394 



GRAPES IN FLORIDA— NEW AND OLD VARIETIES. 



^ared to give an opinion ; vines will be cheaper, too. 

 In the Horticiilttiral Art Journal of September, i8go, I 

 read : " Ellwanger& Barry, of this city (Rochester, N. Y ) 

 make the assertion, backed up by what seems undisput- 

 able testimony, that 'Winchell,' which they have been 

 offering in their catalogues for the past five or six years, 

 and the Green Mountain are identical, and come from 

 the same source. In such a case, what becomes of the 

 trade-mark, copyright, etc. ?" 



Moyer. — Originated some eight years ago in Lincoln 

 county, Ontario, Canada, and is said to be a cross be- 

 tween Delaware and some purely native variety. At 

 first sight, however, any one familiar with Canada grapes 

 will see that Moyer must be a cross between Delaware 

 and some of Arnold's hybrids, probably the very early 

 grape Brandt, which accounts for its earliness and also its 

 propensity to mildew. The Moyer vines I bought two 

 years ago were very small, propagated from one eye cut- 

 tings, and although ornamented with the great seal of the 

 company, they did not thrive. Three or four were killed 

 by the freeze of March, 1890; the others are looking 

 sickly, with a poor showing of fruit. The leaves and 

 young shoots are affected with anthracnose. Among the 

 testimonials printed in the circular of the Moyer, there 

 is not one from outside the province of Ontario, Canada. 



IVkiie Diamond. — This is undoubtedly the most prom- 

 ising of all the new varieties of grape vines, and it is 

 planted much more extensively than any other, owing to 

 its now well-established reputation of being a strong 

 growing and heavy bearing vine, producing the best 

 American white grape in existence. Thousands of acres 

 are going to be set out next season. A new company, 

 known as the Boyer Diamond Grape Company, has been 

 formed by capitalists of Rochester, N. Y., where this 

 variety originated, and expects to set out, this spring, 100 

 acres at Farmer Village, Seneca county, N. Y. 



E. P. Powell, of Oneida, N. Y., writes in Popular Gar- 

 dening: " Diamond, a superb white grape, with splendid 

 foliage, splendid bunches, and a large berry. Diamond 

 is like wine. It ran be recommended in highest terms." 

 From a correspondent in the Rural Nezv- Yorker : " Dia- 

 mond is now well tested, and proves good everywhere." 

 From a correspondent in Popular Gardening: "Diamond 

 has fruited with me three years and is so superior to any 

 other white grape we have, that such others are left in 



the shade in point of quality." In the Horticultural Ar^ 

 Journal, twenty-five nurserymen having made an inves- 

 tigation of the White Diamond vineyards, near Roches- 

 ter, came to the following conclusion : " We regard this 

 (Diamond), all things considered, as the best white grape 

 we have seen this season." 



Now how about the Diamond in Florida ? Over 4,000 

 vines were planted last season (I mean in the spring 

 of iSgo), and most of the parties who set them out report 

 that they are pleased with their growth. Mr. George 

 Zellhofer, of Grand Island, Fla. , says: "I have both 

 Niagara and Diamond growing side by side. The Dia- 

 mond is fully as healthy as the Niagara, and in starting 

 out this spring, it is in advance of the latter." Mr. Geo. 

 D. Watson, of Windsor, Fla., writes: "My Diamond 

 grew finely — better than any of my other vines. " Around 

 Orlando, some Diamond vines seem not to have given 

 satisfaction, but they had probably been frozen a few 

 days after planting, which weakens some varieties of 

 grape vines forever. I purpose to investigate the matter, 

 and next month visit all the Diamond vineyards in the 

 state. In my own vineyards, the growth of Diamond 

 vine surpassed that of Niagara of same age, being, next 

 to Old Fort, the most vigorous of all my vines of the 

 labrusca family. 



Old Fort. — This grape, found wild by a friend of mine 

 in the mountains of North Carolina, should not, perhaps 

 find a place in this nomenclature of valuable novelties, 

 as it has no pretention to being very fine, and looking 

 like a Jiot-hoiise grape ; but it is so early, so vigorous and 

 so prolific that it will prove of some value to those who 

 cannot raise the finer sorts. 



The two last seasons have been very unfavorable for 

 the testing of new varieties, on account of severe spring 

 frosts, which injured the young vines before they made 

 roots strong enough to ever recuperate from so much 

 waste of sap. Fortunately, such unseasonable frosts are 

 of rare occurrence in this climate, and should not dis- 

 courage any grape grower. 



My advice to beginners in grape culture is to go slow 

 in the planting of new varieties not yet sufficiently tested 

 in this state ; try those which are said to do well else- 

 where, and plant largely only of those you have seen 

 giving satisfaction in your section. — E. Dubois, before 

 last meeting of Florida Horticultural Society. 



