82 Challenge. 



BUSHBERG CATALOGUE. 



Clinton. 



nial, with our best wishes for its success, for trial in 

 localities where its parent, the Eumelan, does not suf- 

 fer from mildew. 



Challenge. Supposed cross between Concord 

 and Royal Muscadine, grown by Rev. Asher 

 Moore, N. Jersey. Very early and prolific; 

 short compact bunches, shouldered ; large, 

 round berries, pale red, with flesh slightly 

 pulpy; very sweet and juicy. Extra hardy 

 wood and leaf. We consider it purely native, 

 yet an excellent dessert and wine grape. 



Champion. Syn. : EAELY CHAMPION, TALMAN'S 

 SEEDLING, BEACONSFIELD. (Labr.) Ten years ago (1S73) 

 President Wilder asked, ''Does anyone know anything 

 about the Champion?" And the late Dr. Swasey of 

 Louisiana then informed us that it was a new grape, 

 extra early, and one of the best in cultivation (Am. 

 Pom. Soc. 1873, page 66), just sent out for the first time 

 by some New Orleans nurserymen. In our Catalogue, 

 edition 1875, we gave the best description we could then 

 obtain, and said, ''We shall try to obtain this new, ex- 

 traordinary grape for testing," &c. But while it was 

 said that the Champion had originated in one of the 

 city gardens of New Orleans, La., an accidental seed- 

 ling, "where it has so magnificently flourished and 

 borne its splendid fruit," and "evaded the notice of 

 our grape-growers for a number of years," we found 

 that this was not so ; that R. J. Donnelly at Rochester, 

 N. Y., and J. I. Stone at Charlotte, Monroe Co., N. Y., 

 propagated and disseminated the "Early Champion," 

 apparently the same grape, before 1873, and that un- 

 der the name of TALMAN'S SEEDLING, or TALMAN, 

 this identical variety had been grown for many years 

 around Syracuse and other N. Y. localities. It has 

 now been fully and largely tested, and, while it has 

 actually proven the earliest market grape, and has been 

 a very sure and profitable one to some growers, it is 

 so poor in quality, that, the better known it is, the less 

 saleable does it become ; and it should be, and probably 

 soon will be, discarded for better varieties. A few years 

 ago it was shipped to Montreal and other Canada mar- 

 kets, commanding there high prices, and, as the vine 

 was found to succeed well and to bear abundantly in 

 the neighborhood of Montreal, young Donnelly, who 

 was then manager of the Beaconsfield vineyards, plant- 

 ed there several thousand of his father's Champion 

 vines, and caused them to be planted quite extensively 

 in the vicinity. Thus it became known* as the Bea- 

 consfield grape. It was decidedly a profitable grape, 

 selling at high prices on account of its earliness, before 

 other grapes could be had and until people became 

 more appreciative of quality. 



The Vine is a strong grower, thrifty, arid perfectly 

 hardy, with healthy foliage, entirely free from mildew, 

 and very productive. Bunches large, handsome, com- 

 pact, and shouldered. Berry round, bluish-black, near- 

 ly as large as Hartford Prolific ; skin thick, firm, and 

 adhering well to the stem. Ripens nearly one week 

 earlier than Hartford, but is as poor, if not poorer, in 

 quality. 



This grape does the best on a warm, sandy, not very 

 fertile soil. 



* Or was so named by the proprietors of that vineyard 

 against Donnelly's protest. 



Under the name of Champion, as also the Golden 

 Champion, another grape was introduced in California, 

 which proves there a miserable failure. 



Charlotte. Identical with Diana. 



Charter Oak. (Labr.) A very large, coarse, na. 

 tive Fox grape, quite worthless, except for size, which 

 makes its appearance as attractive as its musky flavor 

 is repulsive. 



Christine. (Telegraph.} 



Claret. (?) A seedling of Chas. Carpenter, Kelly 

 Island, 0. Bunch and berry medium ; claret red ; acid ; 

 vine vigorous ; not valuable. Downing. 



Clara. Supposed 

 to be from foreign 

 seed. A white (or 

 pale amber) grape ; 

 very fine for the ta- 

 ble ; somewhat like 

 Allen's Hybrid. 

 Bunch long, loose; 

 berry medium round, 

 yellowish green, 

 transparent, without 

 pulp, sweet and deli- 

 cious, but very un- 

 certain. Rather ten- 

 der and requires pro- 

 tection in the winter. 

 Not worthy of culti- 

 vation since we have 

 so many superior va- 

 rieties. Nevertheless 

 we I irjii- it praised in 

 France as one of the 

 American varieties 

 doing remarkably 

 well there, being vig- 

 orous and produc- 

 tive, apparently Phyl- 

 loxera-proof in the 

 midst of badly infec- 

 ted vines (in the 

 vineyard of M. Borty, 

 at iRocLuemare). We 

 are ^inclined to be- 

 lieve that the name is- 

 incorrect. The above 

 figure of the Clara 



grape is reduced to one-fourth of natural size (one-half 



diameter). 



Clinton. Syn., WOKTHINGTON. (Riparia.) 

 Strong says that, in the year 1821, the Hon. 

 Hugh White, then in Hamilton College, N. Y., 

 planted a seedling vine in the grounds of Prof. 

 Noyes, on College Hill, which is still remain- 

 ing, and is the original Clinton. Bunches me- 

 dium or small, compact, not shouldered ; berry 

 round, below medium size, black with a blue 

 bloom ; skin thin, tough ; flesh juicy, with lit- 

 tle pulp, brisk and vinous; somewhat acid; 

 sweeter the farther south it grows ; colors early, 

 but should hang late (until after the first frost) 

 to become thoroughly ripe. Vigorous, hardy, 

 and productive ; healthy, but an exceedingly 

 rank, straggling grower, and one of the hard- 



CLARA. (% SIZE.) 



