Martha. 



DESCRIPTION OF VARIETIES. 



Mason. 153 



No experienced viticulturist would attempt to 

 plant the old Italian grape here ; while this native 

 American "Marsala' may be well worth our at- 

 tention, as the vine is very healthy, vigorous and 

 productive, and specially liked for jelly and can- 

 ning in Kansas. S. M. Tracy of Columbia, Mo., 

 reported It in 188.5 to have been grown there 

 eight years, and less inclined to rot than any 

 other grape we have. "This is one, among the 

 very few, that does not rot." — Sam. Miller. 



Martha. (Labr.) A white seedling of 

 the Concord, raised by our friend Samuel 

 Miller, ofBluffton, Mo. formerly of Lebanon, 

 Pa., was one of the most iJopxdar among the 

 WHITE varieties. Bunch medium, smaller 

 than the Concord, moderatel}^ compact, shoul- 

 dered ; berry medium, round, greenish-white 

 — when fully ripe pale yellow covered with 

 white bloom ; skin thin ; flesh tender, and of 

 a remarkable sweetness unmixed with acidity 

 and without vinous flavor ; somewhat pulpy, 

 often containing but a single seed. Odor 

 decidedl}' fox}-, but this character is much 

 more apparent in the fruit than in its wine. 



The vine is very healthy and hardy, resem- 

 bling the Concord, but not as vigorous a 

 grower, and the leaf is of a somewhat lighter 

 green, the fruit less liable to rot than the 

 Concord. Roots of average texture and liber. 

 Canes generally more upright than Concord, 

 with fewer laterals, but not so much inclined 

 to ramble. Wood firm, with a medium pitb. 

 Ver}^ productive, and the berries hang well to 

 the bunch. Ripens earlier than the Concord 

 and will therefore suit even northern locali- 

 ties. It is grown largely for market, though 

 not very good in quality, and far surpassed in 

 appearance by some new varieties. Must 85° 

 to 90°, about 10^ higher than Concord. The 

 wine is of a light straw color, of delicate flavor. 



The French commission at the Exposition 

 of Amer. wines at Montpellier, 1874, pro- 

 nounced the Martha as "approaching the 

 wines of Picjuepoul, produced in theHerault." 



(See also '•'■Lady.") 



Mary. (Labr.-IIi/br.) Introduced by Hasselkus, 

 of GrifKn, Ga., in 1889, and afterwards consider- 

 ably planted in the vicinity of that locality. It 

 bears unmistakably Rogers' ear marks, says the 

 eminent horticulturist of the State Experiment 

 Station of Georgia, Hugh JV. Starnes, who does 

 not think it identical with the Lindley, as some 

 claim and which it certainly resembles; it has the 

 long-jointed canes, but is more vigorous, the ber- 

 ries are larger and rounder; bunches shorter, 

 more compact — less straggling — than Lindley; 

 having fewer reflexed stamens. The color of the 

 berries seems of a brighter ked and the flavor 

 more sprightly, with less tanic acid than Lindley. 

 These may be simply individual peculiarities, 

 adds Mr. Starnes, and Lindleij and Marn may be 

 the same after all. He will further test and ex- 

 amine. 



In the meritorious and interesting reports from 

 the Central Experiment Farms of the Dominion, 



Ottawa, Canada, by the very able horticulturist, 

 Mr. John Craig, a ked grape Mary is attributed to 

 Jacob Rommel, of Missouri, who never pro- 

 duced a grape of that name. To make sure of 

 this we wrote to old friend Rommel, who replied 

 (July, 1894): "I know of no grape originated 

 by me named Mary; * * You have always 

 been favored with all of my seedling grapes for 

 trial, in preference to all others, and I have of late 

 years not raised any." Mr. Craig will please have 

 this corrected ; from his description we suppose 

 it to be the Lindley or the same as the Mary in- 

 troduced by Hasselkus, of Georgia. 



Mary. (?.) Raised by Chas. Carpenter, Kelly 

 Island. Vine hardy, strong grower. Fruit ripens, 

 too late for the north. Bunch m^Oi'wim , moderatelj' 

 compact; berries medium, round, greenish-white 

 with a bloom. Flesh tender, slight pulp, juicy, 

 sweet, brisk flavor. — Dovming. 



Another 3Iary. an early grape, is described by 

 Fiiller. 



Mary Ann. (Labr.) Eaised hy .T. B. Gai-ber, Co- 

 lumbia. Pa. Bunch medium, moderately compact, slioul- 

 deied; berry medium, oval, black, pulpy foxy, resembl- 

 ing the Isabella. Very early, ripening a day or two 

 before the Hartford, and therefore formerly esteemed 

 as an early niiiiket grape, though of an inferior quality. 

 Now superseded. 



Mary's Favorite. (^st.-Hybr.) A seedling 

 of Delaware, crossed with a Rogers' Hybr. ; raised 

 by J. F. Coffin, Westland, Ind., vine vigorous and 

 productive; bnnch small to medium, shouldered; 

 berry medium, black with blue bloom; pulp not 

 melting but juicy, sweet and vinous, skin thin, 

 seeds few, a pretty little grape; season early. 

 S. A. Beach, N. Y., Experimoit Station. 



Mary Mark. (uEst. X) A seedling of the 

 Delaware and mirch like it, raised by Dr. Stay- 

 man, of Leavenworth, Kansas; vine a weak 

 grower, but hardy, healthy and productive; free 

 from rot and so far also from mildew. Bunch 

 medium, compact; berry medium, red, tender, 

 rich sprightly vinous, sweet, of fine quality. 



Mason. {Labr.) Syn., Mason Seedling. 

 A white grape raised by B. Mason, of Mas- 

 coutah, Ills., from Concord seed. Bunch 

 medium to large ; berry nearly as large as 

 Concord, round, greenish-white, becoming 

 yellowish when fully ripe, with a fine white 

 bloom ; skin thin ; flesh melting, with little 

 pulp ; sweet with just sufficient acid to give 

 it a sprightly, vinous, refreshing taste ; almost 

 free from foxiness. In quality this is one of 

 the best of the White Concord seedlings. 

 Vine a moderately vigorous grower, perfectly 

 hardy, with heavy and healthy foliage ; not 

 subject to mildew. While not free from rot, 

 this variety has suffered less from this disease 

 than Concord itself, proving more healthy and 

 of better quality than Martha. The Mason 

 grape ripens a few days before Concord ; it 

 hangs a long time and keeps remarkably well 

 on the vine. The foliage of the Mason resem- 

 bles that of its parent, but is of a lighter green 

 and has a more whitish down on the under 

 side of the mature leaves. We confidently 

 recommend this grape in localities where the 

 Concord succeeds. 



