WINTER MEETING. 281 



vine, although whenever they buy an animal or desire to breed some 

 of their stock to other animals the first thing they inquire about is pedi- 

 gree, yet they never think of inquiring into the important pedigree of 

 the grape-vines they cultivate. Yet without such investigation they 

 never can determine to which species a cultivated variety belongs and 

 thereby know what qualities it will have ; what kind of soil and loca- 

 tion is most suitable; its propagating quality; its being more or less 

 subject to certain diseases; whether more or less hardy and produc- 

 tive, etc., nor will they ever know how to appreciate the arduous work 

 and. the amount of time and money spent by the indefatigable and 

 zealous producers of the new and superior varieties for the grape- 

 grower's special benefit. 



Ijfotwithstanding that there are thousands of varieties of grape- 

 vines in existence in the world today, yet the grape-vine is peculiary 

 the growth of definite climatic conditions. 



No one grape is suited to all localities, neither is there any one 

 locality which is suited to all grapes. 



The Bushberg Grape Manual, on page 3, says, "notwithstanding 

 that over 1,500 varieties are cultivated in Europe, yet the number of 

 kinds especially adapted to the different localities is very limited for 

 each of them, and we seldom find more than three or four varieties to 

 form the main bulk of the vineyards of the different sections; each 

 province, county or township even having its own special favorites ;" 

 which is perfectly correct save that the Manual does not go far enough, 

 as the vineyards of Badacson, Tihany and Fured in Hungary are only 

 two or three miles apart, and yet they produce distinct and leading 

 wines different from each other ; they, as well as Somlyo a few miles 

 away, are upheavals out of a level country with a perfect demarka- 

 tion, as the whole surrounding country consists of a deep black soil, 

 yet the soils in these vineyards are all mulatto soils. 



There are but few localities in the world where the grape will, in 

 favorable seasons, grow to perfection. 



As there are very few places where all the requirements are united 

 to produce perfect grapes and wines, which are — clear sky, dry atmos- 

 phere, high temperature — not over six inches rainfall on an average for 

 the growing months of April, May and June, and not over four inches 

 average for the maturing months of July, August and September, a 

 self draining dry and warm soil containing special virtues, and a proper 

 elevation. 



The grape-vine possesses greater absorptive power and assimila- 

 tive capacity than any other plant ; by planting it into a congenial soil 



