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.