(Vinifera)
White July, Luglienga, Joannenc
At Geneva, New York, Lignan Blanc ripens first of all grapes, native or European. It is not of highest quality but is better than any other early grape and makes a valuable addition to the home vineyard. It is a favorite grape in Europe and is rather commonly grown in California. This variety offers excellent material for hybridization with native grapes.
Vine vigorous, medium productive; buds open early; opening leaves light green, glossy, tinged with red along the edges, thinly pubescent. Leaves medium in size, roundish, somewhat dull green, slightly rugose; lower surface glabrous; blade thick; lobes usually five though sometimes three; petiolar sinus medium in depth, wide; lower lateral sinus medium in depth, narrow; upper lateral sinus shallow, narrow; margin dentate; teeth long, narrow. Flowers appear early for a Vinifera; stamens upright.
Fruit ripens the first of September and is a good keeper; clusters above medium in size, tapering, medium compact; berries medium to large, oval, yellowish-green, with thin bloom; skin thin, tender, neutral; flesh greenish-white, firm, juicy, meaty, sweet; quality good.
Lindley
(Labrusca, Vinifera)
By common consent, Lindley ([Plate XXII]) is the best of the red grapes originated by Rogers in his crosses between Labrusca and Vinifera. The bunches are of only medium size and are loose, but the berries are well-formed, of uniform size and an attractive dark red color. The flesh is firm, fine-grained, juicy, tender with a peculiarly rich aromatic flavor. The skin is thick and tough but is not objectionable in fruit fully ripe. The fruit keeps and ships well, and the berries neither crack nor shatter. The vine is vigorous, hardy for a Vinifera hybrid, healthy but, as with most of its kind, susceptible to mildew. The chief defects of Lindley are self-sterility, precariousness in bearing and lack of adaptation to many soils. Lindley is a general favorite in the garden. In 1869 Rogers gave this grape its name in honor of John Lindley, the English botanist.
Vine vigorous, usually hardy, susceptible to mildew. Canes very long, dark reddish-brown with thin bloom; nodes enlarged, usually flattened; internodes long, thick; tendrils continuous, long, bifid or trifid. Leaves large, thick; upper surface light green, dull, slightly rugose; lower surface grayish-white, pubescent; obscurely three-lobed with terminus acute; petiolar sinus deep, narrow, often closed and overlapping; teeth shallow. Flowers self-sterile, open in mid-season; stamens reflexed.
Fruit mid-season, keeps and ships well. Clusters long, broad, cylindrical, frequently single-shouldered, the shoulder being connected to the bunch by a long stem, loose; pedicel short, slender, smooth; brush short, pale green. Berries large, round-oval, dark-red with faint bloom; skin tough, adherent, unpigmented, strongly astringent; flesh pale green, translucent, juicy, fine-grained, tender, vinous; good to best. Seeds adherent, two to five, notched, brown.