Isabella Seedling is an early, vigorous, productive offspring of Isabella. In fruit characters it greatly resembles its parent, but ripens its crop earlier and has a more compact bunch. Like that of its parent, the fruit is of good quality and keeps remarkably well. This seedling is now grown more than Isabella and, while not of any considerable commercial importance, is far more deserving attention as a market grape than some of the poorly flavored kinds more generally grown. There are several varieties under this name. Two are mentioned by Warder; one of Ohio and one of New York origin. The Isabella Seedling here described originated with G. A. Ensenberger, Bloomington, Illinois, in 1889.
Vine vigorous, healthy, hardy, productive. Canes long, thick, dark brown, often with a red tinge, with thin bloom; nodes prominent, flattened; internodes long; tendrils intermittent or continuous, bifid. Leaves healthy, large, thick; upper surface green, dull; lower surface pale green or grayish-green, occasionally with a tinge of bronze, pubescent. Flowers self-fertile; stamens upright.
Fruit early, keeps well. Clusters large, long, slender, cylindrical, usually single-shouldered, loose, compact. Berries large, oval, often pear-shaped, dull black with thick bloom, persistent, soft; skin thick with some red pigment; flesh pale green, juicy, tender, coarse, vinous; good. Seeds numerous, free, large, broad, notched, dark brown.
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 of the poor quality and unattractive appearance of the fruit and lack of vigor, hardiness and productiveness in the vine. Grant grew Israella from seed of Isabella planted in 1885.
Vine lacking in vigor, unproductive. Canes slender, dark brown; nodes enlarged, flattened; internodes short; tendrils continuous, bifid. Leaves large; upper surface light green, dull, rugose; lower surface pale green, pubescent; lobes one to five, faint; petiolar sinus deep, narrow; teeth shallow, sharp; stamens upright.
Fruit late, keeps well. Clusters large, of medium length and breadth, tapering, often single-shouldered, compact, frequently with many abortive fruits. Berries of medium size, round-oval, black or purplish-black with thin bloom, inclined to drop, soft; skin thick, tough with a large amount of purplish-red pigment; flesh pale green, juicy, stringy, mild, sweet from skin to center; fair in quality. Seeds free, medium in size, notched, blunt, light brown, often covered with grayish warts.
Ives
(Labrusca, Æstivalis)