408 MANUAL OF AMERICAN GRAPE-GROWING 



bronze, heavily pubescent ; lobes wanting or faint ; petiolar sinus 

 shallow, very wide ; teeth irregular. Flowers self-fertile, open in 

 mid-season ; stamens upright. 



Fruit early mid-season. Clusters medium in size, tapering, single- 

 shouldered, loose; pedicel short, slender; brush very short, green. 

 Berries medium in size, round, light green with thin bloom, persistent ; 

 skin thin, very tender, adherent ; flesh pale green, juicy, tough, fine- 

 grained, slightly foxy ; very good. Seeds few in number, adherent, 

 broad, blunt, dark brown. 



MASSASOIT 



(Labrusca, Vinifera) 



Massasoit is distinguished as the earliest of Rogers' hybrids, 

 ripening with Delaware. The grapes have the peculiarity 

 of being best before full maturity, developing, after ripening, 

 a degree of foxiness which impairs the quality. In shape and 

 size of berry and bunch, there is a striking resemblance to 

 Isabella, but the color is that of Catawba. The texture of 

 the fruit is especially good, firm but tender and juicy, while 

 the flavor is rich and sweet. The vine is vigorous, hardy and 

 productive but subject to mildew and rot. Massasoit is worth 

 a place in the home vineyard and as an early grape of fine 

 quality for local markets. 



Vine very vigorous, hardy, very productive, subject to rot and 

 mildew. Canes long, thick, dark brown with reddish tinge ; nodes 

 enlarged, flattened ; tendrils continuous, long, trifid or bifid. Leaves 

 variable in size ; upper surface light green, dull, smooth ; lower sur- 

 face pale green, pubescent ; lobes three to five with terminus acute ; 

 petiolar sinus deep, narrow : basal sinus shallow, narrow, obscure ; 

 teeth shallow. Flowers self-sterile, open late ; stamens reflexed. 



Fruit early, keeps well. Clusters variable in size, broad, cylin- 

 drical, frequently single-shouldered ; pedicel slender with a few in- 

 distinct warts ; brush pale green. Berries large, round-oval, dark 

 brownish-red, dull with thin bloom, very persistent, firm ; skin thin, 

 tender, adherent, astringent ; flesh pale green, translucent, juicy, 

 fine-grained, soft, stringy, foxy ; good to very good. Seeds adherent, 

 one to five, large, broad, distinctly notched, plump, blunt. 



