Although it has never attained popularity in the North, Elvira (Plate XVI), after its introduction into Missouri about forty years ago, reached the pinnacle of popularity as a wine-grape in the South. The qualities which commended it were: great productiveness; earliness, ripening in the North with Concord; exceedingly good health, being almost free from fungal diseases; great vigor, as shown by a strong, stocky growth and ample foliage; and almost perfect hardiness even as far north as Canada. Its good qualities are offset by two defects: thin skin which bursts easily, thus wholly debarring it from distant markets; and flavor and appearance not sufficiently good to make it a table-grape. Elvira originated with Jacob Rommel, Morrison, Missouri, from seed of Taylor. Vine vigorous, hardy, healthy, productive. Canes numerous, dark brown; nodes flattened; internodes short; tendrils continuous, trifid or bifid. Leaves large, thin; upper surface light green, pubescent, hairy; lobes wanting or one to three with terminus acute; petiolar sinus deep, narrow, sometimes closed and overlapping; basal sinus usually lacking; lateral sinus shallow, often notched; teeth deep, wide. Flowers self-fertile, open early; stamens upright. Fruit mid-season, does not keep well. Clusters short, cylindrical, usually single-shouldered, compact; pedicel smooth; brush short, greenish-yellow with brown tinge. Berries medium in size, round, green with yellow tinge, dull with thin bloom, firm; skin very thin, tender, adherent, astringent; flesh green, juicy, fine-grained, tender, foxy, sweet; fair in quality. Seeds free, one to four, medium to large, blunt, plump, dark brown. EMPEROR (Vinifera) Emperor is one of the standard shipping grapes of the Pacific slope, being one of the mainstays of the interior valleys. On the coast and in southern California, it is irregular in bearing, and on the coast the fruits often fail to ripen. It is chiefly grown in the San Joaquin Valley. It could hardly be expected to ripen even in the most favored grape regions in the East. The following brief description is compiled: Vine strong, healthy and productive. Leaves very large, with five shallow lobes; teeth short and obtuse; light green in color; glabrous above, wooly beneath. Bunches very large, loose, sometimes inclined to be straggling, long-conical. Berries large, dull purple, oval; flesh firm and crisp; skin thick; flavor and quality good. Ripens late and keeps and ships well. EMPIRE STATE (Vulpina, Labrusca, Vinifera)