Headlight is one of the most promising of Munson's many valuable grapes.
Possibly it is more valuable for southern vineyards than for northern
ones, yet it is worthy of trial in the North. Its meritorious characters
are: Productiveness, outyielding Delaware with which it would compete in
New York; disease-resistant foliage and vines little affected by mildew
and rarely attacked by black-rot even in the South; more than average
vigor of vine, though it has fallen short of expectations in this
respect in the Station vineyard; high quality of the fruit, being almost
the equal of Delaware in flavor and having tender melting pulp which
readily parts from the seeds; and earliness, ripening before Delaware
and hanging on the vines or keeping after being picked for some time
without deterioration in either quality or appearance. Though a southern
grape it has proved perfectly hardy here and were it not that it must
compete in the North with many other good grapes, Delaware in
particular, it might take high place in northern viticulture. Even with
such competition it is well worth a trial in either the amateur or
commercial vineyards of New York. It would seem that for the South its
resistance to disease should make it a valuable commercial variety.
The originator of Headlight, T. V. Munson, states in a personal letter
that it came from Moyer seed fertilized by Brilliant. The seed from
which the variety came was planted in 1895 and the new grape was
introduced in 1901 by the producer. While Headlight is as yet
comparatively little known, it is being tested in many of the grape
regions of the country and its value should soon be known. Such reports
of its behavior as have been made are in the main very favorable.
Vine at this Station medium to weak, hardy, very productive. Canes
short to medium, few in number, slender, dark brown to
reddish-brown with small amount of bloom at nodes, which are
enlarged and usually not flattened; internodes short; diaphragm
thick; pith below medium to nearly small; shoots more or less
pubescent; tendrils continuous, short, bifid, very persistent.
Leaf-buds small and short, inclined to slender, pointed to conical,
open late. Young leaves heavily tinged on under side and lightly on
the upper side with bright carmine. Leaves medium to small, thick;
upper surface light green, dull, smoothish; lower surface pale
green, with some pubescence; veins obscure; lobes none to three
with terminus obtuse to acute; petiolar sinus intermediate in depth
and width; basal sinus usually lacking; lateral sinus shallow,
narrow; teeth shallow, of average width. Flowers sterile, open in
mid-season; stamens reflexed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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