248 



IONA 



IVES 



states as one of the good early Rotundifolia 

 grapes. Its season in North Carolina begins 

 early in August, nearly a month before that 

 of any other. Its fruits are among the best 

 in quality, and for quality and earliness the 

 variety should be planted in home vineyards 

 in the region in which it grows. Hopkins was 

 found near Wilmington, North Carolina, about 

 1845, by John Hopkins. 



Vine very vigorous, hardy, productive. Canes long, 

 slender, upright. Leaves of medium size, variable, 

 cordate, longer than broad, thick, leathery, smooth, dark 

 green ; margin sharply serrate. Flowers self-fertile. 

 Fruit very early. Clusters large, containing from 4-10 

 berries. Berries large, dark purple or almost black, 

 round-oblong, shelling badly; skin thick, tough, faintly 

 marked with dots ; pulp white, tender, juicy with a 

 sweet, pleasant flavor. 



IONA. Fig. 226. V. Labrusca X V. vini- 

 fera. In flavor, the fruit of lona has a rare 

 combination of sweetness and acidity pure, 

 delicate, and vinous. The flesh is transparent, 



melting, tender, 

 juicy, and of uni- 

 form consistency 

 quite to the center. 

 The seeds are few 

 and small and part 

 readily from the 

 flesh. The color is 

 a peculiar dark-red 

 wine with a tint 

 of amethyst. The 

 bunch is large but 

 loose, with berries 

 varying in size and 

 ripening unevenly. 

 The fruit may be 

 kept until late win- 

 ter. The vine-char- 

 acters of lona are 

 not so good as 

 those of the fruit. 

 To do well, the vine 

 must have a soil 

 exactly suited to its wants, and seems to thrive 

 best in deep, dry, sandy, or gravelly clays. Ipna 

 responds especially well when trained against 

 walls or buildings, the fruits attaining rare per- 

 fection under such conditions. The vines are 

 doubtfully hardy, and in many parts of the 

 North must have winter protection; they are 

 not vigorous and aie inclined to overbear, to 

 remedy which they must have close pruning. 

 In localities in which mildew and rot thrive, 

 the variety is badly attacked by these dis- 

 eases, lona originated with C. W. Grant, 

 lona Island, New York, from seed planted in 

 1885. 



Vine weak, doubtfully hardy, unproductive. Canes 

 short, light brown ; nodes enlarged ; internodes short ; 

 tendrils intermittent, bifid. Leaves thick ; lobes 3-5 

 with terminal one acute ; petiolar sinus of medium 

 depth and width ; basal sinus shallow ; lateral sinus 

 shallow, wide ; teeth shallow. Flowers self-fertile, open 

 late; stamens upright. Fruit late, keeps well. Clusters 

 medium in size, sometimes double-shouldered, slender, 

 tapering, loose ; brush pale green. Berries uniform, 

 oval, round, dull, light and dark red with thin bloom, 

 persistent, firm ; skin tough, adherent, slightly astrin- 

 gent ; flesh green, translucent, juicy, fine-grained, tender, 



226. lona. (X%) 



melting, vinous ; very good. Seeds free, 1-4, small, 

 broad, plump, brown. 



ISABELLA. V. Labrusca X V. vinifera. 

 Alexander. Black Cape. Constantia. Dor- 

 chester. Woodward. Isabella is of historical 

 interest, since it was one of the mainstays of 

 early American viticulture. In appearance, 

 the fruit of Isabella is fully as attractive as any 

 black grape, the clusters being large and well 

 formed and the berries glossy black with 

 thick bloom. The flavor is good, but the skin 

 and the muskiness in taste are objectionable. 

 The grapes keep and ship well. Isabella is sur- 

 passed in vine-characters by many other kinds, 

 notably Concord, which has taken its place. 

 The lustrous green, ample foliage, which re- 

 mains late in the season, and the vigor of the 

 vine, make this variety an attractive orna- 

 mental, well adapted for growing on arbors, 

 porches, and trellises. The origin of Isabella 

 is not known. It was obtained by William 

 Prince, Flushing, Long Island, about 1816, 

 from Mrs. Isabella Gibbs, Brooklyn, New 



~\T 1 * 7 



York. 



Vine vigorous, hardy, productive. Canes short, nu- 

 merous, with heavy pubescence, thick, light brown ; 

 nodes enlarged, flattened ; internodes short ; tendrils 

 continuous, long, bifid or trifid. Leaves thick ; lobes 

 3 when present with terminal lobe obtuse ; petiolar 

 sinus shallow, narrow, often closed, overlapping ; basal 

 sinus usually wanting; lateral sinus shallow, narrow, 

 frequently notched ; teeth shallow, wide. Flowers self- 

 fertile, open in midseason ; stamens upright. Fruit 

 late, keeps and ships well. Clusters large, cylindrical, 

 frequently single-shouldered ; pedicel slender, smooth ; 

 brush long, yellowish-green. Berries medium to large, 

 oval, black with heavy bloom, persistent, soft ; skin 

 thick, tough, adherent, astringent ; flesh pale green, 

 translucent, juicy, fine-grained, tender, meaty, some 

 fpxiness, sweet ; good. Seeds 1-3, large, broad, dis- 

 tinctly notched, short, brown with yellow tips. 



ISABELLA SEEDLING. V. Labrusca X 

 V. vinijera. Isabella Seedling is an early, vig- 

 orous, productive offspring of Isabella. In 

 fruit-characters it greatly resembles its parent, 

 but it ripens its crop earlier and has a more 

 compact bunch. Like that of its parent, the 

 fruit is of good quality and keeps remarkably 

 well. This seedling is now grown more than 

 Isabella, and is far more deserving attention 

 as a market-grape than some of the poorly 

 flavored kinds more generally grown. There 

 are several varieties under this name. Two 

 are mentioned by Warder; one of Ohio and 

 one of New York origin. The Isabella Seed- 

 ling here described originated with G. A. 

 Ensenberger, Bloomington, Illinois, in 1889. 



Vine vigorous, healthy, hardy, productive. Canes 

 long, thick, dark brown, often with a red tinge, with 

 thin bloom ; nodes prominent, flattened ; internodes 

 long ; tendrils intermittent or continuous, bifid. Leaves 

 healthy, large, thick. Flowers self-fertile ; stamens 

 upright. Fruit early, keeps well. Clusters large, long, 

 slender, cylindrical, usually single-shouldered, loose, 

 compact. Berries large, oval, often pear-shaped, dull 

 black with thick bloom, persistent, soft ; skin thick with 

 some red pigment ; flesh pale green, juicy, tender, coarse, 

 vinous ; good. Seeds numerous, free, large, broad, 

 notched, dark brown. 



IVES. V. Labrusca X V. cestivalis. Kit- 

 tredge. Ives has a high reputation as a grape 



