THE GRAPE IJS KANSAS. 121 



able to educate the masses in the large cities to make the' proper distinction be- 

 tween fruit and fruit in regard to appearance and quality. It has been amusing 

 to me to speak about grapes with fairly and well-educated people in the city, and 

 finding that most of them know the Concord by name, any black grape being 

 the Concord to them. Further, they know that there is a white grape and a red 

 grape, making a total of three varieties of grapes. My friends, I am hot joking 

 or even ridiculing these people. These are generally the folks who buy a fourth 

 variety of grapes, the Calif ornian, which has all colors, is large and showy, costs 

 more than our Missouri grapes, and sometimes tastes nearly as well, but curtails 

 the profits of the Missouri grape grower. 



It is useless to say that the Concord is, or has been, a profitable grape, also 

 some seedlings of it, like Worden, Eaton, Pocklington, etc.; in fact, a black 

 grape is more profitable as a market grape than a white or red variety, though 

 Missouri Reisling, Elvira and Niagara have been profitable to me. Rogers's No. 1, 

 or Goethe, has given me the highest price in St. Louis markets; nearly double 

 the price of the Concord, while the quantity per plant was about equal. 



My new St. Louis grape has brought fair returns a seedling of the Concord, 

 tested twenty years; is less foxy, has better color, dark black, more vigorous and 

 productive, bunches more compact, making an excellent wine ; standing in quality 

 half way between Concord and Virginia Seedling. 



When I finally consider my new Hicks grape, a seedling of decided foreign 

 and native origin combined, as the best and most profitable grape of the day for 

 me, after ten years of severe trial and testing, I seem to be too egotistic, but it 

 is one of the great trio: Campbell, McPike, and Hicks. Time and trials will 

 verify my statement, that I consider it to be the great new Concord of the 

 twentieth century, which place the Hicks will conquer on its own merits alone. 

 In health and growth, it is outgrowing the best; in productiveness, it excels the 

 most productive (in 1897 one vine, three years old, second crop, had about 100 

 bunches, weighing a little over thirty-two pounds) ; in quality, equal or superior 

 to the finest of our native black grapes ; a wonderful combination of a profitable 

 table, market and wine grape. The quality of the wine has the nearest approach 

 to the finest German or French red wine, more than any other wine I ever tasted. 



Now, as I do not expect you to believe such a high statement about the Hicks 

 grape, I will be more liberal than the introducers of new fruits in general ; so, to 

 convince all doubting Thomases of the truth of my claims for my Hicks grape, 

 I will give free, to every member of the State Horticultural Society of Missouri, 

 one Hicks grape- vine as a present, for fair trial and honest report, under condi- 

 tion not to propagate for selling plants therefrom, and sending to me correct ad- 

 dress, with ten cents in stamps or silver to pay for postage and the trouble of 

 packing, which offer holds good only until December 1, 1899. New York has the 

 profitable Campbell grape ; Iowa and Illinois, the beautiful McPike grape. That 

 old, grand Missouri may own and profit by the grand Hicks grape is the sincerest 

 wish of the propagator and sole proprietor. 



