Reports on Grapes. 



297 



Walla Walla Citt, Wash. Ter., ) 

 July 25th, 1869. \ 



Mr. Geo. Husmann : 



Dear Sir : I will devote a few lines 

 to the subject of the season of grape 

 ripening in our climate, and ask some 

 questions as to varieties, and the ad- 

 vantage of early or late ripening. Our 

 earliest here are the Black Burgund}', 

 Early Black July, and the Royal Mus- 

 cadine, which are now fairly ripe, and 

 all of which are of the Vitis Vinifera 

 class. Next comes the Delaware, 

 Hartford Prolific, American varieties; 

 and the Miller's Burgundj- and White 

 Green, foreign, which ripen about the 

 15th of August. 



All the later varieties ripen from 

 the 1st of September to 1st October, 

 the White Muscat of Alexandria being 

 the latest. Of this last class I have 

 in bearing the Concord, Isabella, 

 Allen's Hybrid, Connecticut Seedling, 

 Black Spanish, Black Hamburg, Los 

 Angelos (which I think is the Black 

 Spanish), Chasselas Rose, and White 

 Muscat. Besides the above, I have on 

 trial something near one hundred va- 

 rieties, all of which appear perfectly 

 health}- and hardy, and I believe Avill 

 ripen their fruit in good season. 



Xow, in order to select the most 

 valuable varieties for wine making, I 

 wish to know what season is considered 

 the most favorable for the manufac- 

 ture of wine (if it can properly be 

 called a "manufacture"). Is it not 

 best to have varieties that ripen as 

 cool Aveather sets in ? 



It seems to me that, should my 

 grapes require working now during 

 this hot weather (from 90° to 100° in 

 the shade), that fermentation would 

 take place too sudden, and much care 

 would be required, and very close at- 



tention. And again, it seems that 

 varieties that require a longer season 

 to mature will be likely to contain 

 more sugar, and be better adapted to 

 the purpose of wine making. 



These thoughts suggest themselves, 

 and I would like to hear from you and 

 your associate at length on the subject. 

 Yours respectfully, 



A. B. Roberts. 



[You seem to be happily situated, 

 if you can grow the foreign and Ameri- 

 can grapes equally well. We should 

 like to be with 3'ou some time in fall, 

 and taste and examine them all. 



As to the most suitable time for 

 Avine making, Ave think the tempera- 

 Uwe makes little difference. We like 

 to haA'e our must undergo a rapid and 

 thorough fermentation, and only ob- 

 ject to a too low temperature. Your 

 fermenting cellars Avould be cool 

 enough, Ave sujDpose, even in the month 

 of August. Your supiDOsition that 

 later ripening varieties are richer in 

 saccharine may be correct in the main, 

 though there are exceptions even to 

 this; the DelaAvare, for instance, 

 ripens early, and yet contains almost 

 as much sugar as any variety ripening 

 later. But the later A-arieties are 

 generally not so much subject to the 

 attacks of birds, Avhich is quite a con- 

 sideration with us. On the AA'hole, Ave 

 think the later varieties are preferable 

 for wine making. — Ed.] 



Peruyville, Perry Co.,Md., August, 1869. 



Editors Grape Culturist : 



Seeing in the August number of 

 your journal some very interesting 

 articles, for instance that of Mr. Miiuch 

 about the Taylor grape, I think it of 

 the u'reatest benefit that vintners from 



