The Hermann Grape. 



105 



THE HEEMANN GRAPE. 



This new grape is a seedling of Nor- 

 ton's Virginia, grown by Mr. F. Lan- 

 yendoerfer, near Hermann, Mo,, in the 

 spring of 1860; has fruited with the 

 originator for five successive years, and 

 is consequently well tried in that locality. 



In visiting the vineyard of Mr, Lan- 

 ^endoerfer, in the summer of 1862, we 

 svere struck with the beautiful appear- 

 uice of three seedlings, in a row of 

 welve, and advised him to number them 

 ind pay particular attention to them. 

 50 much were we pleased with their ap- 

 pearance that we requested him to give 

 is wood of those three, and grafted it 

 )u old stocks in the vineyard in 1863, In 

 L865 all three bloomed with us, but Nos, 1 

 lud 3 proved barren, while No, 2 pi-o- 

 iuced a very abundant crop. The origi- 

 lal vine had fruited in 1863 with Mr. 

 Langendoerfer, and grafts of it fruited 

 ibuudantly in 1864:, On trying the must 

 )n Oechsle's scale it showed 96'^, and has 

 since varied from i)\^ to lOo*-^. 



Bunch long and narrow, seldom shoul- 

 iered, compact, often nine Inches long ; 

 the shoulders, if there are any, having 

 ;he ai^pearance of a separate bunch; 

 3erry small, about same size as Nor- 

 ton's, round, black with blue bloom, 

 modei'ately juicy, never rots or mildews, 

 md ripens about the same time as the 

 N'oi'ton's, or a few days later; but the 

 juice is not dark red, but brownish yel- 

 low, making a wine also of the color of 

 brewn sherry or Madeira, of great body 

 md very fine flavor, resembling Ma- 

 deira. 



Vine a strong grower and very pro- 

 ductive, resembling the Norton in foli- 

 age, but the leaves are of a lighter color, 

 the stems covered with peculiar silvery 

 white liairlike threads, and the leaves 

 somewhat more deeply lobed. It is, like 



its i)arent, very ditficult to propagate^ 

 and will rai-ely grow from cuttings in 

 the open ground. "We have watched 

 this grape olosel}'" and with particular 

 interest, and have become firmly con- 

 vinced that it is an important addition 

 to our list of iHne grapes. If produc- 

 tiveness, general hardihood and health, 

 and a superior wine can entitle a new 

 variety to consideration, this variety cer- 

 tainly deserves it at the hands of our 

 vintners. Its originator has been ex- 

 tremely reluctant to let it go out, as he 

 did not wish to swell the list of our 

 gi-apes (which is alreadj'' almost too 

 numerous), unless he could do so by a 

 grape jiossessing certain advantages over 

 any other known variety. This may be' 

 safely claimed for its wine, which is en- 

 tirely diflerent and distinct from any- 

 thing else we have, and which we hope 

 will be the American Madeira, which 

 has been so anxiously sought by our 

 connoisseurs. 



Let not our readers suppose that it 

 will be a iiniversal grape, however. For 

 our locality, and farther south, we think 

 it will be eminently desirable, but much 

 further north it will hardly attain the 

 perfection requisite to make a really 

 superior wine, as it ripens rather late» 

 It will, we think, be found specially 

 adapted to southern slopes and lime- 

 stone soil, though it seems to have all, 

 or even more, of the hardihood of its 

 parent. It is a true aestivalis in leaf and 



habit. 



• ♦ • 



In the March number of the Grape 

 CuLTURisT occurred a misprint, which 

 entirely changes the meaning of the 

 sentence. In the fourth line, second 

 column, on page 85, we are made to 

 say : " The total amount of these fungi 

 is very small," when it should read : 

 ^ of these salts." 



