Venango. 



DESCRIPTION OF VARIETIES. 



Wliite. 143- 



This variety is, so far, untried and unknown 

 in the West. It seems worthy of a trial, as it is 

 very early, of good quality ; the vine a hardy, 

 strong grower ; the leaf large, downy, and free 

 from mildew. 



The accompanying engraving is a true copy 

 from a photograph of a medium sized bunch. 



Venango, or Minor's Seedling 1 . (Labr.) An 

 old variety, said to have been cultivated by the French 

 at Fort Venango, on Alleghany river, more than 80 

 years since, but should be discarded now, when so 

 many superior grapes can be grown. Bunch medium, 

 compact ; berries medium, round, often flattened by 

 their compactness ; color pale red, a fine white bloom ; 

 skin thick and tough ; flesh sweet but pulpy and foxy. 

 Vine a vigorous grower, very hardy, healthy and pro- 

 ductive. 



Vialla. (Rip.) A Franco- American variety, 

 recommended as a grafting-stock ; resembles 

 the Franklin, and is by some supposed to be 

 the same variety ; others contend that it is dis- 

 tinct from and superior to Franklin, as also to 

 Clinton- Vialla, the foliage Of which is smaller, 

 not as dark green, and that the Vialla produces 

 more and better fruit. We incline to ascribe 

 these differences to the effects of location, soil, 

 &G. The president of the Agricultural Society 

 of the Herault, in whose honor M. Laliman 

 gave it that (his) name, does by no means claim 

 the Vialla nor the Clinton-Vialla as his pro- 

 ductions. 



Victor. See Early Victor. 



Victoria, Ray's. (Labr.) This variety has been 

 introduced (1872) by M. M. Samuels, of Clinton, Ky. , 

 who describes it as follows : "Bunches and berries me- 

 dium size, round, light amber color ; skin thin ; pulp 

 tender, sweet, and highly flavored ; vine perfectly 

 healthy, an abundant bearer, and a good but not ram- 

 pant grower." This grape has now been tested for a 

 number of years in diiferent parts of the south, and 

 has, even under adverse circumstances, been free from 

 both mildew and rot ; it ripens there about the mid- 

 dle of August j and has been pronounced by some an 

 excellent table grape, making also a good wine. 



It resembles Venango, and belongs to the same form 

 of Labrusca as that variety and Perkins. 



Vivie's Hybrid, produced by M. Vivie in France, 

 and by some called Vivie's Hartford ; said to be of very 

 vigorous growth, very productive, and its grape of good 

 quality, making a very good wine. 



Warren. See Herbemont. 



Watertown. (Hybr,.) Originated at Watertown, 

 N. Y., by D. 8. Marvin ; a very good new white grape, 

 of medium size in bunch and berry ; slightly oblong ; 

 flesh breaking, sweet. Am. Pom. Society Report, 1881. 



Waverley. (Hybr.) One of Ricketts' first efforts 

 in the production of seedling grapes ; he has fruited it 

 for twelve years, but has not propagated it, and now 

 offers only grafts of same, wishing it tried in different 

 localities. It is a seedling of the Clinton and one of 



the Muscats. Vine very vigorous, hardy, healthy and 

 very productive ; leaves moderately large, rather thick, 

 slightly lobed, coarsely serrated ; wood short-jointed; 

 bunch medium, long, shouldered, compact ; berry me- 

 dium to large, oval, black with thin blue bloom ; flesh 

 crisp, juicy, sweet, vinous, refreshing. The bunches 

 want thinning out considerably. 



Ricketts considers it one of the best black grapes 

 for amateur and family use. 



Weehawken. Raised by Dr. Charles Siedhof, of 

 North Hoboken, N. J., from a seed of a grape from the 

 Crimea, V. Vinifera. A white grape of fine quality. 

 Its foliage is very handsome, and decidedly foreign in 

 character ; its fruit fine ; but only by grafting it on 

 native roots, and careful nursing and covering in win- 

 ter, can we obtain some of it in favorable seasons. 



Welcome. (Vinifera Hybrid.) An exotic grape, 

 raised by James H. Ricketts, being a cross between 

 Pope's Hamburg and Canon Hall-Muscat. Here it can 

 be grown in a cold or hot grapery only ; for southern 

 California, however, it may prove very successful. A 

 vine planted at San Saba for testing shows a very vig- 

 orous growth, and the fruit is pronounced the very 

 best ; the bunch large, compact ; the berry large, round- 

 ish-oval, black with a thick grayish bloom ; flesh very 

 tender, juicy, sweet, refreshing, vinous, rich, aroma- 

 tic. A first-class grape in every respect. 



White Delaware. A pure Delaware seedling, 

 originated with George W. Campbell, of Delaware, 0. 

 The vine is in some localities more vigorous and ro- 

 bust in habit than the Delaware under the same condi- 

 tions and circumstances; its foliage is large, thick and 

 heavy, resembling that of Catawba more than Dela- 

 ware. In flavor it seems equal to the old Delaware. 

 Its main fault is want of size and productiveness ; the 

 berries and bunches will both rather fall below than go 

 above the size of Delaware. Inform of bunch and berry 

 it is like the Delaware, compact and shouldered ; color 

 greenish-white with thin white bloom. Ripens early. 

 Not very productive. 



Another "White Delaware" seedling has been raised 

 by Herman Jaeger, of Neosho ; while the bunch and 

 berries closely resemble the Delaware in shape and 

 size, it has otherwise every characteristic of a Labrusca. 



Whitehall. (Labr.) An early black grape, sup- 

 posed to be a chance seedling, originated on the 

 grounds of Geo. Goodale, in Washington Co., N. Y., 

 and said to be nearly three weeks ahead of the Hart- 

 ford Prolific. Merrell & Coleman, who have intro- 

 duced this grape, describe the fruit to be of the size of 

 the Isabella ; bunch large and moderately compact, 

 color dark purple ; berries thin-skinned and adhering 

 well to the stem ; pulp tender, melting, and sweet. 

 The vine is a good grower and hardy. 



This variety may be worthy the attention of grape- 

 growers in search of very early sorts. With us, here, it 

 has proved neither very productive nor as early as was 

 claimed for it. 



White Muscat of Newburg-. (Labr. X) A seed- 

 ling of Hartford Prolific fertilized by pollen from lona, 

 raised and exhibited in 1877 by Dr. W. A. M. Culbert, 

 Newburg, N. Y. Vine hardy and a vigorous grower ; 

 bunch and berry of fair size. It has a fine Muscat aro- 

 ma, or, rather, a toned-down foxiness. 



