120 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



You have in Mr. Woodruff of Ann Arbor a pioneer who has given your 

 state a treasure in his large early Red, and some other kinds. He has 

 found native vines of vitis vidpina ripening quite a good fruit considerably 

 ahead of Champion. Such vines afford a starting point which with proper 

 blending with such as Woodruff Red and Colerian and Early Ohio and 

 Roanoke Red, may give your vineyards specific character, and much more 

 value, in time, than any of the old varieties can. Vinifera blood must be 

 much attenuated in your climate. It seems to me that all you want of that 

 you have in as good form as you can get, in such as Rogers' best hybrids, 

 Jefferson, Brighton, Moore's Diamond, etc. 



The extensive tests in the station of your worthy president should be 

 valuable study for your experimenters as well as market vineyardists. 



While we have in the south a world of material for giving us fine grapes 

 from June 15 until October 1, after that is all our fall and winter, when we 

 consume imported grapes, either from the northern states, from cold stor- 

 age, from California, or from Spain or from Sicily. So, after you have 

 supplied your near-by markets, the south opens a vast region for the con- 

 sumption of your best shipping grapes, kept in cold storage until after 

 October 1. In time the south will overcome this deficiency at home, yet 

 it will be some years, and we must have our fresh grapes as well as apples, 

 for we are great fruit-eaters, as warm climate people should be. 



MR. MUNSON'S own WORK AS AN ORIGINATOR. 



I append to this a list of some thirty-five varieties produced by myself, 

 selected from among many thousands. (See pages 118 and 119). It will 

 be seen that, while I have done some work with a view to get varieties 

 suited to middle and northern regions, yet the most are for the south, and 

 some especially for the dry, hot, long summer of southwest Texas. The 

 varieties are meeting with success in places where tested, showing that 

 the theory on which I work is not far out of the way. 



GRAND POSSIBILITIES. 



Thus, you see, the field of development is unlimited. Both your species, 

 in the best selections, to start with, in the hands of intelligent breeders, 

 have valuable qualities that can undoubtedly be embodied in very fine 

 grapes. Now is the time for such persons to hunt out these gems of 

 nature, for rapidly the country is cleared off and the wild vines destroyed. 



Within the grape genus we have as much or more variation jas in the 

 plum genus, and ought to develop as great diversity in varieties by inter- 

 mingling species as we have among the stone fruits. 



Behold how, in the last few years, we have been enriched in plums by 

 bringing in the best of P. Americana, P. Chicasa, P. Pissardii from 

 Asia, and several other strains, giving us a foundation for still greater 

 development in skillful hands. 



Then what may we not expect in the grape genus, with more species, and 

 with capabilities for greater variation and more numerous uses! The 

 prospect should make many an enthusiastic experimenter. 



