Canada is justly considered the most desirable of Arnold's several
hybrids of Riparia and Vinifera and is well known in Europe as well as
in America. In France when American varieties were being largely used in
the reconstruction of the vineyards destroyed by phylloxera, Canada was
one of the prime favorites, because of its short period for fruit
development and maturity and the comparatively high quality of the wine
which could be made from it. In America it has never gained great
popularity on account of its susceptibility to fungal diseases. In this
respect as in some others, it shows Vinifera more than Riparia
parentage; thus in shape, color and texture of foliage, in the flavor of
the fruit, and in the seeds there are decided indications of Vinifera
while the vine, especially in the slenderness of the shoots, and the
bunch and berry, shows Riparia. If, as is surmised, there is some
Labrusca in Clinton, the Riparia parent of Canada, there are no
discernible traces of the first named species in this variety. Canada
and Brant, its full brother, are often confused with each other but
there are numerous minor differences in buds, foliage, canes, in the
shape of the bunch, in the seeds and in the time of ripening which a
reading of the descriptions of the two varieties will reveal. Canada has
little value as a dessert fruit but makes a very good red wine, having,
according to the French, a most agreeable bouquet, but in America it is
surpassed by other wine grapes in so many characters that it can
probably never attain a place in this country for other than breeding
purposes.
The grape to which Arnold[171] gave the name Canada is a seedling of
Clinton, a Labrusca-Riparia hybrid, fertilized by Black St. Peters, a
variety of _Vitis vinifera_. Arnold planted the seed which produced
Canada and its brother Brant about 1860. During the decade that followed
the variety was sent out as _Arnold No. 16_, but as it became more
widely distributed the name was changed to Canada.
Vine medium to very vigorous, hardy, not always healthy, usually
productive. Canes long, numerous, variable in size but averaging
slender, nearly ash-gray at internodes to reddish-brown at nodes,
covered with a slight blue bloom; nodes enlarged, not flattened;
internodes above medium to short; diaphragm of average thickness,
rather large; shoots strongly pubescent; tendrils intermittent,
nearly short, trifid to bifid.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account