816 



THE GENESEE FARMER. 



"With the exception of tlie Muscat-Ham- 

 burgh, I think the Delaware is the best grape grown. 

 It is, to my taste, certainly better than the Black 

 Hamburgh." 



[If this should meet the eye of the Editor of the 

 Gardeners' Chronicle, we beg to assure liim that 

 Mr. Downing knows what he is talking about, and 

 tliat he is not alone in this opinion. It may be 

 perverted tnste, but there are many good jndges 

 who consider the Delaware, Rebecca, and a dozen 

 other varieties of American grapes by no means 

 detestable.'] 



" Here is a fine bunch of the Adirondack grape, 

 grown by J. W. Bailet, of Plattsburg, N. Y. It 

 is nearly ripe, while the Isabella, grown in the same 

 localit}', is only just beginning to turn color, and 

 the Concord is not much farther advanced. Let us 

 taste it. It is a pleasant sweet grape, full of juice, 

 but we are inclined to think it lacks character, 

 [This is our opinion, not Mr. Downing's.] Here 

 is a splendid dish of Delaware grapes. What a pity 

 it is some one does not tiiin out a few bunches as 

 we do the foreign grapes under glass. It would 

 greatly increase the size of the berries." 



"No doubt about that. I have often thought 

 I would do so, but having so many other things to 

 attend to, I have neglected it. The Delaware is 

 inclined to bear too much. If half the bunches 

 were removed from the vines, and half the berries 

 cut out from the bunches, there would be more 

 fruit and double the size." 



0. W. Seelye, of Rochester, shows a fine colleo. 

 tion of thirty-two varieties of hardy grapes. The 

 following are fully ripe: Alexander, Blood's Black, 

 Blood's White, Canby's August, Delaware, Crevel- 

 ing, Franklin, Hartford Prolitic, King, Logan, 

 Northern Muscatine and Oporto. Most of the 

 other varieties, with the exception of Enily, Clara, 

 Anna, Oassidy, To-Kalon and Chapin, were nearly 

 ripe. Diana was at least two weeks later than 

 Delaware. 



D. S. Heffron, of Utica, showed twenty-five 

 varieties of grapes, prominent amgng which was 

 Allen's Hybrid — a large, liandsome wliite grape, 

 Bomewhat resembling Rebecca, and ripening about 

 the same time. It has this advantjige over the 

 Rebecca : the vine is thriftier and healthier. The 

 leaves of Rebecca are apt to blister in a hot sun, 

 but otherwise it is a most valuable sort, and one 

 we can not dispense with. Ontario, in this collec- 

 tion, is small, late, and poor eVery way. 



The Pleasant Valley Wine Company, of Ham- 

 moudsport, Steuben county, N. Y., showed a dozen 



varieties of grapes of superior excellence. There 

 is something very remarkable in their location 

 among the hills of Steuben county. The Catawba, 

 which is decidedly uncertain at Rocliester under 

 the most favorable circumstances, ripens perfectly 

 at Ilammondsport, and is considered the best grape. 

 Next to Catawba, the Diana is considered the most 

 valuable grape for wine. They sliowed a bunch 

 of Isabella that was perfectly ripe, and weighed 

 over one pound. The vine had been girdled. Tho 

 crop of Hartford Prolific this year was gathered 

 and sent to New. York on the 3d of September, 

 perfectly ripe. 



J. H. Reed, of TJtica, showed some nice Sweet- 

 water grapes, ripened in the open air. 



Dr. Sylvester, of Lyons, exhibited a fine collec- 

 tions of pears, apples and grapes— among the lat- 

 ter, the Oporto, together with samples of the wine 



made from it. This wine was really very good 



more nearly resembling Port than anytliing else 

 of the kind made in this country, and infinitely so- 

 perior to the stuff usually sold under that name. 



Dr. S. also showed a plate of English Rnsset ap- 

 ples two years o\A, mH in perfect condition. He 

 had sixty barrels of this variety last fall, which he 

 packed in barrels. They kept so well that in 

 April, when they were sold, the buyer thought it 

 unnecessary to have them picked over. 



Frost «& Co., of Rochester, among other fine 

 fnVts, showed a collection of seven varieties of 

 crab-apples. 



There were many other things in the Fruit De- 

 partment worthy of mention, but our space for- 

 bids. 



Bouquets from Everlasting Flowers.— For a 

 year or two past Mr. James Yiok, of this city, luis 

 made and exhibited some very beautiful bouquets 

 of everlasting flower.^?, that will keep all winter. A 

 corre.'ipondent of the New York Evening Post, in 

 an account of the recent International ExhibitK)u 

 at Hamburg, says: "Among other objects of 

 special interest, I wish particularly to mention two 

 very beautiful 'everlasting bouquet^,' formed of 

 dried plants and leaves, made and coiuri!)iited by a 

 lady of New York, whose name is unknown to 

 Commissioner Wright and the committee. This 

 style of ornament, though f)opular enough in An)er- 

 icrt. is quite novel here, and the fair contributor 

 will be jih'ased to learn that her handiwork i« 

 heartily ajipreciated." 



An excliange says early npi.les packed in dry 

 sand, in bariel.s, and placed in a dry cellar, keep re- 

 markably well. They have been kept entireij 

 sound till the following June. 



