[From “Popular Gardening,” December, i889. “Horticultural Notes by Judge 
Samuel Miller, of Missouri.” 
“ New Grapes.” 
“Among the new varieties I notice an important one not often 
enough mentioned. Moore’s Diamond has fruited with me three years, 
and is so superior to any other white grape we have that all others are 
left in the shade in point of quality. While the Niagara, Pockling- 
ton, and Empire State are fully what is claimed for them, the Dia- 
mond is equal to any of them in size of bunch, and nearly so in 
berry ; the vine is of the hardiest kind, vigorous and healthy, very 
productive, and in quality forty per cent, better than either. It is 
the coming light grape, or is rather here to stay.” 
[From Vick’s Magazine, May. 1888.] 
“ A Raisin Grape.” 
The raisin industry of California promises to become very impor- 
tant and quite remunerative. The climate of the central and 
southern part of the state is most favorable for drying fruit, and 
there is the center of this enterprise. The two important factors in 
raisin-making are a suitable variety of grape, and a dry climate — 
one not subject to dews, fogs or rains for weeks while the fruit is 
drying. Though the region of California mentioned is not e.xempt 
from fogs and rains, yet they are infrequent, and the necessity of 
protection to the drying fruit is not experienced often enough to 
make that feature of the work very burdensome. The variety of 
grape from which the raisins are made is the Muscat of Ale.vandria, 
which is better known to most of our readers as the Malaga grape of 
the shops, which comes to us from Spain, packed in cork dust, in small 
casks. A white grape makes a raisin of better color than a red or 
dark one, though in Europe both red and black varieties are used to 
some extent. In Santa Clara County, California, where the temper- 
mature at the drying season is not so high, nor the air so dry as more 
i southern counties, the grape growers have resorted to the use of 
grape dryers or evaporators, and with success, and the practice is 
extending ; many tons of raisins were' made there, in that manner, 
II 
