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. The vine is strong in growth, productive,
hardy and exempt from fungal diseases; but the grapes are not high in
quality, and flesh, skin and seed characters are suc
is not as pleasant to eat as the other black varieties named. Merrimac
is worthy a place in collections for the sake of variety. Rogers gave
this variety the name Merrimac in 1869.
Vine vigorous, usually hardy, productive. Canes slender, dark
brown, surface roughened; nodes enlarged, flattened; internodes
short; tendrils intermittent, short, bifid. Leaves large, thin;
upper surface very light green, glossy, smooth; lower surface pale
green, pubescent and cobwebby; lobes three with terminal one
obtuse; petiolar sinus deep, narrow, sometimes closed and
overlapping; basal sinus usually lacking; lateral sinus shallow,
narrow; teeth shallow. Flowers self-sterile, open in mid-season;
stamens reflexed.
Fruit mid-season, keeps and ships well. Clusters variable in size,
broad, tapering; pedicel slender, covered with numerous
inconspicuous warts; brush wine-colored. Berries large, round,
black, glossy with abundant bloom, persistent, firm; skin thick,
tough, adherent, astringent; flesh light green, translucent,
juicy, fine-grained, tender, stringy; good. Seeds adherent, one to
five, broad, long, with enlarged neck, brown.
More
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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... Miscellanies
There yet remain several phases of grape-culture essential to success, none of which quite deserves a chapter and none of which properly falls into any of the foregoing chapters. The subjects are not closely related, are by no means of equal impor... Mish
(Rotundifolia) Mish is a favorite Rotundifolia in North Carolina, being planted extensively in some parts of that state. Its outstanding characters are vigor and productiveness in vine and high quality in the fruit. Mish is named by many as the b... Mission
(Vinifera) Of all grapes, Mission has probably played the most important part in the vineyards of California. Grown from the earliest times at the old missions, its source or its name has never been determined. Its viticultural value for table an... Missouri Riesling
(Vulpina, Labrusca) Missouri Riesling attains perfection only in the South. The vines are hardy, vigorous, productive and healthy in the North, as a rule, but the fruit is lacking in quality. In the South, Missouri Riesling is a beautiful fruit w... Montefiore
(Vulpina, Labrusca) Montefiore is extensively grown in Missouri and the Southwest but is almost unknown in the North and East. It is reported as succeeding in the Lake District of Ohio and, with the exception that it is uncertain in bearing and n... Moore Early
(Labrusca) Moore Early (Plate XXIV) is the standard grape of its season. Its fruit cannot be described better than as an early Concord. The vines are readily distinguishable from those of Concord, differing chiefly in being less productive. To gr... Moscatello
(Vinifera) Moscatello Nero. Black Muscat Beautiful in appearance and having a delicate Muscat taste and aroma, this variety is one of the good table-grapes of the Pacific slope. Unfortunately it ripens so late that it is hardly worth trying in ... Moyer
(Labrusca, Bourquiniana) Jordan, Moyer's Early Red Moyer is almost a counterpart of its parent, Delaware. Were it not that the variety is from one to two weeks earlier than Delaware, and somewhat hardier, hence better adapted for cold regions, ... Muscat Hamburg
(Vinifera) Muscat Hamburg (Plate XXV) is an old European grape well known in some parts of America in greenhouse graperies, since it is one of the best for forcing. All who know the beautiful fruits of this variety grown in forcing-houses will wa... Muscat Of Alexandria
This is possibly the leading table- and raisin-grape of the Pacific slope. From the literature or from a visit to vineyards, one cannot make out whether one or several varieties are grown under the name. Probably there are several strains grown unde... Muscatel
(Vinifera) White Frontignan This old and standard sort is rather commonly grown in some of the grape regions of California to follow Chasselas Golden. It might be tried with some show of success in favored grape regions in the East. The descri... Niagara
(Labrusca, Vinifera) Niagara (Plate XXVI) is the leading American green grape, holding the rank among grapes of this color that Concord maintains among black varieties. It is, however, a less valuable grape than Concord, and it is doubtful whethe... Noah
(Vulpina, Labrusca) Noah is little grown at present outside of Missouri, where it is still planted somewhat. Noah and Elvira are often confused but there are very marked differences. The clusters of Elvira are smaller, the berries are more foxy i... Northern Muscadine
(Labrusca) That this variety, together with Lucile, Lutie and other grapes with the foxy taste strongly marked, has not become popular, in spite of good vine characters, is evidence that the American public do not desire such grapes. In appearanc... Norton
(AEstivalis, Labrusca) Norton is one of the leading wine-grapes in eastern America, the fruit having small value for any other purpose than wine or, possibly, grape-juice. The vine is hardy but requires a long, warm season to reach maturity so th... Oporto
(Vulpina, Labrusca) Oporto was at one time in demand as a wine grape because its wine resembled in color and flavor that from Oporto. The variety is now scarcely known, being inferior in most of its horticultural characters to others of its speci... Othello
(Vinifera, Vulpina, Labrusca) Arnold's Hybrid, Canadian Hamburg, Canadian Hybrid In France, Othello does remarkably well as a direct producer and is used also for a resistant stock. While most of its characters are spoken of in the superlative ... Ozark
(AEstivalis, Labrusca) Ozark belongs to the South and to Missouri in particular. Its merits and demerits have been threshed out by the Missouri grape-growers with the result that its culture is somewhat increasing. It is a grape of low quality, p... Palomino
(Vinifera) Golden Chasselas, Listan This variety seems to be grown in California under the three names given--while in France Palomino is described as a bluish-black grape. Palomino seems to be grown commonly in California as a table-grape and ... Peabody
(Vulpina, Labrusca, Vinifera) Peabody is as yet a comparatively unimportant offspring of Clinton. The grapes are of excellent quality. It appears to do better in the northern tier of states or in Canada, than farther south. This variety was grown... Pedigreed Grape Vines
Many viticulturists, in common with orchardists, believe that their plants should be propagated only from parents which have good characters, that is, are vigorous, healthy, productive, and bear fruit of large size, perfect form, good color and good... Perfection
(Labrusca, Bourquiniana, Vinifera) Perfection is a seedling of Delaware, which it greatly resembles but does not equal in fruit; its fruits being hardly as high in quality, do not keep as well, shrivel more before ripening, and shell more readily... Perkins
(Labrusca, Vinifera) At one time Perkins was grown largely as an early grape but has been discarded very generally on account of the poor quality of the fruit. The pulp of the grape is hard and the flavor is that of Wyoming and Northern Muscadine... Pests
Several pests vex the gardener in growing grapes indoors. Of these, mealy-bug, red-spider, thrips and mildew are most troublesome. In a well-conducted grapery, there is never an intermission in the warfare against these pests. Mealy-bug is usuall...