1862. 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMEE. 



isi 



Delaware vs. the Concord. 



Ed. Iowa Homestead : — I have read your ex- 

 plaaation why you consider the Delaware second 

 to the Concord, but unfortunately have not the 

 copy of your valuable paper before me, in which 

 it was published, as it is kept nicely on file in 

 the library of our Horticultural Society. But 

 from memory I think you sai'i you considered 

 "the Delaware second to the Concord in all re- 

 spects except quality, in which it may excel. 

 * * * The Concord produces much larger 

 fruit, is an earlier bearer, more prolific, and a 

 stronger grower." I may not give your exact 

 words, but I believe the sense is about what you 

 have wished to convey. I have taken the liberty 

 of italicising two words, which you used, and 

 ithich I think are calculated to lead your readers 

 astray. 



You say you prefer the Concord in all re- 

 spects except quality, in which it may excel. 

 From this and your succeeding remarks, intro- 

 duced what was said by Mr. Hussman, of Saint 

 Lous, I am led to infer that you do not speak 

 from your own knowledge, but predicate your 

 theory on the experience of authority not only 

 out of this longitude, but out of this latitude 

 also ; and if I am not in error, one of the grave 

 council who voted a few years ago, to "strike the 

 Catawba from the list of grapes for general cul- 

 tivation," 'n( twithstanding its great success at 

 Cincinnati and Nauvoo, as well as in almost 

 every other locality in the Middle and Western 

 States, where it had been tried, simply for the 

 reason that it had not succeeded at Hermann. I 

 remember also that at the eame wise conclave it 

 was decided that "Norton's Virginia's Seedling" 

 was ti e best grape f jr gereral cultivation ; and I 

 think the reason was, that "there had not been a 

 well authent cated case of mildew proven against 

 it." I would answer all such arguments by of- 

 fering to substitute the common wild grape of 

 our forests, instead of every variety of cultivated 

 grapes, "because there has not been a case of 

 milt/ew known with them ;" besides, they know 

 how to take care of themselves, are very hardy, 

 &o. 



The Concord grape was recommended some 

 years ago, by Mr. Charles Downing, as "a good 

 market grape,") for the same reasons your pref- 

 erence is bnsed upon,) size, and outside appear- 

 ance. But Mr. D)wning is repentant, and "sore- 

 ly regrets that he ever made the recommenda- 

 tion," because "it has induced many persons to 

 plant of it extensively, and bow finding that 

 they can get better sorts regret that they did not 

 do 80 at first." 



The last p ir igraph is condersed from a state- 

 ment made by one of his intimate friends, before 

 the Farmers' Ciub, N Y., and I think is very 

 applicable to your case. There are hundreds 

 and perhaps thousands of people in this State, 

 looking up to you for guidance in what they 

 shall plant, and your recomiuendations sLould 

 be of that character that will stand the test of 

 time, and it is certain no g .ape, of such inferior 

 quality as the Concord, can stand very high in 

 comparison with the Catawba, Deleware, Dian- 

 na, Lincon, Lenoir, and Herbemont; all of which 



with a score of others, stand ahead of your fa- 

 vorite in quality. Then as regards the early 

 bearing, fruitfulness, &c., I can give you a chap- 

 ter from actual experiment, with the vinesside by 

 side, of the same age, the Delaware always lead- 

 ing off ahead of its coarse grained, uncouth 

 neighbor; and when they went to market, the 

 Concord went begging at twelve cents per pound 

 while the Delaware sold readily at fifty cents per 

 pound. We should be careful how we recom- 

 mend inferior "Geapes." 



Remarks. — Our correspondent quotes correct- 

 ly, and therein lie the grounds upon which we 

 based our preference for the Concord over the 

 Delaware. Although quality in any fruit, is one 

 very important desideratum, there are other con- 

 siderations to be taken into account, when mak- 

 ing up its aggregate merits. We do not "predi- 

 cate" our "knowledge," or opinion of the two 

 varieties of the grape in question, either upon 

 our own "theory," or that of any other person, 

 as implied. If the writer had followed us up, 

 for the last fourteen years of our connection 

 with an agricultural journal, he would have 

 learned ere this, that we are not much given to 

 theorizing. Put we have ever felt bound to re- 

 ceive the opinions of others, to strengthen our 

 own convictions, when given honestly and in 

 good faith. 



"In "introducing" Mr. Hussman, we did no 

 more than the writer does in quoting Mr. Down- 

 ing. It is but fair that he should accord to us, 

 and without suspicion, too, the same privilege 

 exercised by himself. 



When we see a Concord vine producing be- 

 tween four and five pounds of perfect fruit, and 

 a Delaware of the same age, and under the same 

 treatment, produce less thm one half pouxd, we 

 must believe, until otherwise convinced, that of 

 the two, the Concord is Me vine for the million — 

 that it will yield more profit to the cultivator, at 

 even twelve cents per pound, than the Delaware 

 at fifty cents. 



The BaHwin applp, so highly esteemed at the 

 East, owes its popularity, if we mistake n^t, to 

 its great productiveness, good ; ize, and fair 

 quality. The Wilson Strawberry, which is more 

 sought after than any other, owes its hgh char- 

 acter to great productiveness and size. No one 

 will pretend that it is equal in quality to some 

 other varieties that might be named. 



The writer impliedly objects to the introduc- 

 tion of Mr. Hussman in eviderce, but introdu- 

 ces Mr Downing, of New York. As Eastern 

 evidence is admis«>ible, we will produce the 

 Fruit Growers' Society of Eastern Penns-ylva- 

 ni*, who decided by vote, last fall, that the Con- 

 co'd was the best grape for general cultivation. 

 And, as it was good enough for Mr. Downing to 

 recommend at one time, he may change his taste 

 again. 



The writer seems to speak disparagingly of 

 Mr. Hussman, because he discarded the Ca'air- 

 ba, "notwithstanding its great success at Cincin- 

 nati." Will the writer look over the reports of 

 the Cincinnati Horticultural Society, and let us 

 know what trouble the mildew has given the cul- 

 tivators of the Catawba there ? 



