68 



Adelaide. 



BUSHBERG CATALOGUE. 



Alvey. 



best very early grapes we have yet met with. Vine 

 healthy,- vigorous and productive, but the fruit rots 

 badly. Fully ripe July 30. Sam. Miller, Bluffton. Mo. 



Foliage much inclined to mildew in unfavorable sea- 

 sons, more so even than others of the hybrids. Fruit 

 much inclined to rot ; consequently not recommended 

 where these diseases prevail. 



Adelaide. One of Jas. H. Rickett's new grapes ; 

 a hybrid between Concord and Muscat Hamburg. It 

 is described as of medium size ; berry of oval shape, 

 black, with light blue bloom ; of a sweet but sprightly 

 flavor ; purpled red flesh. 



Alexander. Syns.: CAPE, BLACK CAPE, SCHUYL- 

 KILL MUSCADELL, CONSTANTIA, SPRINGMILL - CON, 

 STANTIA, CLIFTON'S CONSTANTIA, TASKER'S GRAPE, 

 VEVAY, WINNE, ROTHROCK of PRINCE, YORK LISBON. 

 (Ldbr.) This grape was first discovered by Alexander, 

 gardener to Gov. Penn, on the banks of the Schuyl- 

 kill, near Philadelphia, before the war of the revolu- 

 tion. It is not unfrequently found, as a seedling from 

 the wild Fox Grape, on the borders of our woods. 

 American grape culture proper began with the plant- 

 ing of this variety, at the beginning of our century, by 

 a Swiss colony, at Vevay, in Switzerland Co., Indiana, 

 on the Ohio River, 45 miles below Cincinnati. It was 

 for some time supposed to be the famous grape of the 

 Constancia colony, on the Cape of Good Hope. 



Whether John James Dufour, the respected leader 

 of that Swiss colony, shared that error, or whether he 

 deemed it necessary to leave them in this error while 

 he had the sagacity to discover that their former fail- 

 ures (in Jessamine Co., Ky., 1790-1801) were caused by 

 planting foreign grape-vines, and intentionally substi- 

 tuted a native variety we do not know ; certain it is 

 that this was the first successful attempt to establish 

 vine-yards in our country. A very good wine, resem- 

 bling claret, was 'made from the Cape, and it was the 

 favorite of former days until displaced by the Catawba. 

 (The White Cupe is similar to the above, differing only 

 in its color, which is greenish-white.) Downing de- 

 scribes it as follows: "Bunches rather compact, not 

 shouldered ; berries of medium size, oval ; skin thick, 

 quite black; flesh with a very firm pulp, but juicy; 

 makes a very fair wine, but is quite too pulpy and 

 coarse for table use, though quite sweet and musky 

 when fully ripe, which is not till the last of October. 

 Leaves much more downy than those of the Isabella." 



W. R. Prince, in his Treatise on the Vine (N. Y., 

 1830), enumerates eighty-eight varieties of American 

 grapes, but " for profit can only recommend the Ca- 

 tawba and the Cape ; one-tenth of the latter variety 

 would be enough. Of the two recommended above ; the 

 Catawba is much the most productive, but the Cape is 

 less subject to rot. Both make good wines." 



Aletha. (Labr.) A seedling of Catawba, originated 

 at Ottawa, 111. ; said to ripen ten days in advance of 

 Hartford Prolific. "Bunches medium size, stem long; 

 berries hanging rather loosely ; skin thick, color dark 

 purple ; juice nearly black, staining the hands and 

 mouth. Flesh quite pulpy, with a decided foxy 

 aroma; in foxiness and astringency it is much the 

 same as a well ripened Isabella." Said to promise 

 well as a wine grape for northern localities. Not dis- 

 seminated, which is not to be regretted, judging from 

 the above desription. 



Albino. Syn: GARBER'S ALBINO (Labr.) Raised 

 by J. B. Garber, Columbia, Pa., (supposed to be a 

 seedling of Isabella). Bunch small ; berry nearly round, 

 slightly oval ; yellowish or amber color. Flesh acid 

 tough ; too late for the north. Chas. Downing. 



Allen's Hybrid. Raised by John Fisk Allen,. 

 Salem, Mass.; across between the Golden Chas- 

 selas and. the Isabella; the first of American 

 hybrid grapes, exhibited Sept. 9, 1854, at the 

 Massachusetts Horticultural Society meeting. 

 Ripens early, abou t with the Concord. Bunches 

 large and long, moderately compact; berries 

 full medium to large; skin thin, semi-trans- 

 parent ; color nearly white, tinged with amber ; 

 flesh tender and delicate, without pulp, juicy 

 and delicious ; has a mild, muscat flavor ; 

 quality best. The leaves have a peculiar 

 appearance, and partly foreign character It 

 is apt to mildew and rot, and can not be recom- 

 mended for general culture, though it is worthy 

 a place in amateur collections. From a union 

 of Allen's Hybrid with Concord, the Lady 

 Washington was produced. 



Alvey. Syn: BAGAK (Hybr.) Introduced 

 by Dr. Harvey, of Hagerstown, Md. Generally 

 classed with ^Est., but its characteristics point 

 to a different species. Its erect growth, soft 

 and short jointed wood, rooting very easily 

 from cuttings; the exquisite quality, pure 

 vinous flavor all point to the Vinifera, and 

 force us to the conclusion that Alvey originated 

 from an intermixture of Vinifera and ^Estivalis, 

 crossed by natural hybridization. Bunches 

 medium, loose, shouldered ; berries small, 

 round, black ; sweet, juicy and vinous, without 

 pulp ; a slow grower, making a stout short- 

 jointed wood; moderately productive; roots 

 medium thick, more inclined to the wiry 

 character of the -ZEstivalis class, with a me- 

 4ium smooth liber. Canes remarkably straight 

 and upright, gradually tapering, and not in- 

 clined to ramble like most American varieties. 

 Tendrils short and thin, often three-forked; 

 buds covered with slight hairy down; the 

 dark, medium sized foliage has also a slightly 

 downy, whitish lower face ; the tender young 

 leaflets are very thin and almost transparent. 

 Laterals few and feeble ; wood rather soft, 

 with large pith and coarse bark. These char- 

 acteristics, together with its thin skin and 

 total absence of pulp, strongly indicate a 

 foreign character. Excellent in quality, but 

 apt to drop its leaves on southern slopes ; it 

 makes a fine red wine, but too little of it, as it 

 sets its fruit badly ; seems to prefer the deep 

 rich, sandy loam of our northeastern or even 

 northern slopes. Reports generally unfavor- 

 able. 



