THE DOMESTICATION OF THE GRAPE 11 



having a musky flavor and odor and a sweet, juicy pulp, which is 

 lacking in sprightliness. Many, however, acquire a taste for 

 these grapes and find them pleasant eating. The great defect 

 of this grape is that the berries part from the pedicels as they 

 ripen and perfect bunches cannot be secured. In fact, the 

 crop is often harvested by shaking the vines so that the berries 

 drop on sheets beneath. Despite these defects, a score or 

 more varieties of this species are now under general cultivation 

 in the cotton-belt, and interest in their domestication is now 

 greater than in any other species, with great promise for the 

 future. 



The Mstimlis or summer-grapes. 



The South has another grape of remarkable horticultural pos- 

 sibilities. This is V ids cBstivalis (Fig. 4), the summer-grape or, 

 to distinguish it from the Rotundifolias, the bunch-grape of 

 southern forests. There are now a score or more well-known 

 varieties of this species, the best known being Norton, which 

 probably originated with Dr. D. N. Norton, Richmond, Vir- 

 ginia, in the early part of the nineteenth century. The berries 

 of the true iEstivalis grapes are too small, too destitute of pulp 

 and too tart to make good dessert fruits, but from them are 

 made our best native red wines. Domestication of this species 

 has been greatly retarded by a peculiarity of the species which 

 hinders its propagation. Grapes are best propagated from 

 cuttings, but this species is not easily reproduced by this means 

 and the difficulty of securing good young vines has been a 

 serious handicap in its culture. 



There are two subspecies of Vitis cpstivalis which promise 

 much for American viticulture. Vitis cestivalis Bourquiniana, 

 known only under cultivation and of very doubtful botanical 

 standing, furnishes American viticulture several valuable 

 varieties. Chief of these is the Delaware, the introduction 

 of which sixty years ago from the town of Delaware, Ohio, 



