Artificial Pollination of the Eumelan Grape

Abstract

The Eumelan, an excellent table and wine grape, is self-unfruitful due to its failure to produce viable pollen. Even when planted alongside of varieties with viable pollen its yield is uncertain. Many other high quality grapes, such as Brighton, Gaertner, Goethe, Lindley, Salem, Erie, Aminia, Barry, Herbert, and Merrimac belong in the same category. The present day fruit breeder discards types with worthless pollen regardless of their desirable qualities. The writer carried on during the 1955 season a small pollination test with the Eumelan grown near Naples, New York in a vineyard belonging to the Pleasant Valley Wine Company. His former associate, F. E. Gladwin, had tried a similar experiment on the same variety about 25 years ago but with little success. If I remember correctly his increase in yield was about 10 per cent.