Manual of American grape-growing

by U. P. Hedrick

Eldorado

(Labrusca, Vinifera)

The fruit of Eldorado is delicately flavored, with a distinct aroma and taste and ripens about with that of Moore Early—a time when there are few other good white grapes. The vines inherit most of the good qualities of Concord, one of its parents, excepting ability to set large crops. Even with cross-pollination, Eldorado sometimes fails to bear and is not worth growing unless planted in a mixed vineyard. The clusters are so often small and straggling under the best conditions that the variety cannot be recommended highly to the amateur; yet its delightful flavor and its earliness commend it. J. H. Ricketts, Newburgh, New York, grew Eldorado about 1870 from seed of Concord fertilized by Allen's Hybrid.

Vine vigorous, hardy, an uncertain bearer. Canes long, few, thick, flattened, bright reddish-brown; nodes enlarged, flattened; tendrils intermittent, rarely continuous, bifid or trifid. Leaves large to medium, irregularly round, dark green; upper surface rugose on older leaves; lower surface tinged with brown, pubescent; lobes wanting or faintly three; petiolar sinus deep; teeth shallow. Flowers self-sterile, open late; stamens reflexed.

Fruit early, keeps well. Clusters do not always set perfectly and are variable in size, frequently single-shouldered; pedicel short, slender, smooth; brush short, yellow. Berries large, round, yellowish-green changing to golden yellow, covered with thin bloom; flesh tender, foxy, sweet, mild, high flavored; good to very good in quality. Seeds intermediate in size and length, blunt, yellowish-brown.

Elvira

(Vulpina, Labrusca)

Although it has never attained popularity in the North, Elvira ([Plate XVI]), after its introduction into Missouri about forty years ago, reached the pinnacle of popularity as a wine-grape in the South. The qualities which commended it were: great productiveness; earliness, ripening in the North with Concord; exceedingly good health, being almost free from fungal diseases; great vigor, as shown by a strong, stocky growth and ample foliage; and almost perfect hardiness even as far north as Canada. Its good qualities are offset by two defects: thin skin which bursts easily, thus wholly debarring it from distant markets; and flavor and appearance not sufficiently good to make it a table-grape. Elvira originated with Jacob Rommel, Morrison, Missouri, from seed of Taylor.

Vine vigorous, hardy, healthy, productive. Canes numerous, dark brown; nodes flattened; internodes short; tendrils continuous, trifid or bifid. Leaves large, thin; upper surface light green, pubescent, hairy; lobes wanting or one to three with terminus acute; petiolar sinus deep, narrow, sometimes closed and overlapping; basal sinus usually lacking; lateral sinus shallow, often notched; teeth deep, wide. Flowers self-fertile, open early; stamens upright.

Fruit mid-season, does not keep well. Clusters short, cylindrical, usually single-shouldered, compact; pedicel smooth; brush short, greenish-yellow with brown tinge. Berries medium in size, round, green with yellow tinge, dull with thin bloom, firm; skin very thin, tender, adherent, astringent; flesh green, juicy, fine-grained, tender, foxy, sweet; fair in quality. Seeds free, one to four, medium to large, blunt, plump, dark brown.