Vol. XXXVIII. No. 49, 
Whole No. 1558. 
Price Five Cents, 
32.00 Per Year. 
lEutored according to Act of CougresB, iu the year im, by the Rural Publishing Company, in the office of the Librarian of Congress at Washington. — Entered at the Post-Office at Now York City. N. Y., as second-class matter.] 
grapes of recent origin, namely, Pocklingtou, 
Niagara, Noah, Prentiss, etc. Dachess, how¬ 
ever, cannot be regarded us an early grape, 
ripening as it does with, or a little later thau, 
the Concord: Vwl what grape growers will be 
most pleased to bear—and on which most of 
its permanency and popularity must rest—it is 
said to be one of tbe best of keepers, and—what 
seems strauge for a thin-skinned grape, yet is 
assured as true—it is an excellent shipping sort. 
In eonclusion, I would state that, after a 
somewhat close scrutiny of the Duchess for 
some years, from Its “combination of excel¬ 
lencies” aud freedom from defects I esteem it 
a variety well worthy the attention of both the 
amateur and professional grower of this pop¬ 
ular fruit. 
Little Silver, N. J. 
foreign sorts, adheres to the flesh, so that one 
is tempted to eat skin and all. It is semi- 
transpareut; clings to the peduucle firmly; is 
sweet and yet sprightly enough to be very 
pleasant. The buuch is shouldered and com¬ 
pact. At this time the bnuches Bent to us by 
Messrs. Farley it Anderson, are as sound as if 
lately picked from the vines. No doubt the 
Duchess is a good keeper aud carries well. 
THE DUCHESS GRAPE 
Ever since the introduction of the Concord, 
grape growers have been seeking for a grape 
possessing all its merits—with perchance some 
of its demerits—aud while or amber m color ; 
as it has long been known that white grapes 
meet a more ready sale aud command better 
prices In market thau those of any other color. 
When the Martha was produced, the venders 
of the vines shouted “Eureka" aud called it 
“ White Concord;” but time has proven that 
while it possesses the very important points of 
vigor and hardiness of vine, early maturity 
aud certainty of a crop, It Is quite too crude 
aud foxy to ever be considered a first- 
class grape. Many years passed and 
many varieties were produced almost all 
of which quickly passed into oblivion, 
until the public was given the Lady. This 
grape most surety surpasses by far any 
of its predecessors, being a pure seedling 
of the Concord and possessing the sterling 
qualities of its parent, with the additions 
of ripening very early and being less 
harsh. In the opinion of the writer. Ibis 
may he regarded as a really good grupc, 
and is justly entitled to the extended sale 
and warm welcome it has received 
through the country: but, alas! it, too, Eg 
has a failing—it is found to be a poor n 
keeper. For home use, it is undoubtedly 
the best white grape yet introduced for 
general planting. 
Now comes the Duchess, which is be¬ 
lieved to possess more merits and those 
of a higher quality than any other white 
grape. It is a seedling from a seedling 
of the Concord, crossed with one of the ) 
hybrids—Walter I think—aud, what is 
unusual, it has beeu tested for ten years 
before being offered for sale, aud that, i 
too, in many uud widely separated parts L 
of the country. From this thorough trial, ^ 
extending from the north to the south, it y< 
has been proved to be of general adnpta- /■:|| 
bility, to possess equal hardiness of vine, 
and that both vine and fruit are exempt A 
from mildew and other diseases and the fa 
depredations of insects to the same 
marked degree as the '* old reliable ” 
Concord, with even greater productive- , 
ness and growth of vine. The berries are I 
greenish-white, round, medium to small & 
and possess the valuable properties of 
being one-seeded and clinging to the 
stems so firmly as to remain on the viue 
until winter, if left ungather d. Bunch 
good-sized to large — selected clusters 
measuring eight inches in length aud 
weighing a pound—compact, long, quite 
often Shouldered,as shown in the engrav¬ 
ing, and decidedly haudsoine. 
The reliability of the vine, together 
with the size and beauty of its fruit, 
would be sufficient to warrant the dis¬ 
semination of this grape, even were it of 
but ordinary quality ; but its excellence 
in thiB particular is one of its leuding 
merits ; for among all hardy grapes of 
any color whatsoever, I kuow of none so 
refined. The skiu is thin uud free from 
the acidity so common with American 
grapes: flesh leuder, without pulp, sur¬ 
passingly rich, sweet, aud sprightly, free 
from foxluess, with no unpleasant taste 
at the center, and breaking like the for¬ 
eign grapes. I can best state its superior 
quality by Btating that the Committee on 
New Native Fruits, of the American Po- 
mological Society, ut the reeeut meeting 
held ut Kochester, awarded the Duchess 
the palm of superiority of flavor over all 
others, Including many of the new white 
NOTES FROM THE RURAL GROUNDS 
Germination of Seeds. 
Quite a number of our friends have written 
us that some kinds of the seeds we have sent 
them did not grow. Others have written that 
Duchess. —Berries of medium size, light 
green. The skin is thin aud the flesh, as in 
