THE CANADIAN HOKTlCL'LTUltlST. 157 



THE EAELY GRAPES OF 1880. 



Xot slowly, indeed, yet surely, is there progress being made in the 

 number of varieties and the quality of our early ripening grapes. It 

 is but a short time ago that we had no early sort. The Isabella and 

 Catawba were all the sorts we had, the latter rarely coming to per- 

 fection, save in the most favored locations, on the north shore of Lake 

 Erie, or on some of the islands that have now become famous for their 

 fine grapes ; the former hardly coming to perfection beyond the limits 

 of successful peach culture. Now we have many sorts of varied 

 flavors and qualities, extending their period of ripening from the latter 

 part of August until the coming of winter. 



For some time the Hartford Prolitic was our earliest grape that 

 could make any pretension to good quality. Blootl's Black is early 

 indeed, but in point of quality it is simply awful. The King became 

 l)lack early, and so did the Sherman look as though it were ripe, but 

 both of them retained such "a keen acidity that no one without making 

 a wry face could eat them before the advent of autumn frosts, which 

 seemed to be necessary to ihe amelioration of their superabundance 

 of tartaric acid. 



The advent of the Eumelan rev^t'ed the hope of an early grape of 

 better quality, and such was the promise of value, that the Fruit 

 Growers' Association imported a quantity of the vines, and presented 

 one to each member for trial. Beside this there was the Israella, 

 which it was thought would take the place of the Hartford Prolific. 

 The Perkins came in for a share of attention, and the Cassady and the 

 Telegraph. Rogers' Hybrids marked a new era, and of these the 

 Massasoit by its early ripening showed that progress in that direction 

 had not ceased. Then came the Champion, which by the great 

 hardiness and vigor of the vine and early ripening of the fruit, 

 extended the limit of grape culture far to the northward of previous 

 possibility. 



And here we seem at present to be standing, having no variety that 

 ripens any earlier than the Champion, none that possesses more vigor of 

 constitution, more able to resist cold, and to ripen its fruit in the .short 

 hot weather of northern summers, but waiting and hoping some other 

 will appear having all these very desirable characteristics, and yet better 



