1S60. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



529 



DBACUT AMBER GRAPE. 

 We give below Mr. Manning's illustration 

 "Dracut Amber Orape" 

 before the public what 



and description of the 

 from a desire to brins 



that, in testing new varieties of fruits, it should 

 be left mainly to persons of experience in such 

 matters, and to those who will not feel the loss 

 of a few dollars if they prove worthless. 



some good judges of the grape have said to us is 

 a good one, and worthy of cultivation, — and not 

 because we have any knowledge of its merits our- 

 self. It is not improper for us to suggest to all, 



Mr. Editor : — I send you 

 an illustration of the Dracut 

 Amber grape, with informa- 

 tion in regard to it. Also, 

 the season of ripening of a 

 few other varietiis the pre- 

 sent year. This is a new 

 grape, but little disseminat- 

 ed; origin, Dracut, Mass., 

 from seed. It ripened this 

 season, the week before the 

 great frost, Oct. 1, wliich de- 

 stroyed most of the best class 

 of grapes for table use. 



The fact of its ripening t- n 

 days earlier than the Concord 

 grape, is sufficient proof of 

 merit. It is a strong grower, 

 hardy, great bearer, color 

 amber, or reddish tinge, clus- 

 ter large, generally compact, 

 but sometimes loose, berries 

 large, and slightly oval ; hold 

 on the cluster very well. It 

 possesses the foxy character 

 to a moderate extent. It is a 

 good eating grape, but not 

 equal to a well ripened Con- 

 cord or Isabella. It is a su- 

 perior wine grape, making a 

 large amount of light-colored 

 wine in proportion to a given 

 quantity of fruit, and con- 

 tains nearly four per cent, 

 more saccharine matter than 

 the Concord grape, according 

 to Dr. C. T. Jackson's chemi- 

 cal analysis, made in Septem- 

 ber, 1859, while testing sam- 

 ples of wine made from dif- 

 ferent native grapes by Mr. 

 Weber, agent of Patent Of- 

 fice, who was sent out to col- 

 lect promising specimens of 

 native grapes. Mr. W. took 

 seeds and cuttings of each 

 variety to Washington for 

 propagation and hybridiza- 

 tion for future improvement. 

 He examined the vine and 

 fruit in my ground, and Avas 

 well pleased with it. I caused 

 a quantity of fruit to be for- 

 warded to him, and the re- 

 sult of the test as a wine 

 grape was highly flattering. 



I exhibited the fruit at the 

 rooms of the Massachusetts 

 Horticultural Society's annu- 

 al show, in 1859 ; it was also 

 shown in 1860. No mildew was visible upon the 

 leaves or fruit the past unfavorable and wet sea- 

 son, while many of the popular kinds mildewed 

 badly, thereby preventing the fruit from ripening 

 and the wood from maturing. 



