VARIETIES OF GRAPES 447 



The vine is equally hardy, healthy, vigorous and productive but 

 is more fastidious in its adaptations to soil, although now and 

 then it does even better. The chief fault of the variety is that 

 the fruit cracks badly, often preventing the profitable marketing 

 of a crop. Besides this tenderness of skin, the fruit-pulp of 

 Worden is softer than that of Concord, there is more juice, and 

 the keeping qualities are not as good, so that the grapes hardly 

 ship as well as those of the more commonly grown grape. 

 Worden is very popular in northern grape regions both for com- 

 mercial plantations and the garden. It is a more desirable 

 inhabitant of the garden, because of higher quality of fruit than 

 Concord, and under conditions well suited to it is better as a 

 commercial variety, as the fruit is handsomer as well as of 

 better quality. In the markets the fruit ought to sell for a 

 higher price than Concord if desired for immediate consumption, 

 and if it can be harvested promptly, as it does not hang well on 

 the vines. Its earlier season is against it for a commercial 

 variety and, with the defects mentioned, will prevent its taking 

 the place of Concord to a great degree. Worden was originated 

 by Schuyler Worden, Minetto, Oswego County, New York, 

 from seed of Concord planted about 1863. 



Vine vigorous, hardy, healthy, productive. Canes large, thick, 

 dark brown with reddish tinge ; nodes enlarged, flattened ; tendrils 

 continuous, slender, bifid, sometimes trifid. Young leaves tinged 

 on the under side and along the margins of upper side with rose- 

 carmine. Leaves large, thick ; upper surface dark green, glossy, 

 smooth ; lower surface light bronze, pubescent ; leaf usually not 

 lobed ; petiolar sinus wide, often urnshaped ; teeth shallow. Flowers 

 fertile, mid-season ; stamens upright. 



Fruit early. Clusters large, long, broad, tapering, usually single- 

 shouldered, compact; pedicel slender with a few small warts; brush 

 long, light green. Berries large, round, dark purplish-black, glossy 

 with heavy bloom, firm ; skin tender, cracks badly, adheres slightly, 

 contains dark red pigment, astringent. Flesh green, translucent, 

 juicy, fine-grained, tough, foxy, sweet, mild ; good to very good. Seeds 

 adherent, one to five, large, broad, short, blunt, brown. 



