Fruit Varieties and Horticultural Digest (J Fruit Var & Hort Digest)
Volume 15 Number 4 Article 4 Pages: 64-64
Year 1961 Month 6
Title: Muscadine Grapes
Author: APS Citation
Abstract:
The story of the muscadine grape
is told in a most interesting manner
by Robert Schmidt in the "Mega"
magazine.
The muscadines are native
to our southern states and will not
thrive further north, where zero temperatures
are likely.
For a long time pollination was a
problem, because the first cultivated
types were dioecious, and it was necessary
to have male (staminate) and
female (pistillate) plants.
However, not too many years ago, Charles Dearing,
of the U. S. D. A. at Willard,
N. C., developed several perfect flowered
clones (varieties), the best of
which are Tarheel and Burgaw.
Unfortunately,
their quality is inferior
to the old pistillate varieties.
More recently, C. F. Williams, of
the North Carolina Agr.
Exp.
Station,
introduced several perfect flowered
clones of high quality.
The varietIes
now recommended include Memory,
Hunt, Thomas, Topsail and Scuppernong.
Although some refer to all the
white varieties as scuppernongs, Scuppernong
is a true clone of muscadine,
and not a separate species.
Muscadines are easy to grow.
They
require little or no spraying, because
their thick-skinned fruit -are quite resistant
to insects and most grape diseases,
including black rot, which is
serious with the labruscas.
They
ripen in late August and September,
and make excellent jelly and juice
products.
