Vine vigorous, healthy, hardy, produces average crops. Canes often rough and hairy, long to medium, numerous, of fair thickness, rather dark brown, nodes slightly enlarged, not usually flattened; internodes intermediate in length; diaphragm thinnish; pith of average size; shoots very pubescent; tendrils continuous, of mean length, usually bifid.

Leaf-buds small to medium, short, of fair thickness, conical to pointed, open moderately early. Young leaves tinged on lower side and faintly at the margin with red, making the prevailing color pale green with light carmine tinge. Leaves large, thick; upper surface dark green, glossy, smooth to slightly rugose; lower surface tinged with heavy bronze, with some pubescence; veins distinct; leaf usually not lobed, with terminus acute to acuminate; petiolar sinus usually deep and wide; teeth shallow, wide. Flowers fertile, open medium early; stamens upright.

Fruit ripens one or two weeks earlier than Concord, does not keep well. Clusters above medium to small, below average length, moderately broad, cylindrical to slightly tapering, sometimes single-shouldered, rather compact; peduncle somewhat long, intermediate in size; pedicel short, thick, covered with few, inconspicuous, small warts, wide at point of attachment to berry; brush dark red. Berries of average size, roundish, dull black, not glossy, covered with heavy blue bloom, drop badly from pedicel, firm. Skin rather thick, somewhat tender, slightly adherent to pulp, contains considerable dark purplish-red pigment, slightly astringent. Flesh juicy, tough, rather solid, foxy, agreeably sweet next the skin, tart at seeds, good to medium. Seeds separate somewhat readily from pulp, numerous, one to four, often four, above medium in size, rather broad, intermediate in length, blunt, light brown; raphe does not show; chalaza rather large, usually at center, irregularly circular, obscure.

CREVELING.
(Labrusca, Vinifera?)

1. Am. Pom. Soc. Rpt., 1858:225. 2. Ib., 1860:79. 3. Horticulturist, 15:538. 1860. fig. 4. Mag. Hort., 27:103. 1861. 5. Horticulturist, 17:141. 1862. 6. Mag. Hort., 29:72. 1863. 7. Mead, 1867:163. 8. Am. Pom. Soc. Cat., 1867:45. 9. Am. Jour. Hort., 4:60. 1868. 10. Downing, 1869:536. 11. Am. Jour. Hort., 8:143. 1870. 12. Gar. Mon., 13:214, 279. 1871. 13. Bush. Cat., 1883:90. 14. N. Y. Sta. An. Rpt., 17:528, 540, 544, 548, 554. 1898. 15. Ib., 18:374, 387, 395. 1899. 16. Kan. Sta. Bul., 110:240. 1902.

Bloom (2, 3, 5, 13). Bloomburg (10). Catawissa (5). Catawissa (2, 6, 13). Catawissa Bloom (10). Columbia Bloom (2, 4). Columbia County (10). Laura Beverly (9, 12). Laura Beverly? (10).

Creveling was long a favorite early black grape for the garden, where, if planted in good soil and kept well trained, it produces fine clusters of large, handsome, very good grapes of the Isabella type. Under any but the best of care, however, it is unproductive and sets loose, straggling bunches. The wood is soft, long-jointed, reddish in color, with a large pith and producing but few laterals. It is markedly self-sterile.

The origin of the Creveling is uncertain. It was first introduced to the public about 1857 by F. F. Merceron of Catawissa, Pennsylvania. It is said to have been in cultivation in Columbia County, Pennsylvania, some years previous to the date given. The name Creveling came from a family of that name, who cultivated the variety and may possibly have originated it. It was placed upon the grape list of the American Pomological Society fruit catalog in 1867 and dropped from their list in 1899. It is still widely cultivated in varietal vineyards.

Vine vigorous, not quite hardy, usually not very productive. Canes long, above medium in number, rather thick, dark reddish-brown; nodes slightly enlarged, flattened; internodes medium to long; diaphragm thick; pith large; shoots glabrous; tendrils usually continuous, long, trifid to bifid.

Leaf-buds rather large, short, thick, obtuse, open in mid-season. Young leaves tinged on upper and lower sides with rose-carmine. Leaves below medium to large, thick; upper surface dark green, dull, slightly rugose; lower surface pale green, rather pubescent; veins somewhat prominent; lobes usually three, sometimes obscurely five, terminal lobe acute to blunt; petiolar sinus deep to narrow, closed and sometimes overlapping; basal sinus very shallow when present; lateral sinus rather shallow, narrow; teeth shallow, of average width. Flowers sometimes on plan of six, sterile, open in mid-season or earlier; stamens reflexed.