Winchell


(Labrusca, Vinifera, AEstivalis)



Green Mountain



The vines of Winchell (Plate XXX) are vigorous, hardy, healthy,

productive, and the fruit is early, of high quality and ships

well--altogether a most admirable early grape. There are some minor

faults which become drawbacks in the culture of Winchell. The berries,

and under some conditions the bunches, are small and the bunch is

lo
se with a large shoulder. Sometimes this looseness becomes so

pronounced as to give a straggling, poorly-formed cluster; and the

shoulder, when as large as the cluster itself, which often happens,

makes the cluster unsightly. The grapes shell when fully ripe, a

serious fault. Again, while the crop usually ripens evenly, there are

seasons when two pickings are needed because of the unevenness in

ripening. Lastly, the skin is thin and there is danger in unfavorable

seasons of the berries cracking, although this is seldom a serious

fault. These defects do not offset the several good characters of

Winchell which make it the standard early green grape, deserving to

rank with the best early grapes of any color. The original vine was

raised by James Milton Clough, Stamford, Vermont, about 1850 from seed

of an unknown purple grape.



Vine vigorous, hardy, healthy, very productive. Canes long,

numerous, slender, dark brown with thin bloom; nodes enlarged,

flattened; tendrils continuous, sometimes intermittent, bifid.

Leaves large; upper surface light green, glossy, smooth; lower

surface dull green, tinged with bronze, faintly pubescent; lobes

three to five with terminal lobe acute; petiolar sinus deep; basal

sinus shallow; teeth shallow, wide. Flowers fertile, mid-season;

stamens upright.



Fruit early, keeps and ships well. Clusters long, slender,

cylindrical, often with a long shoulder, compact; pedicel short,

slender with few inconspicuous warts; brush greenish-white.

Berries small, round, light green, persistent, soft; skin marked

with small, reddish-brown spots, thin, tender, slightly

astringent; flesh green, translucent, juicy, tender, fine-grained,

sweet; very good to best. Seeds free, one to four, small, plump,

wide and long, blunt, brown.



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