Manual of American grape-growing

by U. P. Hedrick

(Vulpina, Labrusca)

Black German, Marion Port

Marion so closely resembles Clinton in botanical and horticultural characters as to be clearly of the same type. The vine is vigorous and hardy, but hardly sufficiently productive, and is susceptible to mildew and leaf-hoppers. The fruit is pleasantly sweet and spicy, although not high enough in quality for a table-grape, but makes a very good dark red wine. The fruit colors early but ripens late, hangs well on the vines and improves with a touch of frost. Marion was brought to notice by a Mr. Shepherd, Marion, Ohio, about 1850.

Vine vigorous, hardy, productive. Canes very long, dark reddish-brown, covered with bloom; nodes enlarged, flattened; internodes very long; tendrils continuous, sometimes intermittent, long, bifid. Leaves very large; upper surface dark green, glossy; lower surface pale green, smooth; leaf entire, terminus acuminate; petiolar sinus very deep, narrow, often closed and overlapping; basal and lateral sinuses usually lacking; teeth shallow, wide. Flowers self-sterile, open very early; stamens reflexed.

Fruit mid-season, keeps well. Clusters medium in size, short, slender, cylindrical, single-shouldered, compact; pedicel short, slender with a few inconspicuous warts; brush very short, wine-colored. Berries small, round, black, glossy with heavy bloom, persistent, firm; skin thin, tough, adherent with much wine-colored pigment, astringent; flesh dark green, translucent, juicy, fine-grained, tough, sprightly, spicy, tart; fair in quality. Seeds adherent, one to five, medium in size, broad, short, very plump, brown.

Martha

(Labrusca, Vinifera)

Martha was at one time a popular green grape, but the introduction of superior varieties has reduced its popularity until now it is but little grown. It is a seedling of Concord and resembles its parent, differing chiefly as follows: fruit green, a week earlier, bunch and berry smaller, flavor far better, being sweeter, more delicate and less foxy. The vine of Martha is a lighter shade of green, is less robust, and the blossoms open a few days earlier than those of Concord. One of the defects of Martha, and the chief cause of its going out of favor, is that it does not keep nor ship well. The variety is still being planted in the South but is generally abandoned in the North. Samuel Miller, Calmdale, Pennsylvania, grew Martha from seed of Concord; it was introduced about 1868.

Vine hardy, productive, susceptible to attacks of mildew. Canes long, dark reddish-brown, surface with thin bloom, roughened; nodes enlarged, slightly flattened; tendrils continuous, or intermittent, bifid. Leaves large, thick; upper surface light green; lower surface light bronze, heavily pubescent; lobes wanting or faint; petiolar sinus shallow, very wide; teeth irregular. Flowers self-fertile, open in mid-season; stamens upright.

Fruit early mid-season. Clusters medium in size, tapering, single-shouldered, loose; pedicel short, slender; brush very short, green. Berries medium in size, round, light green with thin bloom, persistent; skin thin, very tender, adherent; flesh pale green, juicy, tough, fine-grained, slightly foxy; very good. Seeds few in number, adherent, broad, blunt, dark brown.