56 



BUSHBEEG CATALOGUE. 



1798, from an old vine growing on the planta- 

 tion of Judge Huger, Columbia, 8. C. Mr. 

 Nicholas Herbemont, an enterprising and en- 

 thusiastic cultivator of the grape, found it 

 there, and from its vigorous growth and per- 

 fect acclimation at first correctly supposed it 

 was a native ; he was afterwards informed, in 

 1834, that it had been received from France, and 

 he believed it. But the same grape was also 

 found growing wild in Warren County, Ga., 

 and is there known as the Warren grape. The 

 best authorities now class it as a member of the 

 ^Estivalis family of the south a native grape, 

 truly called by Downing, "Bags of Wine." 

 One of the very best and most reliable grapes 

 for both table and wine, especially adapted for 

 our hillsides on limestone soil. It should not be 

 planted further north, and even here should be 

 covered in winter. For those who have gone 

 to this slight trouble it has nearly always pro- 

 duced a splendid crop, and has been so enor- 

 mously productive that it richly repaid the little 

 additional labor. To some of our Southern 

 States this grape will be a mine of wealth. 

 Bunches very large, long, shouldered and com- 

 pact ; berries small, black, with a beautiful blue 

 bloom; skin thin, flesh sweet, without pulp, 

 juicy and high-flavored; ripens late, a few 

 days after Catawba. Roots of medium thick- 

 ness, with a smooth, hard liber, resisting to the 

 Phylloxera in France as well as here. Canes 

 stout, heavy and long ; laterals well-developed. 

 Wood hard, with a medium-sized pith, and thick 

 firm outer bark. Vine a very vigorous grower, 

 with the most beautiful foliage ; not subject to 

 mildew, and but very little to rot; in rich soil 

 it is somewhat tender, makes too much wood, 

 and seems less productive, while in warm and 

 rather poor limestone soil, with southern expo- 

 sure, it is perfectly healthy, and enormously 

 productive, except in very unfavorable seasons, 

 when all half- tender varieties will fail. Mr. 

 Werth, of Richmond, Va., says: I have found 

 the most uniformly abundant, healthy, and 

 thoroughly ripened crop, for successive seasons, 

 on low, imperfectly drained, and rather com- 

 pact soil. The accompanying illustration gives 

 an idea of the beauty and richness of the bunch. 

 Specific gravity of must about 90. The pure 

 juice pressed, without mashing the grapes, 

 makes a white wine, resembling delicate Ilaen- 

 ish wines; if fermented on the husks about 

 forty-eight hours, it will make a very fine pale 

 red wine. The French wine judges at Mont- 

 pelier, pronounced it " assez agreable, rappel- 

 lant le gout des vins de Test de la France." 



It seems that but very few seedlings of the 

 Herbemont have been raised ; at least we know 

 of none that were disseminated. One Herbe- 

 mont seedling is mentioned by Dr. Warder, in 

 his description of the " Longworth School of 

 Vines." The Pauline (see description) may, 

 perhaps, be a seedling of Herbemont ; the Mus- 

 cogee also ; but little is known of these varieties. 

 If WE intended to raise new seedlings (which 

 we do not) we would select the Herbemont in 

 preference to almost any other variety. 



Hattie, or Hettie. There are three grapes under 

 this name, or under conflicting descriptions. One 

 originated with Mrs. N. R. Haskel, Monroe, Mich; de- 

 scribed as a bright, clear red, translucent grape. The 

 other, introduced by E. Y. Teas, of Richmond, Ind. , 

 as a large, oval, black, grape, "earlier, larger and 

 better than Concord and Isabella." And another of un- 

 known origin. Bunch small; ~berry black; flesh some- 

 what pulpy; a poor grower and bearer, but ripens 

 early. All three are unknown here. 



Herbert. (Rogers' No. 44.) Labrusca, im- 

 pregnated by Black Hamburg. Bunch large, 

 rather long and loose ; berry large size, round, 

 sometimes a little flattened; black ;' flesh very 

 sweet and tender. Early and productive. 



Hermann. This new wine grape is a seed- 

 ling of Norton's Virginia, raised by Mr. F. Lan- 

 gendoerfer, near Hermann, Mo. The original 

 vine had fruited in 1863 with its originator, and 

 grafts of it fruited abundantly in 1864. It has 

 now been tested for nearly ten years, in various 

 places, and proved itself without a fault as to 

 growth, foliage and fruit. On trying the must 

 on Oechsle's scale it showed 96, and has since 

 varied from 94 to 105. Bunch long and nar- 

 row, seldom shouldered, compact, often nine 

 inches long; the shoulders, if there are any, 

 having the appearance of a separate bunch; 

 berry small, about same size as Norton's, round, 

 black with blue bloom, moderately juicy, never 

 rots or mildews, and ripens very late, a few days 

 later than the Norton's. The juice is of a 

 brownish yellow, making a wine of the color of 

 brown Sherry or Madeira, of great body and of 

 very fine flavor, resembling Madeira. Our 

 friend Sam. Miller says : There is a peculiar fra- 

 grance about the wine of the Hermann that no 

 other American grape possesses, and were I a 

 teetotaler in drinking, I should like to have 

 wine of it, just for the pleasure of smelling it. 

 I propose for its wine the name of "Harmony,'* 

 for such it will produce. The French judges, 

 at the Congres de Montpellier, pronounce the 

 Hermann " Men droit de gout, particulierement 

 bon and corse." Vine a strong grower, and 

 very productive, resembling the Norton's in 



