80 



The Grape Culturist. 



and to nil situations and condition, 

 and the most perfect tj'pe of its class, 

 is the Concord ; and, notwithstanding 

 its inferiority as a fruit, it is more 

 populai', and probably more exten- 

 sively planted, than any other variety 

 in the Union. This is mainly owing 

 to the health}', hardy and vigorous 

 character of the vine itself, enabling 

 it to bear much of ill treatment and 

 neclect, and still yield its generous 

 fruit in abundance ; and though the 

 grapes are not of fine quality, they 

 are veryacceptable to those who can 

 not or will not fulfill the conditions 

 necessary to produce those which are 

 better. 



Another variety of this class, though 

 usually regarded as not equal in qua. 

 lity to the Concord, is the Hartford 

 Prolific. In hardiness, healthiness, 

 and general habit of growth, it is, 

 perhaps, equal ; and has the advan- 

 tage of earlier ripening, which enables 

 it to be grown further North than the 

 Concord will mature. 



Of the newer varieties that seem 

 entitled to a position in this class 

 may be mentioned Ives's Seedling-, 

 which originated near Cincinnati, O., 

 and has already obtained a high local 

 reputation as a rod-wine grape. In 

 habits of growth and foliage, it is 

 much like Hartford Prolific. In qua- 

 lity as a table-grape, I regard it as in- 

 termediate between Concord and Hart- 

 ford, though more pulpy than either 

 ■of those varieties. Its period of ripen- 

 ing is later than the Concord, although 

 it is colored somewhat earlier. 



The Ives has recently received the 

 highest award — three-hundred dollars 

 in sdver plate — offered by the Long- 

 worth Wine-House "for the best Kone- 



ral wine-giape for our whole country'7 

 which will doubtless add much to its 

 popularity. I may also here mention, 

 that to the Concord was awarded the 

 the second and third premiums — a 

 silver goblet, valued at a hundred dol- 

 lars — "^for the best wine-graj^e for 

 Ohio" and a silver cup valued at fifty 

 dollars, "for the best table-grape of 

 our whole country." I do not pro- 

 pose to criticise or remark upon the 

 decisions of that committee at this 

 time, but I do hope to see the day 

 when such grapes cannot take such 

 premiums. 



The above are all black grapes. 

 The principal faults of the Concord 

 as a market variety^ aside from its 

 quality, are rapid deterioration after 

 being taken from the vine, and a ten- 

 derness of the skin that renders it very 

 easily injured by handling. The Hart- 

 ford often falls easily from the bunch, 

 as soon as fully ripe. The Ives ap- 

 pears free from these defects, but, so 

 far, seems less productive than either 

 of the others named. In favorable 

 seasons, all these varieties remain 

 healthy, and untouched by mildew or 

 rot J and in uniavorable ones, sufi'er 

 less than most others. 



A white gi^ape of recent introduc- 

 tion — a seedling from the Concord, 

 named Martha, so far as I can judge 

 — from an experience of about six 

 years — will be found eminently wor- 

 thy to join this class, as it has all the 

 characteristics of hardiness, vigor and 

 healthiness of root, vine and foliage 

 of its parent, with the addition of be- 

 ing a grape of much higher charactex". 

 It is also earlier in ripening than the 

 Concord, which will give it a wider 

 ranse than that varietv. In flavor 



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