42 STATE P0M0L09ICAL SOCIETY. 



grape, I think it is not grown in this State except to a very limited 

 extent. I am quite sure that Mr. Goodale has introduced it and 

 is growing- it on his grounds in Saco, but I do not understand that 

 he has the vines for sale. I have not seen it myself, but it is well 

 spoken of.* I am obliged to say that one or two of the grapes 

 that our friend Dr. True has spoken of do not please me. I be- 

 lieve that we have better grapes than the Hartford Prolific or the 

 Northern Muscadine, and which we can grow as well as these. 

 The Delaware of course cannot be objected to. The fact of its 

 slow growing should not be a serious objection, for it will grow if 

 3'^ou will give it a good chance, and the fruit will be satisfactory. 

 It bears an abundance of clusters, and the size of the berries may 

 be increased by judicious thinning, as with other grapes. We 

 have many good grapes in the State for which the season is not 

 quite long enough, and they will not ripen. We can sometimes 

 ripen the Catawba and Sweetwater. We can ripen the Isabella 

 about once in six years ; I think not oftener. You remember that 

 at our first annual exhibition, at Bangor, we had grapes from Pis- 

 cataquis county. Mr. Calvin Chamberlain, a gentleman well 

 known for his interest in fruit growing, sent us grapes grown in 

 the open air on his grounds in Foxcroft. I do not remember of 

 tasting them, but tliey had the appearance of being well ripened, 

 and yet there were many sections where grapes did not fully ripen 

 that year. There is a class of grapes grown quite extensively in 

 our State — the Rogers' Hybrids, — produced by crossing some of 

 our native varieties with European varieties. Mr. Rogers pro- 

 duced a large number of these hybrids, and the same thing has 



* In answer to inquiries, Mr. Goodalk writes, under date of Feb. 19, 1877: — " I have 

 grown the Worden grape for ten years and more. Its wood and leaf resemble the Con- 

 cord, but the vine is less vigorous, and of rather slender growth The fruit also 

 resembles the Concord, — the berries rather larger, bunch hardly as compact. In some 

 years it has (in common with Concord and some others,) suffered from a disease attack- 

 ing the berries, which has lessened the crop. It inclines to over-bear, but when prop- 

 erly thinned it is not only much earlier than Concord but in quality is superior to that, 

 even at its best — (and the Concord rarely ripens fully here.) E.\cept for the two draw- 

 backs above named I would rank it, for culture in Maine, a long way ahead of any 

 other yet proved on my grounds ; and with them I would part with any other quite as 

 soon. I have no vines for sale." 



Mr. Joii.v CcHRiKR of Waldoboro', writes: — "I fruited it year bof.ro last, and did 

 not notice that it differed much from other good grapes that I have, but last year it 

 yielded a large crop and we called it decidedly the best grape that wo had The 

 berries are of good size, also the bunches, though not large. I have vines for sale." 



I also loam that it has been grown by some other members of the Society, and it 

 is hoped wo may have it at the next exhibition — Sec. 



