THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
FAIR NO. 
%\t ihttprlr. 
OUR NEW GRAPES. 
D. S. MARVIN. 
In discussing the subject of new seedling 
Grapes, if the names of the originators were 
mentioned, it would be a delicate task to avoid 
giving offence to their over-sauguiue owners. 
It'will be better, therefore, to discuss the lead¬ 
ing rules and principles that should govern 
our choice in making our selections. This 
plan will enable those who are not conversant 
with the subject to make their own selections, 
without arousing any ill feeling against those 
who present to the public tbe results of careful 
experience. 
Grape culture 16 like any other ouslnees—it 
must be made to pay. Nurserymen give high 
prices for new vines, and propagate them as 
rapidly as possible, without stopping to fruit 
them to test their value. In the Atlantic States 
this industry commenced with the importation 
and trial of varieties of the Vitis vleifera, or 
European vine, and proved a hopeless failure, 
except for amateurs aud hot-house purposes. 
The next trial was made with varieties of our 
Labrusca class of Grapes, native to our South 
Atlantic seaboard, the Catawba and Isabella. 
This was u great advance, but these were at 
length found not well adapted for general cul¬ 
ture in our more northern States, the Catawba 
mildewing and both proving more or less ten-" 
der. The next aud more hopeful trials were 
made with some of our JEstivalis Grapes, such 
as Norton's Virginia, Cuuningbam, etc. Iu 
the meantime our northern Labrusca Grapes, 
such as Concord, Ives’s Seedling, etc., were 
introduced, aud soon became very popular ; 
also our Cordifolia class, the Clinton, Taylor’s 
Bullet, etc., while upou the South Atlantic 
seaboard still auother, the Vitis vulpina, or 
Senppernong class, became popular in its own 
locality. 
Amidst such heterogenous materials all ex¬ 
cept the specialist is more or less lost. Iu this 
rapid survey the wealth aud abundance of the 
classes and varieties of our new Grapes form 
the one promising feature. I cannot stop uow 
to look into the further complications produced 
by the introduction of varieties aud classes 
still wild or seldom cultivated. 
From the long list of Grapes already in cul¬ 
tivation we must reject all kinds fouud to be 
worthless or unsuited to our climate. First, 
then, we must reject all European Grapes, aud 
generally their hybrids with our natives. Ex¬ 
cept for amateur or hot-house culture, no sort 
of mixing lias ever eliminated their defects for 
our climate. We can uext throw out the 
Seuppernong class, as only valuable in the 
maritime districts of the South. This leaves 
us three classes for the Northern States—Vitis 
iEstivalis, Vitis Labrusca and Vitis Cordifolia, 
valuable in the order iu which,they are named. 
There are numerous varieties of each, as well 
as hybrids of kdowu aud unknown mixture. 
More tbau half, however, belong to our north¬ 
ern Labrusca class aud Its hybrids. Tbe last 
will probably come from our iEstivalis class 
ami their hybrids with La¬ 
brusca and Cordifolia classes. 
Labrusca Grapes are most 
subject to mildew; the other 
classes differ but little iu their 
liability to the attacks of this 
sort of dangerous discuses. 
Nearly all our native Grapes, 
and especially our Cordifolia 
and Labrusca classes, are de¬ 
fective in their fructify lug or¬ 
gans, the stamens being usu¬ 
ally more defective thau the 
pistils. Persons originating 
new varieties should study 
Uiese several defects aud lia¬ 
bilities to disease, aud aim to 
avoid them aud combine the 
good qualities of the best 
classes and varieties. This 
task will be difficult, but by 
working through long peri¬ 
ods of time, we are enabled 
t© control the occult for¬ 
ces of nature. Hybrids of Grapes, like hy¬ 
brids of domestic animals, cannot usually 
be depended upou to perpetuate or intensify 
increased excellences; to do this we must go 
back to seedlings crossed upon the best parent 
Pfass. No seedling, for instauce, of the Dela¬ 
ware—and they are numerous—has ever been 
found equal to its parent. We should notsooften 
compare our native with the European Grapes 
—each kind lias its merits and uses. Owiug 
to stronger potency, ours can alone he grown 
for field culture. We must, then, select from 
our native sorts, aud (lie best varieties of these 
are not inferior to the Grapes of Europe. 
The following is a botanicul classification of 
Grapes. 
[iEs. meaus iEstivalis; Cor. Cordifolia; Lab. 
Labrusca; V. and L. Viuifera and Labrus¬ 
ca, Hybrid; C. aud L. Cordifolia and Labrus¬ 
ca, Hyb. ;W. <& C. Vlnlfera & Cordifolia, Hyb.j 
Adirondac, Lab.; Agawam, V. and L. Hyb.; 
Autuchon, V. aud C. Hyb.; ^Brighton, V. and 
L. Hyb. ; ♦Champion, Lab.; *Croton, V. and L. 
Hyb.; Creveliug, Lab.; Concord. Lab.; Cot¬ 
tage, Lab.; Delaware, C. and L, Hyb. ; ♦Eume- 
lau, iEs.; Hartford Prolific, Lab.; Iona, Lab.; 
I8raella, Lab.; Janesville, Cor.; ♦Lady, Lab.; 
Martha. Lab.; Mary Ann, Lab.; Merrimao, V. 
and L. Hyb.; Massasoit, V. and L. Hyb.. 
Northern Muscadine, Lab.; Othello, N. and C. 
Hyb.; Rebecca, Lab.; Salem, V. and L. Hyb.; 
♦Senesqua.V. and L. Hyb.; LTnion Village, Lab.; 
Wilder, V. and L. Hyb.; ♦Walter, C. and L. 
Hyb.; ♦White Delaware, C. and L. Hyb.; 
♦Whitehall, Lab.; *Worden, Lab.; * Advance, C. 
and V. Hyb.; Alexander, Lab.: Adelaide, V. 
and L. Hyb.; Aletlia. Lab.; Albino, Lab.; Allen’s 
Hybrid, V. andL.; Alvey, iEs: Amanda, Lab.; 
♦Aiuinla, V. aud L. Hyb.; Anna, Lab.; Barry, V. 
and 0. Hyb.; Belvidere, Lab.: ♦Black Defiance, 
V. and L. Hyb.; ♦Black Eagle, V. and L. Hyb.; 
Black Hawk, Lab.< *Braut, V. and C. Hyb.; 
principles that will, I trust, enable the readers 
of the Rural to select their new vines intel¬ 
ligently. Before ordering a new Grape refer 
to the above list of botanical classes; see 
whether the Grape you are think lug of order¬ 
ing is a foreign, a native, or a hybrid; find out 
Its parentage; judge of the class, or classes, 
to which It belongs, as to hardiness and tend¬ 
encies to mildew ; ascertain the character of 
its reproductive organs; see that these are not 
defective, and if the order be discreetly made, 
the selected vines will usually give profit and 
pleasure to their owners. 
|)oniologiral, 
FAIRS AS EDUCATORS IN POMOLOGY. 
PRESIDENT T. T. LYON. 
To the agriculturist proper, the office of 
Ipomcea Leptophylla.—Man-Root. 
J ♦Cambridge,Lab.; ♦Canada,V.andC. Hyb.;Cas- 
| sidy,Lab.; ♦Challenge,V. andL. Ilyb.; ♦Concord 
{ Chaaselas, V. and L. Hyb.; ♦Concord Muscat, 
j V. and L. Hyb.; ♦Cornucopia, V. aud C. Hyb.; 
I ♦Diana Hamburg, V. aud L. Hyb.; ♦Don Juan, 
V. and L. Hyb.; ♦Elvira, Cor.; Hermann, xEs.; 
♦Hiuc, Lab.; ♦Humboldt, vEs ; Uuutlugtou, 
Cor.; ♦Irwing, V. aud L. Hyb.; ♦Ithaca. V. aud 
L. Hyb.; *North Carolina, Lab., ♦Othello, V. 
and C. Hyb.; ♦Secretary. V. and C. Hyb.; *To 
Kalon, Lab.; ♦Triumph, V. aud L. Hyb.; 
♦Highland, V. andL. Hyb.; ♦Amber Queen, V. 
and C- Hyb,; ♦Una, Lab.; ♦Moore’s Early, Lab.; 
♦Eya, Lab.; *Black Pearl, V. aud C. Hyb. The 
minor GrapcB are all Lab. 
I have purposely avoided either recommend¬ 
ing or condemning any new Grape, but In 
this rapid survey I have glanced at facts aud 
* The ones marked with a star are aU new,the others 
not. 
fairs may be assumed to be to give a more 
just and expansive idea as to tbe possibilities 
of his chosen profession ; and, at the same 
time to furnish him Information of a practi¬ 
cal and reliable character, as to the relative 
usefulness or profitableness of different classes 
of product; together with some proper idea 
of the comparative values, for cultivation, of 
the several varieties of each, which may come 
in competition for the popular favor. I omit 
the consideration of exhibits of animals, Im¬ 
plements, machinery, and the thousand and 
one other attractions that go to make up au 
ordinary agricultural fair, as having little di¬ 
rect bearing upon the subject to be consid¬ 
ered. 
In few if auy of the particulars of an or¬ 
dinary agricultural fair is mere correctness 
to name a matter of special Importance, since 
with little actual loss of either money or time, 
the error may generally be corrected. On the 
other hand, in pomological exhibits we are 
at once confronted with the fact that cor¬ 
rectness to name is of the very highest mo¬ 
ment; since the number of the varieties of 
fruits is immense, aud their variations of char¬ 
acter exceedingly diversified ; while the cor¬ 
rection of an error In nomenclature in many, 
if not in most cases, may almost be said to be 
the work of a lifetime. From these facta we 
deduce the inference that, in a pomological 
exhibit, after providing the best possible 
means of studying the peculiarities—economi¬ 
cally considered—of the products exhibited— 
and that, as far as possible, in connection 
with their known tendency to variation—it 
becomes of almost if not quite equal impor¬ 
tance, that the observer be correctly taught 
in the matter of nomenclature. 
To provide the means for such education 
has, for the past quarter of a century or 
more, absorbed a very large portion of the 
labors of our National Pomological Society, 
together with those of the almost number¬ 
less affiliated societies scattered over our 
country. To the mass of even our fruit 
growers, proper, these accumulated stores of 
knowledge aud experience are. aud perhaps 
ever will be, a "terra incognita;’’ and if 
they are ever to profit by them, such profit must 
doubtless arise from the efforts of the better- 
informed to bring deductions from such ac¬ 
cumulations, to bear upon the practice of the 
masses. 
In our State, as a meaus of rendering the 
exhibits at our pomological fairs as effective 
as possible in this direction, it has for some 
years been the Btudy of some of our pomologists, 
to devise more effective means for the advance¬ 
ment of this subject. In so doing they have 
established certain fundamental ideas as a 
basis for action, arnoug which are the follow¬ 
ing :— 
1st. As soon as practicable after exhibits are 
in position, the nomenclature must be exam¬ 
ined and corrected where needful. 
Sind. No exhibitor should receive an award 
based iu auy degree upou a variety of fruit to 
which he has failed to attach the correct name. 
3d. Large and showy but comparatively 
worthless fruits shall be regarded by commit¬ 
tees us a discredit to a collection. 
4th. Committees shall base their awards:— 
1st, upon tbe value—for tbe purpose specified 
—of the varieties in each exhibit, which shall 
be correctly named by the exhibitor; 2nd, upon 
the color, size and evenness of tbe several 
specimens of each variety ; 3d, upon their 
comparative freedom from blemishes. 
5th. Market and dessert or amateur collec¬ 
tions shall not come into competition for the 
same premiums. 
6th. The collections most correctly named 
by tbe exhibitor shall be awarded an additiona 
premium for nomenclature. 
7th. Committees are required, in their re¬ 
ports, to specify, in the order of their value, 
as estimated by them, the varieties iu the suc¬ 
cessful collections, that have influenced their 
decisions. As a means of securing these par¬ 
ticulars, printed blanks, for reports, are Issued 
to each committee. 
8th. As a means of learning how varieties 
are relatively esteemed, by both exhibitors and 
committees, premiums are offered, severally, 
for tbe best twenty-five varieties of apples for 
amateur or home purposes ; also for the best 
twelve, the best six, and the best single variety 
of market apples. Similar offers are also made 
In tbe other classes of fruits. 
Several of the above requirements have uow 
been in operation for a series of years, with 
eminently satisfactory results. 
Grand Rapids, Mich. 
fto (Patton. 
THE PRESIDENT LINCOLN STRAW¬ 
BERRY. 
The specimen of this new strawberry, from 
which the engraving on page 509 Is made, 
is believed to have been tbe largest single 
strawberry ever grown iu this country ; at 
least we have no record of its equal here, al¬ 
though one of the same variety, measuring 11 
inches in circumference, as claimed, was 
shown at the New York Horticultural Society's 
exhibition last year. This one measured fully 
11J inches In circumference, and was a per¬ 
fectly solid aud continuous berry throughout, 
iu spite of tbe curious and irregular lobes 
which the eugraviug correctly represents. 
This cut is made from an accurate photo¬ 
graph, aud is designed to represent the actual 
size of the berry. The stem, as will be seen, 
is flat, and ribbed longitudinally. This is a 
common peculiarity ol this variety, especially 
iu all the large specimens. This berry grew in 
my city garden here, on a plant eleveu mouths 
old, set iu August, 1878—au ordinary ruuner 
plant received by mail from a Connecticut 
nursery. 
The soil Is a low, dark, sandy loam, and no 
manure was added. In the freshet last fall my 
