GRAPE STOCKS FOR AMERICAN GRAPES.* 



U. p. HEDRICK. 



SUMMARY. 



Different species of grapes show wide variations in adaptability 

 to natural and cultural conditions. Cannot grape-growers take 

 advantage of these variations and graft varieties that fail under 

 some conditions on roots of those that thrive under the same 

 conditions? 



The possibility of improving the viticulture of New York by 

 such grafting was the inspiration of an experiment at this Station 

 to test various root stocks for the best varieties of American 

 grapes. 



In this experiment three groups of varieties have been grafted 

 on St. George, Riparia Gloire and Clevener stocks and a fourth 

 group on their own roots. The varieties grafted bn these stocks 

 were: Agawam, Barry, Brighton, Brilliant, Campbell Early, 

 Catawba, Concord, Delaware, Goff, Herbert, lona, Jefferson, 

 Lindley, Mills, Niagara, Regal, Vergennes, Winchell and Worden. 



The experiment was tried on the farm of I. A. Wilcox, of 

 Portland, Chautauqua County, New York, in the Chautauqua 

 Grape Belt. The vines were grown in two plats on two kinds 

 of soil — Dunkirk gravel and Dunkirk clay. The planting plan 

 and all of the vineyard operations were those common in com- 

 mercial vineyards. 



The original plan was to graft only on growing stocks but the 

 loss of a large proportion of the grafted plants the first few years 

 made it necessary to resort to bench-grafting on rooted plants 

 as well. Later experiences show that bench-grafting on cuttings 

 is probably the best method of starting a grafted vineyard. 



Yearly accounts of the vineyard show that the vines passed 

 through many vicissitudes. The experiment was started in 1902 

 when St. George and Riparia Gloire stocks from California were 

 set and grafted in the field. Many of these died the first year. 



* A reprint of Bulletin No. 355, December, 1912; for " Popukr Edition," see 



j>. 8(J0. 



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