Isabella
(Labrusca, Vinifera)
Alexander, Black Cape, Christie's Improved Isabella, Conckling's
Wilding, Constantia, Dorchester, Gibb's Grape, Hensell's Long Island,
Payne's Early, Helene, Woodward
Isabella (Plate XX) is now of little more than historical interest, it
having been one of the mainstays of American viticulture. In
appearance, the fruit of Isabella is fully as attractive as that of
berries glossy black with thick bloom. The flavor is good, but the
thick skin and muskiness in taste are objectionable. The grapes keep
and ship well. Isabella is surpassed in vine characters by many other
kinds, notably Concord, which has taken its place. The lustrous green,
ample foliage which remains late in the season, and the vigor of the
vine, make this variety an attractive ornamental, well adapted for
growing on arbors, porches and trellises. The origin of Isabella is
not known. It was obtained by William Prince, Flushing, Long Island,
about 1816 from Mrs. Isabella Gibbs, Brooklyn, New York.
Vine vigorous, hardy, productive. Canes short, numerous with heavy
pubescence, thick, light brown; nodes enlarged, flattened;
internodes short; tendrils continuous, long, bifid or trifid.
Leaves thick; upper surface dark green, smooth, glossy; lower
surface whitish-green, heavily pubescent; lobes three when present
with terminal lobe obtuse; petiolar sinus shallow, narrow, often
closed, overlapping; basal sinus usually wanting; lateral sinus
shallow, narrow, frequently notched; teeth shallow, wide. Flowers
self-fertile, open in mid-season; stamens upright.
Fruit late, keeps and ships well. Clusters large, cylindrical,
frequently single-shouldered; pedicel slender, smooth; brush
long, yellowish-green. Berries medium to large, oval, black with
heavy bloom, persistent, soft; skin thick, tough, adherent,
astringent; flesh pale green, translucent, juicy, fine-grained,
tender, meaty, some foxiness, sweet; good. Seeds one to three,
large, broad, distinctly notched, short, brown with yellow tips.
More
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Grape Products
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(Vinifera) Dodrelabi Gros Colman has the reputation of being the handsomest black table-grape grown. It is one of the favorite hot-house grapes in England and eastern America and is commonly grown out of doors in California. The variety is r... Handling The Grape In California
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The Muscadine grapes of the South Atlantic and Gulf states are unique in vine and fruit, are used for different purposes and go to different markets from the grapes of the North, so that they may be considered almost a distinct fruit. Not only are c... Harvesting In The East And North
As the consummation of the care of the vine, the in-gathering of the crop is celebrated in all European countries with rejoicings in song, dance and mirth. In America the vintage is less of an event than in Europe, but it is more picturesque and div... Hayes
(Labrusca, Vinifera) In 1880, the Massachusetts Horticultural Society awarded a certificate of merit to Hayes for high quality in fruit. This brought it prominently before grape-growers and for a time it was popular, but when better known several... Headlight
(Vinifera, Labrusca, Bourquiniana) Headlight is more desirable for southern than for northern vineyards, yet it is worthy of trial in the North. Its meritorious characters are: productiveness, outyielding Delaware, with which it competes; disease... Herbaceous Cuttings
Grapes are easily propagated from herbaceous cuttings, although since the vines are weak and the method expensive, they are seldom used. Green cuttings are usually taken from plants forced in greenhouses, but may be taken in summer from vineyard vin... Herbemont
(Bourquiniana) Bottsi, Brown French, Dunn, Herbemont's Madeira, Hunt, Kay's Seedling, McKee, Neal, Warren, Warrenton In the South, Herbemont holds the same rank as Concord in the North. The vine is fastidious as to soil, requiring a well-draine... Herbert
(Labrusca, Vinifera) In all that constitutes a fine table-grape, Herbert (Plate XVIII) is as near perfection as any American variety. For a Vinifera-Labrusca hybrid, the vine is vigorous, hardy and fruitful, ranking in these respects above many p... Hercules
(Labrusca, Vinifera) Hercules is characterized by very large berries, fruit handsomely colored and cluster large and well-formed. The flavor, while not of the best, is good. Added to the desirable qualities of the fruit, the vines are hardy, vigo... Hicks
(Labrusca) Hicks is a remarkably good grape and were it not that the fruit is almost identical with that of Concord, ripening with it or a little earlier, it would have a place in the viticulture of the country. However, since it was introduced s... Hidalgo
(Vinifera, Labrusca, Bourquiniana) The grapes of Hidalgo are rich, sweet, delicately flavored, and with color, size and form of berry and bunch so well combined as to make the fruits singularly handsome. The skin is thin but firm and the variety ... Highland
(Vinifera, Labrusca) Few varieties of black grapes equal Highland in appearance and quality of fruit. When given good care under favorable conditions, the bunches are unusually large and handsome in appearance, sometimes attaining a weight of two... Hopkins
(Rotundifolia) Hopkins is named by grape-growers in the South Atlantic states as the best early Rotundifolia grape. Its season in North Carolina begins early in August, nearly a month before any other. It is, also, one of the best in quality and ... Hosford
(Labrusca) Hosford is an offspring of Concord, differing from the parent chiefly in the greater size of bunch and berry and in being less fruitful. The variety is surpassed by Worden and Eaton, of the same type, and is probably not worth cultivat... Hybrid Franc
(Vinifera, Rupestris) Hybrid Franc is the best-known cross between Rupestris and Vinifera. It is one of the few varieties used in Europe as a resistant stock now recommended for a direct producer. The vines are hardy, vigorous and very productive... Hybridizing The Grape
Hybridization has been the chief means of improving the grape. At present, from what is being accomplished by many workers, it looks as if it will long continue to be the best means of improving this fruit. Since the grape-grower must depend on new ... Ideal
(Labrusca, Vinifera, Bourquiniana) Ideal is a handsome seedling of Delaware, from which it differs chiefly in being larger in bunch and berry, attaining in both of these characters nearly the size of Catawba. In Kansas and Missouri, this variety ... Influence Of The Stocks On The Cion
Up to the present, the growing of grafted grapes has been carried on with little thought of the mutual influence of stock and cion; grapes have been grafted only to secure vines resistant to phylloxera. Yet there can be no doubt that stock and cion ... Insect Pests
Insects troubling the grapes are numerous, at least 200 having been described in America, most of which have their habitat on the wild prototypes of the cultivated vines of this continent. For this reason, with a few exceptions, the insect pests of ... Iona
(Labrusca, Vinifera) In flavor, the fruit of Iona (Plate XIX) has a rare combination of sweetness and acidity, pure, delicate and vinous. The flesh is transparent, melting, tender, juicy and of uniform consistency quite to the center. The seeds a... Irrigation
The grape, as a rule, withstands drought very well, several species growing wild on the desert's edge. Even in the semi-arid regions of the far West, where other fruits must always be irrigated, the grape often grows well without artificial watering... Isabella
(Labrusca, Vinifera) Alexander, Black Cape, Christie's Improved Isabella, Conckling's Wilding, Constantia, Dorchester, Gibb's Grape, Hensell's Long Island, Payne's Early, Helene, Woodward Isabella (Plate XX) is now of little more than historica... Isabella Seedling
(Labrusca, Vinifera) Isabella Seedling is an early, vigorous, productive offspring of Isabella. In fruit characters it greatly resembles its parent, but ripens its crop earlier and has a more compact bunch. Like that of its parent, the fruit is o... Israella
(Labrusca, Vinifera) Israella came from C. W. Grant contemporaneously with Iona and was heralded as the earliest good grape in cultivation. For several years after its introduction, it was widely tried but was almost everywhere discarded because ... Ives
(Labrusca, AEstivalis) Ives' Madeira, Ives' Seedling, Kittredge Ives has a high reputation as a grape for making red wine, being surpassed only by Norton for this purpose. The vine is hardy, healthy, vigorous and fruitful. The fruit is poor in ... James
(Rotundifolia) James is one of the largest of the Rotundifolia grapes and probably the best general-purpose variety of this species. The vine is noted for vigor and productiveness. It cannot be grown north of Maryland. It thrives in sandy loam so... Janesville
(Labrusca, Vulpina) Endowed with a constitution enabling it to withstand cold to which most other grapes succumb, Janesville has made a place for itself in far northern localities. Moreover, the grapes ripen early, being about the first to color ... Jefferson
(Labrusca, Vinifera) Jefferson (Plate XXI) is an offspring of Concord crossed with Iona, and resembles Concord in vigor, productiveness and healthiness of vine, and Iona in color and quality of fruit. The vine produces its fruit two weeks later t... Jessica
(Labrusca, Vinifera) Jessica is an early, hardy, green grape. The fruit is sweet, rich, sprightly and almost free from foxiness, but is unattractive and does not keep well. The clusters and berries are small, and the clusters are too loose for a ... Jewel
(Labrusca, Bourquiniana, Vinifera) The notable characters of Jewel are earliness and high quality in fruit; although, as compared with Delaware, its parent, the vine is vigorous, healthy and hardy. In form and size of bunch and berry, Jewel close... Kensington
(Vinifera, Vulpina) Kensington has several very meritorious fruit and vine characters. The vine resembles that of Clinton, its Vulpina parent, in vigor, hardiness, growth and productiveness, but the fruit has many of the characters of the Europea... King
(Labrusca) King is similar to Concord, compared with which the vine is more vigorous and prolific, time of ripening and length of season the same, the clusters are one-fourth larger, the grapes are more persistent, the pulp is more tender, the fl... Lady
(Labrusca, Vinifera) The vine of Lady is much like that of Concord, its parent, although not quite so vigorous nor productive, but ripens its fruit fully two weeks earlier. The fruit is much superior to that of Concord in quality, being richer, s... Lady Washington
(Labrusca, Vinifera) Lady Washington is in many respects a most excellent grape but falls short in quality and does not excel in vine characters. The grapes make a good appearance, keep and ship well and are tender, juicy and sweet. The vines are... Layering
The grape is readily propagated from layers of either green or mature wood, the method being certain, convenient and producing extra vigorous plants. The drawback is that fewer plants can be obtained by layering than from cuttings with a given amoun... Laying Out The Vineyard
Vineyards are laid out for the most part after accepted patterns for each of the great grape regions of America. The vines are always planted in rectangles, usually at a less distance apart in the rows than the rows are from each other, but sometime... Lenoir
(Bourquiniana) Alabama, Black El Paso, Black July, Black Spanish, Blue French, Burgundy, Cigar Box Grape, Devereaux, Jack, Jacques, July Sherry, Longworth's Ohio, MacCandless, Ohio, Springstein, Warren Lenoir is a tender southern grape which ha... Lignan Blanc
(Vinifera) White July, Luglienga, Joannenc At Geneva, New York, Lignan Blanc ripens first of all grapes, native or European. It is not of highest quality but is better than any other early grape and makes a valuable addition to the home vineyar... Lindley
(Labrusca, Vinifera) By common consent, Lindley (Plate XXII) is the best of the red grapes originated by Rogers in his crosses between Labrusca and Vinifera. The bunches are of only medium size and are loose, but the berries are well-formed, of u... Lucile
(Labrusca) In vigor, health, hardiness and productiveness, Lucile (Plate XXII) is not surpassed by any native grape. Unfortunately, the fruit characters are not so desirable. The size, form and color of bunches and berries are good, making a very... Lutie
(Labrusca) Lutie (Plate XXIII) is chiefly valuable for its vine characters. The vines are vigorous, hardy, healthy and fruitful, although scarcely equaling Lucile in any of these characters. Pomologists differ widely as to the merits of the fruit... Malaga
(Vinifera) Malaga is one of the favorite table-grapes in California and also a popular grape to ship to eastern markets. In some parts of southern California, where the Muscats do not thrive, it is much grown, and in the San Joaquin Valley it is ... Marion
(Vulpina, Labrusca) Black German, Marion Port Marion so closely resembles Clinton in botanical and horticultural characters as to be clearly of the same type. The vine is vigorous and hardy, but hardly sufficiently productive, and is susceptibl... Marketing
Table-grapes from both eastern and western grape regions are now almost entirely shipped in carload lots. Since few grape-growers are prepared to load a car quickly with grapes, some kind of cooeperation is required, or the crop must be handled by l... Marketing The Crops And Vineyard Returns
Viticulture, as all divisions of agriculture, is made up of two quite distinct phases of activity: growing the crop and marketing the crop. The subjects to be treated in this and the next chapter belong rather more to marketing than to cultural ac... Martha
(Labrusca, Vinifera) Martha was at one time a popular green grape, but the introduction of superior varieties has reduced its popularity until now it is but little grown. It is a seedling of Concord and resembles its parent, differing chiefly as ... Massasoit
(Labrusca, Vinifera) Massasoit is distinguished as the earliest of Rogers' hybrids, ripening with Delaware. The grapes have the peculiarity of being best before full maturity, developing, after ripening, a degree of foxiness which impairs the qua... Maxatawney
(Labrusca, Vinifera) While at one time very popular, grape-growers now seldom hear of Maxatawney. It is a southern grape, ripening its fruit in the North only occasionally. The variety is interesting historically as being the first good green gra... Mcpike
(Labrusca) McPike is noteworthy because of the large size of the berries and bunches. It is very similar to its parent, Worden, differing in having fewer but larger berries, grapes not as high in flavor and fewer and smaller seeds. Because of the... Memory
(Rotundifolia) Memory is one of the best of the Rotundifolia grapes for the garden and local markets, its fruits being especially good for dessert. As yet, however, the variety has not been widely distributed even in North Carolina where it origi... Merrimac
(Labrusca, Vinifera) Merrimac is often accredited as the best black grape among Rogers' hybrids, but an analysis of the characters of the several black varieties grown by Rogers shows that it is surpassed by Wilder, Herbert and possibly Barry. Th... Methods Of Training Grapes In Eastern America
The grape-grower takes great liberties with Nature in training his plants. No other fruit is so completely transformed by the grower's art from its natural habit of growth. Happily, the grape endures cutting well, and the pruner may rest assured t... Mills
(Labrusca, Vinifera) The bunches and berries of Mills are large and well-formed; the berries are firm and solid, with the skin adherent as in Viniferas; the flesh is juicy and parts readily from the seeds; the flavor is rich, sweet and vinous; an...