83 



for a few years longer, we think their cultivation will have 

 to be abandoned altogether. Ever since its advent it has 

 been considered the standard table grape, and we should 

 regret exceedingly to give it up. 



The Hartford Prolific grape, another old variety, is 

 pursuing a backward course ; it does not ripen good ; drops 

 badly from the bunch if not gathered just as soon as it is 

 ripe. It never was a first quality table grape, although a 

 little earlier than the Concord. Worden's Seedling is a 

 most excellent grape, two weeks or more earlier than the 

 Concord, making it a very desirable variety on that ac- 

 count ; very hardy in vine, not affected by our severest win- 

 ters, the fruit not subject to mildew or blight in summer. 



The Brighton, a Hybrid variety of the very best quality, 

 unsurpassed by any out of doors grape, ripens just before 

 the Concord. The vine is very apt to be. injured by our 

 cold winters ; the fruit is pretty certain to mildew and 

 blight if the seasons are not congenial to that variety, 

 a weakness that all Hybrids are to a great extent subject 

 to. 



The Niagara grapes are a very uncertain variety. When 

 they grow right they are large in cluster and fruit, and 

 very nice. The vine is extremely hardy, and will stand 

 unharmed our ''ironclad winters," but the fruit is almost 

 sure to mildew or blight, producing a full and perfect 

 crop only once in four or five years. 



Such has been our experience with the above named old 

 varieties in our own garden. Within a few years some 

 new varieties have been produced, seedlings of some of 

 the older sorts, hardy in vine and fruit. Prominent among 

 them is the " Lee's Early," a very fine variety, two weeks 

 or more earlier than the Concord, not quite as large as the 

 Concord in cluster or fruit, but more compact, like the 

 Delaware. As near; as we can ascertain, this grape was 

 originated in Haverhill, Mass., by a gentleman named 



