326 



Journal of Agricultural Research 



Vol. IV, No. 4 



vinifera, together with the complete or nearly complete loss of this 

 extreme form in hybrids with our American grapes, would lead us to 

 suppose that this pronounced ovalness is perhaps a nearly pure form 

 and that it is either recessive to roundness or else unites with roundness 

 to produce a less pronounced oval. It is this latter type of oval that 

 is referred to in Table VIII showing the inheritance of berry form. 

 The appearance of so many seedlings with round berries in crosses of 

 such oval varieties would tend to strengthen the idea that this is an 

 intermediate form. 



Any study of oblateness is made uncertain by the small number of 

 varieties that possess this form. One of the most pronounced is the 

 Gofif, a seedling originated at this Station. The behavior of pure seed- 

 lings of the Goff grape would seem to indicate that, in this variety at 

 least, oblateness is a pure form and its disappearance when combined 

 with round, as is shown in Table VIII, would seem to show it as reces- 

 sive to round 



Table VIII. — Inheritance of form of the grape berry 



Parental types. 



Types of progeny. 



Oblate. 



SUght- 



ly 

 oblate. 



Oblate 



to 

 round. 



Round. 



Rotind 



to 

 oval. 



Slight- 

 ly 

 oval. 



Oval. 



Oval X oval 



Oval X round to oval 



Round to oval X round to oval . . . , 



Round X oval 



Round X round to oval 



Round X round 



Round to oval X round to oblate. 



Round X round to oblate 



Round to oblate X round to oblate 



Round X oblate 



Oblate X oblate 



3 

 a 15 



a IS 



a 56 

 a 129 



ol5 

 a 100 

 a 333 



a 17 



a 42 

 o24 



9 



34 



15 



25 



6 



14 



24 



ID 

 56 



3 

 I 



17 



I 



o Numbers in bold-face type represent the mode. 



From a study of Table VIII it is seen that the mean would be more 

 nearly coincident with the mode in each cross than was the case in 

 Table VII, This shows clearly the strong tendency for roundness to 

 obscure both oval and oblate. 



SEASON OF RIPENING 



The period of ripening of a variety depends so much upon the vigor 

 of the vine, the season, cultural methods, and environmental conditions 

 that no very accurate data can be presented. In one year all varieties 

 may be 10 days earlier than normally, while in another year early varieties 



