148 T'HG CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



extreme heat of tlie latter part of August and the first days of 

 .September, and this had the effect of hastening the ripening of the 

 later varieties of grapes, so that the interval between the earliest and 

 later sorts has beea very much sliortened, and we have the Concords 

 following in quick succession upon the heels of the Hartford Prolific. 

 The varieties first to ripen in the writer's grounds were the Champion 

 ^nd Moore's Early. There seemed to be no difference in the time of 

 ripening of these two grapes ; but there is a great difference in quality 

 and flavor. The Champion is much inferior in this respect to Moore's 

 early, and we predict that in time it will be superseded as an early 

 market sort by the Moore's Early. The Champion possesses the 

 advantage of being a more vigorous grower, and at three years of age 

 the vine will be fully twice as large as that of Moore's Early, and at 

 that age is capable of yielding a much larger quantity of fruit. The 

 two vines, however, appear to be equally hardy and capable of 

 resisting any amount of cold, both ripening their wood early and 

 perfectly. We believe they can both be grown anywhere that any 

 grape will grow^ and will both ripen their fruit every year. The 

 Champion has been fruited at Winnipeg, in Manitoba, with complete 

 success, and in a year or so more the Moore's Early will have been 

 tried there also. 



Next to these, and with less interval of time than last year between 

 their periods of ripening, came the Massasoit (Eogers Na 3). This 

 is a large red grape, having the flavor that is noticeable in all the 

 Eogers varieties, and while large in berry is usually small in bunch, 

 -a good-sized, well-formed bunch being the exception. It is never- 

 theless a good variety to have in one's garden on account of its time 

 >of ripening and the large size of the berries,. but is not likely to prove 

 to be a popular market sort on account of its defective clusters. 



Hartford Prolific comes next in time of ripening. In the writer's 

 estimation this is a poor grape, but little better than the Champion in 

 quality; yet, hitherto, on account of its early ripening, it has been 

 found to be a profitable market sort. The vine is not as hardy as 

 either of those previously mentioned, and will not be likely to with- 

 stand the cold -of our severe latitudes. Better grapes, ripening as 

 early, wUl soon crowd out the Hartford Prolific. 



The Hartford Prolific was but fairly ripe when it was discovered 

 that the extreme heat had brought on all at once a liost of other sorts 



