The vines of Winchell ([Plate XXX]) are vigorous, hardy, healthy, productive, and the fruit is early, of high quality and ships well—altogether a most admirable early grape. There are some minor faults which become drawbacks in the culture of Winchell. The berries, and under some conditions the bunches, are small and the bunch is loose with a large shoulder. Sometimes this looseness becomes so pronounced as to give a straggling, poorly-formed cluster; and the shoulder, when as large as the cluster itself, which often happens, makes the cluster unsightly. The grapes shell when fully ripe, a serious fault. Again, while the crop usually ripens evenly, there are seasons when two pickings are needed because of the unevenness in ripening. Lastly, the skin is thin and there is danger in unfavorable seasons of the berries cracking, although this is seldom a serious fault. These defects do not offset the several good characters of Winchell which make it the standard early green grape, deserving to rank with the best early grapes of any color. The original vine was raised by James Milton Clough, Stamford, Vermont, about 1850 from seed of an unknown purple grape.
Vine vigorous, hardy, healthy, very productive. Canes long, numerous, slender, dark brown with thin bloom; nodes enlarged, flattened; tendrils continuous, sometimes intermittent, bifid. Leaves large; upper surface light green, glossy, smooth; lower surface dull green, tinged with bronze, faintly pubescent; lobes three to five with terminal lobe acute; petiolar sinus deep; basal sinus shallow; teeth shallow, wide. Flowers fertile, mid-season; stamens upright.
Fruit early, keeps and ships well. Clusters long, slender, cylindrical, often with a long shoulder, compact; pedicel short, slender with few inconspicuous warts; brush greenish-white. Berries small, round, light green, persistent, soft; skin marked with small, reddish-brown spots, thin, tender, slightly astringent; flesh green, translucent, juicy, tender, fine-grained, sweet; very good to best. Seeds free, one to four, small, plump, wide and long, blunt, brown.
Woodruff
(Labrusca, Vinifera?)
Woodruff is a handsome, showy, brick-red grape with large clusters and berries, but its taste belies its looks, for the flesh is coarse and the flavor poor. The variety would not be worth attention were it not for its excellent vine characters; the vines are hardy, productive and healthy. The grapes ripen a little before Concord and come on the market at a favorable time, especially for a red grape. Woodruff originated from C. H. Woodruff, Ann Arbor, Michigan, as a chance seedling which came up in 1874 and fruited first in 1877.
Vine very vigorous, hardy. Canes dark brown; nodes enlarged, flattened; tendrils continuous, bifid or trifid. Leaves round; upper surface light green, dull, rugose; lower surface greenish-white, pubescent; leaf usually not lobed with terminus acute; petiolar sinus wide; basal sinus lacking; lateral sinus shallow and narrow when present; teeth shallow. Flowers semi-fertile, early; stamens upright.
Fruit ripening before Concord. Clusters broad, widely tapering, usually single-shouldered, compact; pedicel short, thick, smooth; brush long, pale green. Berries large, round, dark red, dull, firm; skin thin, tender, adherent, slightly astringent; flesh pale green, translucent, juicy, tough, coarse, very foxy; fair in quality. Seeds adherent, one to five, broad, short, plump, blunt, brown.
Worden
(Labrusca)