JJfiSCRlPTION OP VARIETIES. 



eolor Is dark lilue, a little tingcil nrtcn willi yiolet. The berries are 

 ilmost without flesh jiiid fall of ch-.if juice that Is siifHcieiitly susavy 

 »ii<l very l)ri^kIy vimuis, sjiiiitcd, aiul refreshing. It makes very ileli- 

 catc iititl pure-flavcnetl claret wine, but having scarcely a trace of 

 tannic acid It i? not endurin-;, and is disposed to acetous fermentation. 



Foreigners who eat tliese grapes pronounce them excellent, and able 

 to take ;i high rank in flavor wlicn compared with their own good 

 kinds, and some of oar own people find in them a degree of invigorat- 

 ing refreshment wh.ich they can not obtain from the more luscious, 

 sugary kinds. One or two vines on a pretty large trellis will add great- 

 ly to the value of any collection where tlie.v will fully ripen. Its season 

 is perhaps one week later than the Isabella, but on the south side of a 

 wall, fence, or building it will ripen constantly at least one degree 

 north of New-York, and in warm localities still farther. 



For ornament, and especially for covering the south or south-easterly 

 Me of a house or building, these vines are well adapted by their beau- 

 ty, and in such situations none are more constantly productive. It is 

 wci'. to lay tlie vines down in winter, although their thoroughly ripened 

 wood iy able to endure severe freezing. 



Lenoir, of the same group, is a native of the mountains of North- 

 Curiilina, and differs from the Ilerhemont in its foliage and also in the 

 smallei size of its bunches and less vigorous growth. The fruit is also 

 more sagary and makes enduring wine of very high character, that is 

 not less delicate and pure in flavor than that of the Herbeniont. It 

 ripens more than a week earlier, and the grapes are not less excellent 

 for the table. The berries are rather small, very juicy, rich, and ten- 

 der quite to the center, with a spicy Pinot flavor ; bunches compact, not 

 large, but handsome. 



Lincoln is another of the group, and for general cultivation is the 

 most valuable of the class, being very productive, ripening early or 

 considerably before Isabella, with all of the purity and sugary richness 

 that belongs to the best of the Pinots. It is excellent for the table, 

 and makes wine that is second to none in jiurity and delicacy of flavor, 

 while in richness it greatly surpasses Catawba and approaches the 

 Delaware. The wine keeps well and improves by age. 



Pauline is one of the richest, most spicy, and excellent of the group 

 in flavor, but has not been tested thoroughly in the Northern States, so 

 that it is now impossible to state precisely its time of ripening or de- 

 gree of hardiness, but it may be supposed in these respects to differ 

 but little from Ilerbemont, which is the case at the South. It has a 

 peculiar color of mingled copper and violet, and is said to be only 

 moderately productive, which is saying its bunches are not large in 

 proportion to its canes, for all kinds produce their three bunches to 

 each cane. 



Alvey may be classed with these in purity of flavor, tenderness of 

 flesh, and general appearance, but in briskness and moderation of 

 Bugar it resembles Ilerbemont. Its berries are larger and bunches 

 emaller, but it ripens earlier. 



Elsingburg, by its tenderness to the center and purity of flavor and 

 by its general appearance, may be classed with these, but it is still 

 quite distinct from them, yet has not any relationship to the wild 

 grapes. It is extremely rich, sugary, spicy, and spirited, and bears 

 gome resemblance in its flavor to the exquisite Schiras, and might be 

 expected to make wine like Hermitage. It has not been tested for 

 wine, but no doubt can be entertained as to its excellence for that 

 purpose. It is hardj', not disposed to rot or mildew, and rijiens one 

 week before Isabella. Bunches large, and berries small and very 

 black. 



Norton's Virginia and the Ohio Segar-box do not require separate 

 descriptions. Long Is like Ilerbemont, but later and less valuable, 

 failing to ripen even in Georgia, from the crowding of the berries on 

 the bunches. 



The Minor or Venango Is a fox grape from which wine has been 

 made, but it is not sufficiently valuable to be retained on the list for 

 cultivation. Bunches medium, compact, light copper color ; ripens 

 rather early, and has all of the ordinary characteristics of the foxes, ex- 

 cept that the attachment to the bunches is jjretty strong. 



Tliere is a class that includes both black and wliite that have been 

 desigmited Virginia Mountain grapes, of which the Taylor or Bullitt 

 may be taken as the white representative. The flavor is tolerably 

 good, but the bunches are generally small and It has not a sufficient 

 degree of goodntee to entitle it to continuance on the list for cultivation, 

 ■Ad the black ones have still less merit. 



Clara is a white grape of foreign ciiar.acteristics that has been on the 

 list for some years, lint is not of sullicicnt value to rank very high by 

 tlie side of the Delaware and lona. It is jiure and rich, ripen; snfR- 

 clently early, but does not promise to be very productive cindei »rdi- 

 nary circumstances. 



Brlnckle, if a seedling, is of the Pineau character, and not bett«r 

 adapted for our climate than any of the foreign grapes of that class, 

 being subject to mildew and not equal to Lincoln and Pauline In 

 quality. 



Of Uogers's Hybrids too little is known to admit of precise dcscri|>- 

 tion. No. 7 resembles Minor in appearance and quality; Nos. 11 and 

 19 are large black grapes, of not more than tolerable quality; and 

 Nos. 1, 4, 5, 9, 14, and 34 may be taken as favorable specimens of the 

 whole. I do not fhi:ik the proof is clear and beyond doubt that any 

 of them are hybrids, and further evidence of merit is necessary to piace 

 any of thein among our standard kinds. 



The Delaware grape is easily jiraised in the warmest terms, but it in 

 still the most diflicult of all to describe truly, because in its most essen- 

 tial characteristics it has no very near analogy in any other fruits. Of 

 the character and hal)it of the vine it is also difficult to speak so as to 

 be perfectly apprehended, because the peculiarities in which its exceed- 

 ing value consists are not those to which value is generally attached. 

 Its close short-jointed habit, with very hard wood of only medium or 

 small size, are often contrasted with tlie gross long-jointed wood of the 

 coarser kinds, to the disparagement of the Delaware ; whereas in this 

 consists the strongest point of excellence — the habit of the vine ren- 

 dering it easy of training in any desired form, with the most hardy 

 and enduring character after establishment in bearing, in which im- 

 portant conditions those of grosser porous habit are always deficient. 



The Delaware has so good a degree of vigor that more is not desira- 

 ble, and is unsurpassed in the abundance and active, hardy, enduring 

 character of its foliage, which, in addition to excellence of quality in 

 its fruit, is the most important point in vines. Unless the vine pos- 

 sesses both in an eminent degree, its value can not be great, and in 

 both of these respects the Delaware is unsurpassed, and it may be 

 said, is unequaled, especially as a grape for the vineyard for wine- 

 making. Its wood is harder and heavier than that of any other vine, 

 and it surpasses all others in hardiness. Its growth is suQicicntly 

 vigorous, and it delights in generous treatment, which does not render 

 it less enduring or impair the quality of its fruit. 



At first bearing, and especially when the ground- has been excess- 

 ively enriched, the fruit has something of foxy odor and an injuriouH 

 degree of tough unrijieness at its center, but on mature vines that are 

 not permitted greatly to overbear, the fruit becomes sweet quite to tlie 

 center, but is never without that meaty consistence which constitutes 

 tlie flesh of raisins. In pure, rich, spicy, vinous flavor, abounding iu 

 sugar, the Delaware is not surpassed by any grape foreign or native, 

 and is only equaled by some of the small foreign kinds, like Wliite 

 Ricssling, which have not half the productive ability of the Delaware. 

 Its Ijunches are compact and very symmetric in form, having a branch 

 like Isabella and Catawba, which is called a shoulder, with its berries 

 firmly adhering to the woody peduncle. 



The berries have a great degree of transparency from the beginning, 

 which increases until the perio<l of ripeness, when the clear trans- 

 parency of their beautiful peculiar color renders the uniformly iier- 

 feet bunches exceedingly attractive in appearance, and withdraws 

 all attention from the opaque kinds, whatever may be their size or 

 quantity. 



Under the training and management adapted to its habit, its 

 bundles and berries become of good size, and there Is no kind more 

 productive by weight, and no vine that sustains itself so well against 

 injury from over-bearing, to which it is almost constantly subjected. 



It ripens very early, or about three weeks before Isabella, and at 

 any given time is better for eating than the earliest of the coarse bl.ack 

 gr.ipes, including Hartford Prolific, wliioh is perhaps the earliest of its 

 class. The pure rich delicacy of its wine as greatly surpasses that of 

 the Catawl)a as does the character of its fruit. When tested by the 

 saccharoineter it maintains the same preeminence that is always 

 awarded to it by the palate, and in consequence of the fineness of its 

 flesh, destitute of coarse, unripe fiber, ten pounds and a half will 

 yield a gallon of wine, for wliich at least twelve pounds of the most 

 fully-ripened Catawbas are required. The fruit is one of the best for 

 hite keeping, and does not decay or lose its spirit, but dries readily tc 



