Ulster


(Labrusca, Vinifera)



The vines of Ulster set too much fruit in spite of efforts to control

the crop by pruning; two undesirable results follow, the bunches are

small and the vines, lacking vigor at best, fail to recover from the

overfruitfulness. These defects keep the variety from becoming of

importance commercially or even a favorite as a garden grape. The

quality of the fruit is very good, being much l
ke that of Catawba,

and under favorable conditions it is an attractive green with a red

tinge. The fruit keeps well when the variety is grown under conditions

suited to it. Ulster originated with A. J. Caywood, Marlboro, New

York, and was introduced by him about 1885. Its parents are said to be

Catawba pollinated by a wild AEstivalis. Both vine and fruit show

traces of Labrusca and Vinifera, but the AEstivalis characters, if

present, are not apparent.



Vine hardy, productive, overbears. Canes short, slender, dark

brown, surface roughened and covered with faint pubescence; nodes

enlarged and flattened; internodes short; tendrils intermittent,

bifid, dehisce early. Leaves small, thick; upper surface light

green, glossy, smooth; lower surface grayish-white, pubescent;

leaf usually not lobed with terminus acute; petiolar sinus medium

to wide; basal sinus absent; lateral sinus a notch when present;

teeth shallow, wide. Flowers self-fertile, early; stamens upright.



Fruit late mid-season. Clusters long, cylindrical, often

single-shouldered, compact; pedicel slender, with numerous warts;

brush short, yellowish-green. Berries medium in size, round, dark

dull red with thin bloom, persistent; skin thick, tough, adherent,

astringent; flesh pale green, translucent, juicy, tender,

fine-grained, faintly aromatic, slightly foxy; good to very good.

Seeds free, one to six, medium in size, plump, brown.



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