Eumelan

(Labrusca, Vinifera, AEstivalis)



Washington



The good qualities of Eumelan are: vines above the average in vigor,

hardiness and productiveness; clusters and berries well formed, of

good size and handsome color; flesh tender, dissolving into wine-like

juice under slight pressure; and pure flavor, rich, sweet, vinous. The

season is early, yet the fruit keeps much better than that of most
br /> other grapes maturing with it and becomes, therefore, a mid-season

and late grape. The defects of the variety are susceptibility to

mildew, self-sterile flowers and difficulty in propagation. The latter

character has greatly hindered its culture, as the vines can be

secured only at extra expense and nurserymen are loath to grow the

variety at all. Eumelan may be recommended to amateur growers. It is a

chance seedling which grew from seed, about 1847, in the yard of a Mr.

Thorne, Fishkill Landing, New York.



Vine vigorous, hardy, productive. Canes numerous, covered with

bloom; nodes enlarged; internodes short; tendrils intermittent,

long, trifid or bifid. Leaves large; upper surface dark green,

glossy, smooth; lower surface pale green, smooth; lobes usually

three with terminal one acute; petiolar sinus deep, variable in

width; basal sinus usually lacking; lateral sinus shallow, narrow;

teeth shallow. Flowers self-sterile, open in mid-season; stamens

reflexed.



Fruit early, keeps until late winter. Clusters long, slender,

tapering, often with a long, loose, single shoulder; pedicel

short, slender with a few small warts; brush short, stubby, pale

green. Berries of medium size, round, black, glossy with thin

bloom, persistent, firm; skin tough, adherent with wine-colored

pigment, astringent; flesh dark green, juicy, fine-grained,

tender, stringy, spicy and aromatic, sweet; good. Seeds adherent,

one to four, large, wide, blunt, plump, brown.