Grape Culture and Civilization. 233 



It seems, therefore, that these and some other hybrids have inherited, 

 from the American parent, the phylloxera-resisting root, but also from the 

 European parent the non-resistance to climatic influences— the great sensi- 

 bdity to rot and mildew. European horticulturist are now largely engaged 

 in producing these new hybrids, but it is doubtful that these will prove a 

 great gain for American grape cultui-e. 



In our country the efforts of hybridizers to produce new crosses between 

 foreign and native varieties have been wisely abandoned, or rather directed 

 to the producing of crosses between the native varieties. Among the new 

 grapes thus produced I will jiame Mr. Rickett's Jefferson (Concord and lona 

 cross); Lady Washington (Concord with Allen's Hybrid, the latter having 

 partly Vinifera parentage), and Mr. Caywood's Duchesse (white Concord 

 seedling with Delaware or Walter). The great expectations which are at- 

 tached to these crosses between native American varieties are best shown by 

 the circumstance that Mr. Rickett's, the originator of the largest and finest 

 collection of hybrids ever produced by one man, has lately sold to Mr. Stone, 

 of Rochester, the stock of his new grape, the Empire State (a seedling of 

 Hartford Prolific fertilized with the Clinton), for .*4,000, or for more than its 

 weight in gold. Some grape growers, however, have more confidence in pure 

 seedlings, as those varieties are called, which are produced from the seed of 

 a native grape, supposed not to have been fertilized by the pollen of another 

 vine. Of these the following, among others, are considered promising : The 

 Lady, Moore's Early, Early Victor, Xoah, Prentiss, and, above all, the Golden 

 Pocklington. But I believe that these are also crosses. Some of them, at 

 least, are so dissimilar to their supposed parent that my belief seems suffi- 

 ciently justified. The question only remains, how can grapes be cross-fertil- 

 ized by nature without the aid of man ? By insects seems scarcely a sufficient 

 explanation, as the flower of our fruit-bearing grape-vines contains both the 

 stamen and the pistil within the same calyx. I am inclined to believe that 

 the stigma of the grape flower does not receive the pollen of its own indi- 

 vidual blossom, as the two are probably not ready for fecundation at the same 

 moment; thus the mere breeze of the air may be sufficient to bring about 

 cross-fertilization where different varieties, blooming at the same time, are 

 growing in proximity to each other. This would explain the dissimilarity 

 of seedlings from cultivated varieties with their parent. Where wild vines 

 of the same species, and none others, grow near together, there the seed is 

 pure and will invariably reproduce the same kind. This hypothesis, should 

 it prove correct, would be of great practical value. 



Most grape growers, however, care very little whether these fine, new va- 

 rieties are hybrids, or accidental crosses, or pure seedlings. They deem it of 

 little importance to know which varieties were the parents. They ask only, 

 can they be successfully grown in this or that locality? I think that, although 

 this question can be decided only by practical tests, we may be somewhat 

 guided in advance by knowing the parentage. The fine, large, showy table 

 grapes, the Pocklington for instance, originating from seed of the Concord, 



