THE GRAPES OF NEW YORK. Iig 



late. 3d. Riparia propagates readily from cuttings, Cordifolia only with 

 difficulty. 4th. Seeds of the Riparia have indistinct or almost indistinct, 

 depressed chalaza and raphe, while the the chalaza and raphe of the Cordi- 

 folia seeds are elevated and distinct. To these Bush' added the further 

 distinguishing character that on the shoots the small terminal leaves of 

 the Cordifolia open as soon as formed, while those of Riparia remain 

 folded for some days after they are formed, become larger and then expand 

 gradually. 



Riparia is the most widely distributed of any American species of grape. 

 It has been found in parts of Canada north of Quebec and from thence 

 southward to the Gulf of Mexico. It is found from the Atlantic coast west- 

 w^ard, most botanists say to the Rocky Mountains, but Munson gives the 

 western limit as Salt Lake. Since Munson is more familiar with the district 

 lying west of the Rocky Mountains than any other botanist who has paid 

 attention to grapes, he is probably correct. Usually it is found on river 

 banks, on islands or in upland ravines. 



Riparia has always been considered of great promise in the evolution 

 of American grapes. It can hardly be said that it has fulfilled expecta- 

 tions, there probably being no pure variety of this species of more than 

 local importance, and the results of hybridizing it with other species have 

 not been wholly successful. The reason why attention was early turned 

 to Riparia was because of the qualities presented by the vine rather than 

 those of the fruit, particularlv its hardiness and vigor. However, both of 

 these qualities are quite variable, and it is only reasonable to suppose that 

 in such a widely distributed species, plants found in a certain region would 

 have adapted themselves to the conditions there present; thus it should 

 be expected that the northern plants would be more hardy than those 



' Isadore Bush was born at Prague, Bohemia, in 1S22. Bush was one of those Germans who, 

 taking part in the troubles of the Fatherland in 1848, found it necessary to seek a home in the New 

 World. He went to Missouri upon his arrival in the country and there spent the remainder of his 

 life. During the Civil War he was secretary to General Fremont and at various times occupied 

 many other positions of trust. He established the Bushberg nursery which for many years was the 

 leading grape nursery of this country. With the aid of Engelmann and others he wrote the Bushberg 

 Catalogue and Grape Manual, a work which has passed through many editions and has probably 

 been more popular and useful than any other book on American grapes published in the English 

 language. Bush died in St. Louis in i8g8, having been a citizen of that place for forty-nine years. 



