Concord. In fact many who are 

 growing it here, at first thought 



