1864. 



THE ILLINOIS FARMEE. 



19 



The bunches are not uniformly so large as we some- 

 timey see them, nor are the berries equal in size to 

 the stereotype illustrations on nursery-men's cata- 

 logues, but the skin is thin, the pulp melting, the 

 juice sweet and abundant, and though the flavor 

 be somewhat musky, not to say foxy, or as some 

 salesmen expresses it, of certain varieties, "with a 

 characteristic native aroma," still it is the fiivorite 

 wii h the people, and is selling freely at double the 

 price of the Istbellas and Catawbas offered in the 

 m irkets. Indeed for general planting at every 

 man's door-stone, throughout the country, this 

 h<irdy, vigorous and productive variety, apparently 

 free fiom all the ills of grape-vines, has the highest 

 claims to universal favor. Still, some of us may 

 be allowed to have our preferences for a table grape. 

 For wine, the Concord has begun to assert its 

 claims, and a few samples have already been pre- 

 sented to the connoisieurs, who have pronouced it. 

 a promising red wine. A good deal of it has been 

 made at Herman, Mo., this year and Mr. Husraaun 

 writes me that the must weighs from 85 to 90. 



Next is the Diana, which is vigorous and pro- 

 ductive the bunch compact, the berries of beautiful 

 color tough skin, and rather firm pulp, juice sweet 

 and having a peculiar flavor, which has been called 

 "feline." The thickness of skin enables this grape 

 to be kept a long time, so as to be on sale in the 

 Christmas holidays — when it eommads a high price. 

 The wine from this grape is very highly flavored 

 with the aforesaid /e^me, and though peculiar, and 

 at first perhaps repulsive, it strangely grows on 

 one's afiections; it will be valuable for mingling 

 with the juice of some other grapes of less decided 

 character ; the ^eZaware itself has been suggested 

 as one that might borrow piquancy from the I)iana. 

 The Delaware has succeeded admirably in this 

 vineyard, where it has been extensively grown, and 

 with such success as to induce much further plant- 

 ing ; Mr, Knox has several acres in course of prep- 

 aration for vineyard, and extended nursery rows of 

 the vines produced this year, stand ready to be set 

 in their future stations. Whatever complaints 

 may be made of this variety elsewhere, and some 

 of us have had our tronbles with the slender little 

 things for which we have paid our money, this vine 

 appears to find a congenial sail upon the coal meas- 

 ures of the Monongahela hills. Three years old plants 

 have made a splendid growth of firm, close-jointed 

 wood, and in many cases the vines have completely 

 covered the trellis, and run along on the top — sev- 

 eral shoots were seen of at least twelve feet in 

 length, and in most cases there were more than the 

 the regular apportionment of eight canes to the 

 vine, as well as an abundant crop of fruit. This 

 grape has attained so much attention of late years, 

 and is so familiar to the horticulturists of our coun- 

 try, that it is not worth while to describe its beau- 

 tiful clusters of transparent, rosy berries — thickly 

 spread along the vines. The wine is attracting 

 great attention, and $5 per gallon has been refused 

 for that made by Mr. Mottier, near our city, who 

 has had perfect success in growing this grape here. 

 The weight of the must with him iu September was 

 102 — Mr. Werk's, (probably the first run) weighed j 

 108. The wine sells at $24 per box or dozen. 

 The vines, once established, bear most abundantly, 

 and the luscious fruit is only too sweet for most 

 palates, as a tablegrape, and to be eaten as honey 

 rather than as food. The fruit sells at Pittsburgh 

 for fifty cents a pound. 



The Union Village is also quite a successful grape 

 with Mr.Knox ; on account of its great size and fair 

 quality, commands a high price, bringing fifty cents 

 a pound. The vine is vigorous and productive, but 

 the fruit is to much like the Isabella to give much 

 encouragement to wine-growers; it is essentially 

 an amateur and market fruit. The excessive growth 

 of the canes on this vine renders it somewhat ten- 

 der, but I did not hear any complaints in this re- 

 gard where the growth is diffused upon the trellis, 

 as the canes are not then so rank. 



The Herbemont showed all its vigor and greenness 

 of foliage even at this late date, making a perfect 

 screen of the trellis, and the numerous large clus- 

 ters, thickly packed with the delicious, yinous, 

 dark-colored berries, were almost concealed from 

 view. This vine is somewhat t ender, and the canes, 

 like those of the Diana, are taken down and cover- 

 ed with earth in the winter, but the fruit is so spicy, 

 and so free from pulp, it is fully appreciated by the 

 proprietor, who rates it among the best table grapee. 



Its qualities for wine are well known here. The 

 must this year weighs 101. 



The Msinboro, an old variety but not generally 

 cultivated, is a prime favorite with Mr. Knox, on 

 account of it« hardiness, productiveness, and the 

 rich sweetness of its small, dark-blue berries, with 

 rt d juice ; the bunches are rather large, loose and 

 shouldered. The grape is desirable for table and 

 for wine. 



The Hartford Prolific is an early variety, ripen- 

 ing its fruit for market early in September. The 

 vine is hardy, vigorous, and very productive, yieldT 

 ing more than fifty pounds at four years. The friiit 

 is not first-rate, but very desirable for market. 



The berries do not drop, as reported heretofore. 



The Crevding is winning favor wherever known. 



The vine is vigorous, hardy, and promises to be 

 productive. The bark and leaf-stalks are very red ; 

 the foliage is smooth, the angles pointed deeply 

 lobed and healthy. The bunch is loose, the berries 

 rather large, and blue, soft and melting, rather 

 sweet — a fine market variety; ripening at Pitts- 

 burgh August 24, it makes a fine market fruit. 



The Tokalon is moderately vigorous, but does 

 not appear to be very productive. The foliage is 

 good, healthy, angular, pointed and pubescent. 



The bunches large, loos?, and the berries are 

 rather large, blue, soft and melting. They hold 

 tenaciously to the btanch, which makes this grape 

 desirable for late use It is sweet and not musky ; 

 quality from good to better — a table grape. Though 

 well favored enough, it can scarcely be said to jus- 

 tify its cognomen, which means, emphatically. The 

 Beautiful. 



Since there is a great desire with the public, and 

 especially with amateurs, for white or light colored 

 grapes, they may now be gratified by cultivatiig 

 several varieties of this character. 



The Taylor or BuUitt^ is one of the most promi?- 

 ing of this class. The wood is very vigorous, but 

 slender, and of abrowapale color, with some bloom, 

 the joints are rather long, but the canes exceeded 

 the hight of the trellis. The foliage is good, angu- 

 lar, serrated and smooth. The bunches upon these 

 young thriftily growing vines, were small and com- 

 pact, crowded with rather small, green, amber col- 

 ored, red, and dull red berries, which are melting 

 and juicy, slightly pulpy, wild sub-acid to rich sweet; 

 a very good table grape, ripening September 20. 



