Reports on Grapes. 



241 



In our next number we will report 

 in detail of al-1 varieties which have 

 come under our observation. 



Editor. 



Arkszville, Cass Co., Ills., Aug 16, 1870. 



Mr. George Husmann : 



As you desire to hear from every 

 grape grower their results of observa- 

 tions and experience, I will give you 

 mine, as near and in as few words as 

 possible. The weather Las this year, 

 so far, been very favorable for grape 

 growing ; so much so that Ave expect a 

 fine crop of the fickle Catawba, and 

 consequently- must have a good show 

 for most of all the other varieties. I 

 shall therefore not trouble you by de- 

 scribing all the most common varieties, 

 but will pick out a variety here and 

 there, and have my say about it. 



Ives' seedling, as you said it would 

 have when it got old enough, has 

 a fine crop of grapes; but how it is 

 going to make a wine better in flavor 

 than Hartfor.i or Concord I can not see, 

 as I think the fruit is greatly inferior 

 to the Hartford. Rogers' Hybrids : 

 what a pity that the bunches of most 

 of them are so imperfect ! otherwise I 

 would consider them among the best of 

 our native grapes. lona I do not like ; 

 even in this favorable }' ear, it can not 

 make any show. Israella does better 

 then last 3-ear ; has this year fine fruit, 

 and the vine is very healthy ; if it be- 

 haves so well iu future, I will take all 

 back what I said against it. Herbe- 

 mont : no fruit this year, fruit buds all 

 winter killed, with good protection of 

 earth. Norton's Virginia, a good crop, 

 commence turning [.lack. Miles of 

 no Aalue by the side of Hartford or 

 Creveling. Clinton and Taylor : no ob- 



jection to their fruit, but don't like their 

 folinge ; Delaware all right and ver}^ 

 near ripe. Maxatawney is growing in 

 favor with me ; prefer it to Martha. 

 Casady, don't like it. Diana, fine this 

 year, but 1 am rather on the look out 

 with it. 



I can not close this epistle without a 

 little " brag " on ray seedlings, of which 

 I have several hundred growing ; of 

 these a dozen or so fruited this year ; 

 out of these, there are three or four 

 which seem to be very promising ; I 

 will describe them as near as possible : 

 The first that ripened was of a Cataw- 

 ba color, with a flavor more refined 

 than Catawba, and almost without any 

 pulp, berries of medium size, bunches 

 imperfect (as it is the first year in beam- 

 ing), commenced ripening before Hart- 

 ford, in foliage very near like an Isa- 

 bella. No. 2 : the second that ripened 

 is a white gi'ape, berries round, almost 

 without pulp, and of the qualit}^ you 

 mayjudge yourself as I send you a few 

 berries by mail to-day. The vine is 

 healthy, and seems to be hardy ; I think 

 it a Concord seedling. 



But now to m}^ favorite ; just imagine 

 a vine three 3'ears from the seed, was 

 never protected in winter, is about four 

 feet high, had after it was pruned last 

 fall four buds left on the vine, these 

 four ej-es pushed in the spring as many 

 fruit bearing branches. Each branch 

 three bunches except the top branch 

 which has onl}' two bunches, making 

 eleven bunches in all ; th^y are exactly 

 like a Diana, of good size, with berries 

 like the Union Village, all indications 

 show for a greenish white grape ; it is 

 getting a little softer now, but it seems 

 to be later than Concord in ripening, 

 made a g-ood si'owth of wood with the 



