Tloo loeeks earlier. 



11 



they had surely paid $3.00 apiece 

 for the old Concord. Not yet fairly 

 fruited here. Some vigorous 2 years 

 vinos bore a few clusters foi' me. 

 These strengthened my conviction 



from observations elsewhere, that 

 the Martha is the white grape we 

 have all been waitino; for. 



To he continued. 



"Two weeks earlier 

 or Isabella, was thought quite a suc- 

 cess; two weeks earlier than Concord, 

 seems now to be the great desideratum 

 of our grape growers. Our best Hor- 

 ticulturists even seem to be led away 

 by the genei'al clamor. Scarce an}^ 

 new variet_y is introduced without ex- 

 tolling earliness among its preroga- 

 tives ; and if we were to be guided 

 merely by the reports we read in our 

 leading agricultural Journals, we 

 iHhould reject all varieties which do 

 not possess that great virtue of ripen- 

 ing early. 



Is this correct ? 



It is very excusable, we admit, in 

 those who do not enjoy the genial 

 smiles of Spring before late in Ma}^ 

 and who early in September are re- 

 minded by nightfrosts of the approach 

 of "winter. Now, most of our Horti- 

 cultural Literature is made up in lo- 

 cations where this is the case ; and, 

 what is more strange than this, our 

 most prominent and successful origin- 

 ators of new varieties live and make 

 their experiments in a climate which 

 is not the proper home of the noble 

 grape. Thei'eisE.W. Bull, the origin- 

 ator of the Concord, -whose name every 

 American grapegrower should remem- 

 ber with thankfulness — at Concord, 

 itfass.; there is E. S. Eogers who, in 

 our opinion, has done by far more 

 towards a new era in grape-culture 



TWO WEEKS EAELIER. 

 than Catawba i than Dr. Grant can claim for himself, 

 — at Salem, Mass. ; there is Charles 

 Arnold, whose new Hybrids are said 

 to be even more valuable than most 

 of Eogers' — in Canada ! 



They all are and cannot help to be 

 influenced by their surroundings. Mr. 

 Bull thinks to have gained a great re- 

 sult in his new seedlings, the Una 

 and the Cottage, which are said to be 

 from one to "two weeks earlier" in 

 time of ripening than the Concord. 

 Mr. Eogers, in his description of the 

 Salem, which he recommends as the 

 best of his Hybrids, says : "Taking all 

 its qualities into consideration, earli- 

 ness. hardiness &c " placing earliness 

 at the head of the commendable qua- 

 lities. They forget that there are lo- 

 cations where grapes ripen "two 

 weeks earlier", nay four weeks earlier 

 then with them, and where frosts are 

 unknown before late in October. Some 

 Horticulturists forget even that the 

 noble grape is not a mere market- 

 fruit, or a vegetable for the table of 

 gourmands, Avho may pay an extra 

 price for having out of season what 

 they could have cheaper and better 

 two weeks later — in proper season. 

 They ■ forget that the Grajye has a 

 higher destinj^ and serves a nobler, 

 better pur[)ose ; that its juice is one 

 of nature's choicest gifts — Wine ! To 

 develop its fine qualities for that pur- 

 pose, its fire, aroma, bouquet &c. to 



