July 15, 191S Inheritance of Certain Characters of Grapes 329 



Two general laws have been formulated with regard to color of the 

 skin: (i) White is a pure color; and (2) it is recessive to both black and 

 red. 



No black variety has proved pure for blackness. Some contain white, 

 others white and red. Red varieties are equally diverse. 



The colors of pure seedlings of certain varieties show wide variation, 

 even when derived from varieties of similar color. 



In the inheritance of quality the most noticeable thing is the low per- 

 centage of seedlings whose quality is good or above good. This is prob- 

 ably due to the leveling influence of the wild ancestors from which the 

 seedlings are but a step removed. 



Most grapes of high quality possess some V. vinifera blood. This pre- 

 dominance of high quality is probably due to the intense selection to 

 which the species has been subjected for centuries. 



The pure seedlings on the New York Station grounds have been lower 

 in quality than crossed seedlings. 



In the inheritance of size of berry there is no indication of dominance 

 of any one size, though there is a tendency for a variety to produce seed- 

 lings approaching its own size. 



The oval form of many V. vinifera hybrids is probably an intermediate 

 between round and a more pronounced oval. Oblate may be a pure form 

 recessive to round. 



The season of ripening of the parent influences to a considerable ex- 

 tent the season of the offspring. 



A vineyard of 1,500 seedlings bred from 1898 to 1903 has dwindled 

 through selection to less than 75. Of these, 5 have already proved 

 promising enough to be named. 



LITERATURE CITED 



(1) Beach, S. A. 



1898. Self-fertility of the grape. N. Y. State Agr. Exp. Sta. Bui. 157, p. 397-441, 



3 fig-. 5- Pl- 



(2) Booth, N. O. 



1902. Investigations concerning the self-fertility of the grape, 1900-1902. III. 

 A study of grape pollen. N. Y. State Agr. Exp. Sta. Bui. 224, p. 

 291-302, I fig., 6 pl. 



(3) Dezani, Serafino. 



1910. Le sostanze cromogene dell' uva bianca. In Staz. Sper. Agr. Ital., v. 43, 

 fasc. 5, p. 428-438. Abstract in Joui. Chem. Soc. [London], v. 100, pt. 

 2, p. 223. 1911. 



(4) DORSEY, M. J. 



1914. Pollen development in the grape with special reference to sterility. 

 Minn. Agr. Exp. Sta. Bui. 144, 60 p., 4 pi. Bibliography, p. 50-60. 



(5) 



1914. Sterility in the grape. In Proc. Soc. Hort. Sci., 1913, loth Ann. Meeting, 



p. 149-153- 



