Eumelan was introduced about forty years ago, with the general opinion among the leading viticulturists of the time that it was one of the best black grapes that had been brought to the notice of grape-growers. It seems now, as one studies its characters, to show an association of as great a number of valuable good qualities and as few objectionable ones as almost any other of our black grapes, yet the variety is now but little grown. Briefly summarized, its good qualities are: Vines above the average in vigor, hardiness and productiveness, remarkable for their short-jointed wood; clusters and berries well-formed, of good size and the latter a handsome black with fine bloom, making a very attractive cluster of grapes; flesh tender, seemingly dissolving into wine-like juice under slight pressure; the flavor is pure without a trace of foxiness, rich, sweet, and vinous, making a very delicious and refreshing fruit, though the large seeds are somewhat objectionable. Eumelan makes a very good red wine. The season of ripening is such that the variety may be called early, yet it keeps much better than most of the other grapes maturing with it and becomes, therefore, a mid-season and late grape as well as an early one. It neither cracks nor shells badly, and ships very well. [Illustration: EUMELAN] It is more difficult to name its defects. So far as we can discover, these are susceptibility to mildew, sterile flowers, and difficulty in propagation. Unquestionably the latter character has greatly hindered its culture, as the vines can be had only at extra expense and nurserymen are loath to grow it at all. Eumelan can at least be recommended to amateur growers and for the garden and it is well worth further trial by grape-growers. Eumelan is a chance seedling which grew from seed about 1847 in the yard of a Mr. Thorne at Fishkill Landing, New York. About 1860 it fell into the hands of Dr. C. W. Grant of Iona Island and was introduced by him in 1867. By some it is supposed to be a seedling of Isabella. Bush gives the species as Aestivalis. Munson states, however, that he can see nothing in it but Labrusca and Vinifera. Labrusca seems to be indicated very plainly by the texture of the fruit and by the seeds, Vinifera possibly by a general appearance of the vine difficult to define and also by the tendency to mildew. Besides this, however, there are the bluish bloom on shoots and canes, the pigment beneath the skin, the spicy taste in the berries, and the difficulty of propagation from cuttings, all of which are difficult to account for except by recognizing the presence of Aestivalis or Bicolor blood.