GRAPE VARIETIES 329 



Agawam 



One of the most successful of the hybrid 

 grapes is the Agawam, a variety originated by 

 Edward S. Rogers, a Massachusetts gentleman 

 who lived in Salem. His work with grapes 

 should be known to all fruit-growers for he did 

 much to promote the development of viticul- 

 ture in America. Although he had only the 

 space of a city back yard to work in, he orig- 

 inated forty-five hybrid grapes, some of which 

 have become of great importance. Others are 

 no longer grown, but all were interesting in 

 their time. Later, he made further crosses be- 

 tween American and European grapes, but 

 none of these excelled his earlier list of forty- 

 five. 



Agawam was long known as Rogers' Hybrid 

 No. 15. It is a large red grape ripening a 

 little later than Concord, but excelling that 

 variety in keeping quality. I have a friend 

 who has kept them in good condition until 

 Christmas. Like all the hybrid grapes it is 

 particular as to soil and does not flourish in 

 all locations, preferring heavy soils to those 

 that contain too much sand. The vines are 

 rather subject to the grape mildew, but in spite 

 of this and in spite of the fact that other grapes 

 are of better quality it is grown in commercial 

 quantities in some states. At the present time 

 it is not being planted extensively. 



