SELECTION AND HYBRIDISATION OF AMERICAN VINES IN ITALY I4OI 



with indigenous vines which are more suitable to the soil and climatic condi- 

 tions of Itah'. 



Out of Sicily the hj^brids due to Ruggeri have been grown with ex- 

 cellent results in Apulia, in Calabria and in other countries than Italy. At 

 the International Congress of Agriculture at Madrid (1911), M Garcia de 

 LOS Salmones recommended from his personal experience twelve num- 

 bers of this hybrid for cultivation on dr>' calcareous soils. A collection of 

 these hybrids has been sent to Algeria at the request of Prof. Makers who 

 had ascertained their success in Sicily. 



Among the numerous hybrids produced by Ruggeri the following 

 may be noted : 



130 (Berlandieri x Rupestris). — This hybrid is adapted to various 

 types of soils, including soils light in colour and thoroughly calcareous in 

 character on which it has given good results. 



42 (Berlandieri X Rupestris_ duLot). This hybrid does well over 

 a fairly extensive area. It grows freely on moist marls even on thpse 

 rich in hme (50 to 60 per cent Ca C03). It is not always as resistant as 140 

 and cannot be recommended for clay soils on which it develops but mode- 

 rately. 



199, 225, 267 (Berlandieri X Riparia). These vigorous hybrids 

 maintain the productivity of the scion at a high level and are suitable for 

 ctdtivation over a fairly extensive area, especially 199 and 225. The last 

 number, 267, prefers the same soils as Riparia and on them it surpasses the 

 pure species, but it is also successful on soils of poorer quality. Although 

 vigorous 199 and 225 are not equal to 267 on soils which are suitable for the 

 latter but they are more resistant to droiight and will tolerate larger amounts 

 of lime in the soil. 



19 (Albanello X Berlandieri). The resistance to phylloxera of this 

 hybrid is ver^- great : after 10 years of cultivation its roots are in as good 

 condition as those of the most resistant pure species. It has a marked 

 affinity for the native vines and as it is tolerant of drought and of a large 

 amount of lime, it does well over a fairly extensive area. The production 

 of plants grafted on this stock is regular and constant. 



8) Nursery of the Tremiti Islands {Adriatic) (i). — No selections of 

 plants grown from seed have been made but hybrids have been produced 

 between American vines (Rupestris and Berlandieri) and numerous Ita- 

 lian \dnes (Trebbiano, Sangiovese, Malvoisie, Moscatello, etc). Some of 

 these hybrids have already been tested in different pro\dnces of Italy espe- 

 cially in ApuHa. The tests, however, have not yet been carried out for a 

 sufficiently long period to justify statements on these hybrids. Hybrids 

 between various American vines have also been obtained but the}' are not 

 altogether satisfactory, especially in regard to their adaptive qualities. 



9) Nursery at Velletri {Rome). — The Director Professor Angelo 

 LONGO has selected 40 numbers of Riparia and 11 of Rupestris grown 

 from seed. These vines have been distributed in various districts espe- 



(i) See B. 1914, No. 246. 



