474 Journal of Agriculture. [loAuG., 190S. 



few small growers who have replanted of recent years employ such stocks 

 as Rupestris du Lot and A. R.G.I, and appear to be getting fairly satis- 

 factory results. Taken as a whole the wine growing portion of the 

 Malaga district presents a melancholy and disappointing picture in which 

 the failure due to the use of the Riparia stock in drv situations and in 

 insufficiently prepared soil, stands out as the most striking feature. 



Stocks for Raisin Vines. 



I have already referred to the difficultv in finding a satisfactory stock 

 for the Muscat of Alexandria (First Progress Report). In P'rance it 

 is admitted on all sides to be what is known as a very bad scion. If 

 not absolutely identical with it, the Gordo Blanco is, to say the least, 

 very closely related to it and seeing the poor affinity existing between the 

 Muscat of Alexandria and most American vines I looked forward with 

 ^reat interest to the opportunity of gaining infoTmation as to the best 

 stocks for the Gordo Blanco or Malaga Moscatel in a district where it 

 is so largely cultivated. Though growers generally admit it to be a bad 

 scion, the evidence I was able to collect as to the best stocks for it is less 

 definite than I could have wished, and on the whole rather unsatisfac- 

 tory. The question does not seem to have been studied, by means of 

 -experimental plots, so thoroughly as its importance merits. The present 

 position seems to be that, though the most progressive growers hope that 

 some of the more recently introduced stocks will prove to be completely 

 satisfactory, many of them continue to plant and graft with Moscatel, 

 stocks for which thev admit it to have imperfect affinity . 



I was greatly astonished to find that Riparia is still fairly extensively 

 used, the variety most favoured being a local selection from' among the 

 seedlings of this species, so extensively raised in the early days of Malaga 

 reconstitution. Early fruiting and early ripening are two of the chief 

 advantages of Riparias. The latter, especially, renders it popular with 

 raisin growers as it enables the fruit to be gathered whilst the weather is 

 still warm enough to dry the grapes conveniently. Two circumstances 

 mitigate to a considerable extent the faulty affinity existing between 

 Moscatel and Riparia. In the first place, the .soils of the Vega, where 

 it is planted are deep, free and rich — typical Riparia soils in fact — where 

 this species might be expected to thrive. In the second, the exceedingly 

 short pruning practised, has the effect of preventing much of the evil 

 influence of want of affinity. 



It will be remembered, that in Southern France it was chiefly when 

 pruned too generously that vines grafted on Riparia declined after a few 

 years of satisfactory yields. Exceedingly short pruning for a year or 

 two gives the vines a rest and seems to bring about a return to normal 

 conditions. Worn out and enfeebled vines may often be rejuvenated and 

 brought back to health in this way. The exceedingly short pruning of 

 the Malaga district is probably the chief factor which renders possible 

 the use of a stock possessing such unsatisfactor\ affinity for the scion to 

 be grafted on it. With our wide planting such short pruning would be 

 out of the question as yields would be too small. The u.se of an equally 

 early but more durable stock even for Malaga is much desired. As one 

 grower explained. " The Riparia is satisfactory so long as one is pre- 

 pared to replant 10 per cent, of one's vineyard each year." He usually 

 replaced his defective vines with ones grafted on 1202 with the result 

 that the vineyard was far from even in composition. This defect was 

 noticeable in several of the vineyards I visited. 



