Empire State. 



DESCRIPTION OF VARIETIES. 



Eumelan. 99 



Empire State. (Ldbr. X Rip.) A new 

 Seedling originated by JAMES H. RICK- 

 ETTS from seed of the Hartford Prolific, 

 fertilized with the Clinton. We have 

 seen and admired both its beauty and 

 excellence of quality at the Am. Pomol. 

 Society's Exhibition at Boston, in 1881. 

 The following letter of the originator 

 to Geo. A. Stone, who bought the entire 

 stock of this grape gives its description, 

 and will otherwise be found interesting : 



GEORGE A. STONE, Nurseryman, Rochester, 

 N. Y. 



Dear Sir : In regard to the Empire State, I 

 will say that I believe it will satisfy a want 

 which has long been felt that of a good, 

 very early white grape for home use as well 

 as for market. The Empire State is a seed- 

 ling of the Hartford Prolific fertilized with 

 the Clinton ; fruited for the first time in 1879, 

 and its first crop was 38 bunches, which it 

 carried through in fine order. Its crop of 

 1880 was 48 bunches of most magnificent fruit. 

 Grafts inserted in two-year old vines in 1880 

 produced in 1881 from 20 to 30 bunches per 

 vine, ripening with the Hartford Prolific and 

 Moore's Early. Nearly all of the bunches 

 shouldered, and the finest shade of white ever 

 seen in fruit. A good grower and fruiter in 

 every respect. 



Bunches large, from 6 to 10 inches long, 

 shouldered ; berry medium to large, roundish- 

 oval ; color white with a very light tinge of 

 yellow, covered with a thick white bloom ; 

 leaf thick, smooth underside ; flesh tender, 

 juicy, rich, sweet and sprightly, with a slight 

 trace of native aroma, continuing a long time 

 in use ; vine very hardy. Its great pro- 

 ductiveness, beautiful color, fine quality, extreme 

 hardiness, vigor and healthfulness of vine and foliage, 

 size and compactness of cluster, and good shipping 

 qualities, make it the best grape, all things considered, 

 that I have yet produced. 



None of these vines have been disseminated, and 

 consequently in making the purchase you have secured 

 the control of the entire stock ; and although it is true 

 as you state, so far as I know, that $4,000, the price 

 you have paid for it, is the highest price I have ever 

 heard being paid for a new grape in this country, I 

 consider it cheap at that price, and believe you will 

 find it a profitable investment. 



Very respectfully, JAMES H. RICKETTS. 



Vines, young plants, of the Empire State will not 

 be ready for distribution until the spring of 1884. 



Essex. (Rogers' Hybrid No. 41.) Bunch of me- 

 dium size, compact, shouldered ; berry reddish 

 black with blue bloom, round, somewhat flat- 

 tened, in this respect resembling its native pa- 

 rent ; flesh tender and sweet, with a high aro- 

 matic flavor. Ripens early, with Concord. Vine 

 vigorous, healthy, and prolific. 



EUMELAN. 



Enmelan. ("Good black" grape.) 

 This variety was found as a chance seedling at 

 Fishkill, N. Y., where it has been in cultiva- 

 tion (in the garden of Messrs. Thorne) for many 

 years, yielding abundant crops of grapes, re- 

 markable both for goodness and earliness. The 

 original vines were purchased by Dr. C. W. 

 Grant in 1866 (now Hasbrouck & Bushnell, 

 lona Island), from whom we obtained plants 

 of this valuable variety. We give the descrip- 

 tion from the circular of its propagator, Dr_ 

 Grant, leaving out, however, all excessive 

 praise, which, in our opinion, has damaged his 

 success more than all his opponents. Bunches 

 of good size, elegant form, and proper degree 

 of compactness ; berries large medium size r 

 round, black with fine bloom, adhering firmly 

 to the bunch long after ripening ; flesh tender, 

 melting, all going to wine-like juice under 

 slight pressure of the tongue; ripening very 



* By a mere typographical error in our first edition 

 (1869) the Eumelan was designated as Labr., and to our 

 regret this error has ever since been copied and repeated 

 by many others who ought to have known better. 



