(Labrusca)
That this variety, together with Lucile, Lutie and other grapes with the foxy taste strongly marked, has not become popular, in spite of good vine characters, is evidence that the American public do not desire such grapes. In appearance of fruit, Northern Muscadine is much like Lutie, the two being distinguished from other grapes by an unmistakable odor. A serious defect of the fruit is that the berries shatter badly as soon as they reach maturity. Taken as a whole, the vine characters of this variety are very good and offer possibilities for the grape-breeder. The variety originated at New Lebanon, New York, and was brought to notice by D. J. Hawkins and Philemon Stewart of the Society of Shakers about 1852.
Vine vigorous, productive, healthy, hardy. Canes slender, dark brown, heavily pubescent; tendrils continuous, bifid, dehisce early. Leaves large, round, thick; upper surface dull, rugose; lower surface dark bronze, heavily pubescent. Flowers self-fertile, open in mid-season; stamens upright.
Fruit early mid-season, does not keep well. Clusters medium in size, short, occasionally single-shouldered, compact. Berries large, oval, dark amber with thin bloom, drop badly from the pedicel; skin tough, adherent, astringent; flesh pale green, juicy, fine-grained, tender, soft, very foxy, sweet; poor in quality. Seeds free, numerous, large, broad, faintly notched, long, brown.
Norton
(Æstivalis, Labrusca)
Norton is one of the leading wine-grapes in eastern America, the fruit having small value for any other purpose than wine or, possibly, grape-juice. The vine is hardy but requires a long, warm season to reach maturity so that it is seldom grown successfully north of the Potomac. Norton thrives in rich alluvial clays, gravels or sands, the only requisite seemingly being a fair amount of fertility and soil warmth. The vines are robust; very productive, especially on fertile soils; as free, or more so, from fungal diseases as any other of our native grapes; and are very resistant to phylloxera. The bunches are of but medium size and the berries are small. The grapes are pleasant eating when fully ripe, rich, spicy and pure-flavored but tart if not quite ripe. The variety is difficult to propagate from cuttings and to transplant, and the vines do not bear grafts well. The origin of Norton is uncertain, but it has been under cultivation since before 1830, when it was first described.
Vine very vigorous, healthy, half-hardy, productive. Canes long, thick, dark brown with abundant bloom; nodes much enlarged; internodes long; tendrils intermittent, occasionally continuous, long, bifid, sometimes trifid. Leaves large, irregularly round; upper surface pale green, dull, rugose; lower surface pale green, pubescent; leaf usually not lobed with terminus acute; petiolar sinus deep, narrow, sometimes closed and overlapping; basal sinus usually absent; lateral sinus shallow or a mere notch when present. Flowers self-fertile, late; stamens upright.
Fruit late, keeps well. Clusters medium in size, short, broad, tapering, single-shouldered, compact; pedicel slender with a few warts; brush dull, wine-colored. Berries small, round-oblate, black, glossy with heavy bloom, persistent, soft; skin thin, free with much dark red pigment; flesh green, translucent, juicy, tender, spicy, tart. Seeds free, two to six, small, brown.