most unfavorable seasons. The leaf is large, dark, glossy green, 
resembling its parent Concord. The clusters are large, always well 
filled, moderately compact, generally shouldered, and often double 
shouldered; berry about the size of Concord, and retains its full size 
to the end of the cluster; it adheres firmly to the stem even when 
over ripe; flesh melting and juicy, sweet to the center, and entirely 
freejroni foxiness; skin thin, but sufficiently tough to bear packing 
and handling well. Two weeks earlier than Concord or Niagara, it 
will be readily seen that the Diamond ranks among our very earliest 
varieties. It is enormously productive, one hundred vines the third 
year from planting in our experimental vineyard having produced 
o\’cr one ton of fruit. 
HARDINESS. 
In our northern latitudes any grape which cannot successfully 
endure our long, cold and trying winters without protection must 
prove a failure for general vineyard planting. Man)' good varieties, 
having a slight tinge of foreign blood, resulting from hybridization 
with foreign sorts, have been discarded simply for this reason; the 
D1A.MOXD has always successfully withstood our winters, and come 
out sound to the very tip, without the least protection; it has a 
hardy constitution.^ which is one of the first essentials for a success- 
ful, pojnilar and profitable grape. 
5 
