Home  OF  THE  Green  Mountain  Grape.  large,  of  the  Connecticut  State  Horticultural  Society,  The  Green  Mountain  Grape. 
The  firm  of  Stephen  Hoyt’s  Sons  of  New  Canaan,  of  the  Connecticut  State  hoard  of  Agriculture  and,  in  The  Messrs.  Hoyt  have  been  specially  well  known 
Conn.,  is  well-known  in  the  nursery  trade,  not  only  in  addition  to  these,  many  noted  horticulturists  and  to  horticulturists  for  a  few  years  past,  as  the  intro- 
New  England,  but  generally  through  the  Middle  and  others  interested  in  rural  pursuits.  The  early  part  of  ducers  of  the  Green  Mountain  Grape,  and  a  part  of  our 
Western  States.  It  was  established  by  Stephen  Hoyt  the  day  was  spent  in  driving  about  these  wonderful  purpose  in  visiting  their  charming  place  was  to  see 
in  1849;  latei  his  two  sons  became  partners  and  in  nurseries.  About  200  acres  of  land  are  planted  to  this  excellent  grape  in  its  home.  Their  vineyard  is  on 
1879,  at  his  death,  succeeded  to  the  business  which  young  trees  and  a  more  beautiful  sight  it  would  be  hard  land  sloping  to  the  north— decidedly  unfavorable  for 
they  have  since  carried  on  under  the  firm  name  of  to  find.  Not  less  than  15  acres  were  in  young  peach  earliness,  yet  on  September  1  the  Green  Mountain 
Stephen  Hoyt  s  Sons.  The  place  contains  about  GOO  trees — part  budded  last  year  and  ready  for  the  fall  was  ripe  enough  to  market — not  dead  ripe  nor  at  its 
acres  of  land  Connecticut  land,  io-day  it  is  in  a  trade,  and  part  just  budded  which  will  take  another  best,  but  fairly  well  ripened.  Another  week  would 
fertile  condition,  freed  from  stones  and  marsh  in  season.  They  also  grow  very  largely  of  apple,  plum  have  made  it  perfect.  Hut,  when  we  reflect  that  the 
shape  for  work  which  needs  to  be  done  in  the  best  and  forest  trees  as  well  as  of  all  the  small  fruits —  season  is  almost  if  not  quite  a  week  late,  the  condition 
possible  manner.  What  it  has  cost  to  reduce  this  strawberries,  raspberries,  currants,  blackberries,  etc.  of  the  grape  was  such  that  no  one  can  question  its 
HYDRANGEA  PAN1CULATA  GRANDIFLORA  IN  S.  HOYT’S  SONS’  NURSERY.  Fig.  251. 
naturally  rough,  much  of  it  rocky  land  to  its  present  Their  nursery  stock  was  all  in  the  most  thrifty  con-  claims  of  being  an  early  variety.  The  vines  were 
fertile  condition,  it  would  be  hard  to  tell.  Hut  it  has  dition  possible  and  showed  painstaking  and  thorough  heavily  loaded  with  fruit.  One  notable  feature  was 
taken  the  labors  of  more  than  one  generation,  who  cultivation.  the  most  marked  tendency  of  the  bunches  to  shoulder, 
have  successively  compelled  an  inhospitable  soil  to  One  of  the  most  beautiful  sights  we  have  ever  seen  scarcely  a  bunch  being  found  without  one,  and  the 
become  a  blooming,  fertile  and  productive  tract.  It  was  a  plantation  of  young  Hydrangea  paniculata  gran-  shoulder  seemed  in  many  cases  almost  as  large  as  the 
is  a  monument  of  Connecticut  patience  and  of  Yankee  diflora.  There  were  about  a  dozen  rows,  each  per-  parent  bunch.  The  foliage  was  vigorous  and  clean, 
thrift— a  perpetual  object-lesson  to  the  sluggards  in  haps  30  rods  in  length  and  every  bush  was  loaded  with  and  the  vines  generally  looked  thrifty  and  healthy, 
agriculture,  which  they  would  be  wise  to  study.  its  beautiful  blooms— great  masses  of  white,  slowly  We  have  eaten  some  of  the  grapes  picked  a  few  days 
It  has  been  the  custom  for  several  years  past  to  turning  to  a  copperisli  pink  and  bending  down  under  later  which  were  perfectly  ripe.  We  have  only  good 
have  what  is  known  as  a  “  Field  Day  ”  on  the  farm  of  their  weight.  One  can  hardly  imagine  the  attractive-  words  for  it.  The  pulp  is  tender,  generally  with  but 
Stephen  Hoyt’s  Sons,  and  in  compliance  with  an  in-  ness  of  this  great  mass  of  flowers,  nor  how  intensely  a  single  seed,  sweet  and  sprightly,  and  free  from  foxi- 
vitation,  a  representative  of  I  he  Rlral  New-Yorker  it  appealed  to  the  taste  of  a  lover  of  flowers,  fresh  ness.  The  variety  is  deserving  of  a  general  planting, 
journeyed  thither  on  the  morning  of  September  1st.  from  the  city  streets.  It  was  so  beautiful  that  we  have  and  is  especially  valuable  for  sections  where  the 
1  here  were  present  representatives  of  the  press  at  had  it  reproduced  from  a  photograph  ;  see  Fig.  251.  season  is  too  short  for  the  majority  of  our  grapes. 
