EATON 



EMPEROR 



243 



EATON. V. Labrusca. Eaton is a pure- 

 bred seedling of Concord, which it surpasses 

 in appearance, but does not equal in quality 

 of fruit. The flesh is tough and stringy, and, 

 though sweet at the skin, is acid at the seeds, 

 and has the same foxiness that characterizes 

 Concord, but more juice and less richness, so 

 that it is well described as a "diluted" Con- 

 cord. The grape-skin is very similar to that 

 of Concord, and the fruit packs, ships, and 

 keeps about the same, perhaps not quite as 

 well because of the greater amount of juice. 

 The season is a few days earlier than that of 

 Concord. The vine is similar in all characters 

 to that of its parent. The grapes ripen un- 

 evenly, the flowers are self-sterile, and in some 

 locations the vine is a shy bearer. The variety 

 has not found favor with either grower or 

 consumer. Eaton originated with Calvin 

 Eaton, Concord, New Hampshire, about 1868. 



Vine vigorous, hardy, healthy, productive. Canes 

 thick, light brown with blue bloom ; nodes enlarged, 

 flattened ; internodes short ; tendrils continuous, long, 

 bifid or trifid. Leaves large, round, thick ; lobes 3, 

 terminal one acute ; petiolar sinus shallow, wide ; basal 

 sinus usually lacking ; lateral sinus shallow, narrow, 

 often notched; teeth shallow. Flowers semi-sterile, 

 early ; stamens upright. Fruit midseason. Clusters 

 large, short, broad, blunt, sometimes double-shouldered 

 compact ; pedicel long, thick, smooth ; brush slender, 

 pale green. Berries large, round, black with heavj 

 bloom, persistent, firm ; skin tough, adherent, purplish- 

 red pigment, astringent ; flesh green, translucent, juicy, 

 tough, stringy, foxy ; fair in quality. Seeds adherent, 

 1-4, broad, notched, plump, blunt. 



ECLIPSE. Fig. 223. V. Labrusca. Eclipse 

 is a seedling of Niagara, and, therefore, a de- 

 scendant of Concord, which it resembles, dif- 

 fering chiefly in 

 earlier fruit which 

 is of better quality. 

 Unfortunately, the 

 bunches and ber- 

 ries are small. The 

 vines are hardly 

 surpassed by those 

 of any other va- 

 riety, being hardy, 

 healthy, and pro- 

 ductive, qualities 

 that commend 

 Eclipse for com- 

 mercial vineyards. 

 The ripe grapes 

 hang on the vines 

 for some time with- 

 out deterioration, 

 and do not crack 

 in wet weather. 

 The crop ripens 

 several days earlier 

 than that of Concord. Eclipse originated with 

 E. A. Riehl, Alton, Illinois, from seed planted 

 about 1890. 



Vine vigorous, hardy, productive. Canes medium in 

 length, dark reddish-brown ; nodes enlarged ; tendrils 

 continuous, long, bifid. Leaves large ; lobes wanting or 

 3 with terminal one acute ; petiolar sinus narrow, often 

 notched ; teeth shallow, narrow. Flowers self-sterile, 

 open in midseason ; stamens reflexed. Fruit early, keeps 

 well. Clusters of medium size, broad, tapering, fre- 

 quently single-shouldered, compact ; pedicel short, thick, 



223. Eclipse. (Xy 3 ) 



covered with small warts ; brush long, pale green. Ber- 

 ries large, oval, dull black with abundant bloom, per- 

 sistent, firm ; skin tender, fine-grained, foxy, sweet ; 

 good. Seeds free, 1-4, short, broad, distinctly notched, 

 blunt, brown. 



EDEN. V. rotundijolia X V. Munsoniana. 

 Eden is of value as a general-purpose grape 

 for the South, and is interesting as one of the 

 few supposed hybrids with V. rotundijolia. 

 It is probably a hybrid between the species 

 named and V. Munsoniana, another southern 

 wild grape. The vine is exceedingly vigorous 

 and productive and thrives on clay soils, 

 whereas most other Rotundifolias can be grown 

 successfully only on sandy lands. Eden was 

 found some years ago on the premises of Dr. 

 Guild, near Atlanta, Georgia. 



Vine very vigorous, productive, healthy and bearing 

 a dense canopy of foliage. Canes darker in color than 

 most other Rotundifolias. Leaves of medium size and 

 thickness, longer than wide ; petiolar sinus wide ; mar- 

 ginal teeth rounded ; leaf-tip blunt. Flowers perfect. 

 Fruit early, distinct first and- second crops, ripens uni- 

 formly. Clusters large, loose, bearing from five to 

 twenty-five berries which adhere fairly well to the 

 pedicels. Berries round, % inch in diameter, dull 

 black, faintly specked ; skin thin, tender ; flesh soft, 

 juicy, pale green, sprightly ; good in quality. 



ELVIRA. V. vulpina X V. Labrusca. Al- 

 though it has never attained popularity in 

 the North, Elvira, after its introduction into 

 Missouri about forty years ago, reached the 

 pinnacle of popularity as a wine-grape in the 

 South. The qualities which commended it 

 were: great productiveness; earliness; exceed- 

 ingly good health and great vigor, as shown by 

 a strong, stocky growth and ample foliage ; and 

 almost perfect hardiness even as far north 

 as Canada. Its good qualities are offset by 

 two defects: the grapes have thin skins which 

 burst easily and thus wholly debar them from 

 distant markets; and their flavor and appear- 

 ance are not sufficiently good to make the 

 variety a table-grape. Elvira originated with 

 Jacob Rommel, Morrison, Missouri, from seed 

 of Taylor. 



Vine vigorous, hardy, healthy, productive. Canes 

 numerous, dark brown ; nodes flattened ; internodes 

 short ; tendrils continuous, trifid or bifid. Leaves large, 

 thin ; lobes wanting or 1-3 with terminus acute ; petiolar 

 sinus deep, narrow, sometimes closed and overlapping ; 

 basal sinus usually lacking ; lateral sinus shallow, often 

 notched ; teeth deep, wide. Flowers self-fertile, open 

 early ; stamens upright. Fruit midseason, does not 

 keep well. Clusters short, cylindrical, usually single- 

 shouldered, compact ; pedicel smooth ; brush short, 

 greenish-yellow with brown tinge. Berries medium in 

 size, round, green with yellow tinge, dull with thin 

 bloom, firm ; skin very thin, foxy, sweet ; fair in 

 quality. Seeds free, 1-4, medium to large, blunt, plump, 

 dark brown. 



EMPEROR. V. vinifera. Emperor is one 

 of the standard shipping grapes of the Pacific 

 slope, and one of the mainstays of the interior 

 valleys. On the coast and in southern Cali- 

 fornia, the vine is irregular in bearing, and 

 on the coast the fruits often fail to ripen. It 

 is chiefly grown in the San Joaquin Valley. 

 It could hardly be expected to ripen even in 

 the most favored grape regions in the East. 

 The following brief description is compiled: 



