TYPES OF MUSCADINE GRAPE BLOOM-CLUSTERS 



The small cluster on right is typical of the female or, more properly, imperfect hermaphrodite 

 type. All the standard commercial varieties are of this type and the cluster photographed 

 is of the leading variety, Scuppernong. The cluster on left is a typical male or staminate 

 vine cluster. The middle cluster is typical of the new perfect-flowered, self-fertile herma- 

 phrodite type produced by the U. S. Department of Agriculture. Note that it resembles 

 the male cluster in size and shape rather than the female cluster, and that it has erect stamens 

 surrounding a normal pistil in each blossom while the male cluster has no pistils and the 

 female cluster has only short, rudimentary stamens. Photograph one and one-half times 

 natural size. (Fig. 11.)' 



5. Better berry adherence. 



6. Higher sugar and lower acid con- 

 tent. 



7. Better pulp quality. 



8. Decreased size of seed. 



9. Thinner skin of berries. 



10. More uniform ripening. 



The early surveys showed that the 

 main problem of breeding would be to 

 bring together the desirable characters 

 already present in the two species 

 constituting the Muscadine group, espe- 

 cially V. rotundifolia, though it also 

 seemed necessary to go outside of the 

 group for certain other improvements, 

 such as marked alteration of the sugar- 

 acid ratio. The efforts of the Depart- 

 ment, therefore, have been, first, to 

 combine and augment in a few varieties 



the desirable characters now scattered 

 among many varieties of the Musca- 

 dines, by cross-breeding and selection 

 work within the species; and, second, 

 to bring about additional improvement 

 by hybridizing with other grape species. 



RESULTS FROM INTERCROSSING 



In practically every way in which 

 improvement seemed desirable as al- 

 ready indicated, improvement has been 

 secvired. Among the more than 5,400 

 seedling vines produced by the Depart- 

 ment there are selected individuals 

 which represent progress toward certain 

 ones of our stated goals and the best of 

 these are being multiplied and thor- 

 oughly tested with a view to introducing 

 them eventually as named varieties 



411 



