Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1891-08-16
sugar cane culture real '.howling sue
cess as they say.
THE MUSTANG GRAPE.

grape 1.-TWO speciesl partake more or less of
other species, and the same may be said of
the muscadine, the summer grape, the
frost grape and so on, but the mustang is a
grape standing almost wholly alone as to
natural peculiarities. both in fruit and
plant Leaves varying from entire 10 from
three to five lobed, and deeply veined :;
smooth above and of light green color, but
covered on the under-side with white
cottony down, which at a distance gives the
plant more of whitish than greenisE ap-
pearance, Berries large and in punches;
color Dlueish-black, though occasionally
vines are to be met with bearing greenish
colored fruit tinged with purple when ripe.
The fruit is said to make fair wine and a
most excellent jelly, though it is not, as
rule, much esteemed as an
eating grape on account of an acrid juice
located in the under-layers OF the skin.
which, if swallowed, leaves an unpleasant
burning sensation in the throat. The fruit
ripens in July well down in the state and in
August along the northern border. IS not
long-running vine, as rule, though the
late Professor S. B. Buckley of Austin,
who was the first to describe and name the
species. mentions having seen specimens
that had assembled trees to the height of
eighty feet See United States agricul-
tural report for 1861 Generally speaking,
however, it confines itself to low trees,
which, under favorable conditions, it COM
pletely covers with its foliage, making
highly ornamental objects so peculiarly
Texan as to promptly attract the attention
of every stranger.
Q Few species of wild grape vary more in
character of fruit than does the mustang,
One seldom comes upon two vines OF 1t
bearing fruit exactly alike, so far as relates
TO quality and favor. While the foregoing
description points out the general character
of the fruit, 1t may be added that specimens
are occasionally met with in the woods that
are entirely without an acrid favor in the
skin. The skin is extremely thin, and taken
Us q whole the grapes are said to be most
delicious table grapes. OF course there
could be no good reason for believing that
such varieties would not prove to be supe-
rior wine grapes. Professor Buckley re-
fers in his writings to one of these desirable
varieties found in the woods near Austin,
and put to culture by one Of his neighbors.
It was of the light-colored kind already
mentioned, and was giving its owner the
highest satisfaction. Culture greatly i'm
proved the fruit, as to size of berries, the
berries averaging fully three-fourths of an
IN. Il Pt1pa A a hDf an
Vol. |, page Al.
The mustang grape is now just coming
into ripeness over large portion of Texas,
hence the present is 4 good time for Texans
to interest themselves in spotting desi rable
varieties to be prOpagated from. general
attention to the matter on their part might
do work for our state. the Importance of
which would be greater than any work Yet
done for US in the fruit line. A really good
variety Of the mustang grape would place
all Texas entirely on level with FL Paso
and her famous Ell Paso grape so far as
relates to grape production, with Il decided
advantage for US in the fact that our first
class variety of the mustang would De a
much larger grape than her "El Paso.
That such varieties could he found among
the wild mustangs, or are already known
to persons. we have no doubt whatever. and
the sooner the matter receives intelligent
attention the better for everybody
A really good mustang grape would give
to Texas grape at home in every respect.
wonderfully prolific and entirely exempt
from the ravages of disease and insect enc
mics. 1t would be for Texas what the
scuppernong grape is for the lower South
ern states east of the Mississippi river. in
deed much more The scuppernong is not
bunch grape, and therefore is held back
from popularity as table grape; the mus
tang is bunch grape, large and attractive,
and hence a variety of excellent quality
would be everything desired for the table.
The scuppernong will not grow from cut
tings and therefore can be propagated only
by layers, which involves a slow and diff
cult process; the mustang grows from cut
tings like willow or cottonwood. The
scuppernong makes only white wine, and
to make even this large per cent of sugar
must be employed; the mustang would
uldhc ii IlCll Itu WIFE, anu Tue pEOudUllltN
exists that in case of a good variety with no
acidness about the skin, no sugar whatever
would be needed in wine-Inaking. But the
scuppernong, with all its faults, is worth
millions to the people of the states in which
it can be grown. If it were possible to buy
it entirely away from those states in such
way that they could never again grow it,
we are entirely willing to venture the opin-
ion that Texas now has not and never will
have, at one time, money enough to pay the
price that would be asked for it. And
whence came this wonderful and highly
valued scuppernong9 A man rambling
through the wooded wilds along Scupper-
nong creek in North Carolina, where the
little priced muscadine grapes hung in black
festoons from the trees upon which their
vines had climbed, came suddenly and TN
expectedly upon 4 muscadine vine bearing
greenish white grapes. The find was one
so strange that he concluded to try the eat
ing qualities of the phenomenal fruit. 1t
pleased him exceedingly, and there
was a peculiar aroma about It that
also pleased him. When he had
told his friends about the white muscadine
on Scuppernong creek, and the peculiar
aroma it gave off the black muscadine be-
ing wholly without aroma), his friends de-
clared that he had been fishing: and to con-