THE GRAPES OF NEW YORK. Ill 



long season. Vines of Rotundifolia have been known to withstand a win- 

 ter temperature as low as 12 degrees below zero, but under ordinary con- 

 ditions this would undoubtedly be much too severe for most Rotund if olias. 

 They do not suffer from the effects of hot summers but will not withstand 

 drouth and are not well adapted to semi-arid conditions. All growers 

 of varieties of this species agree that it does best on light sandy or alluvial 

 soils; and while it may grow on rather heavy clays, if all other conditions 

 are favorable, its vigor will be lessened. 



The fruit of Rottmdifolia is very characteristic. The skin is thick, 

 has a leathery appearance, adheres strongly to the underlying flesh, and 

 is marked with lenticel-like russet dots. The flesh is more or less tough 

 but the toughness is not localized around the seed as in the case of Labrusca. 

 The fruit and must of all the varieties of the species are characterized by 

 a strong, musky aroma and are lacking in sugar and acid. Some varieties 

 yield over four gallons of must per bushel. Wine-makers are divided in 

 opinion as to its value for wine-making, but at present the most promising 

 outlook for Rotundifolia varieties is as wine grapes. Rotundifolia does 

 not produce fruit suitable for the table chiefly because the berries ripen 

 unevenly and when ripe drop from the cluster. The common method of 

 gathering the fruit of this species is to shake the vines at intervals so that 

 the ripe berries will drop on sheets spread below the vines. The juice 

 which exudes from the point where the stem is broken off causes the 

 berries to become smeared and gives them an unattractive appearance. 

 Owing, however, to the tough skin, the berries do not crack as badly as 

 other grapes would under the same conditions but still they are not adapted 

 to long distance shipments. 



Under reasonably favorable conditions the vines attain great age and 

 great size, and when grown on arbors, as they usually are, and without 

 pruning, they cover a large area. The vines are planted from fifteen to 

 forty feet apart in the vineyard, and the first year or two are trained to 

 posts. Later the tops of these posts are connected by cross-bars and an 

 arbor is thus formed. Pruning usually consists of removing dead wood 

 but a few growers have always taken exception to the customary non- 

 pruning method of treating the Rotundifolia. Lately Newman, of South 



