222 HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK. 



mined, but the general impression is in favor of the staminate blossom as a 

 pollenizer. 



The tendency to sterility from the changed conditions is mentioned here 

 to induce experimenters to secure, before it is too late, specimens of all of 

 our wild native species of grapes, that they may be preserved and be used 

 in the future to rejuvenate the declining vigor of the cultivated vines. 



In my experiments in hybridizing and crossing, I find that prepotency and 

 reversion play a very important part, and the prepotency of Vitis vulpina 

 seems to exceed that of all others. It shows itself strongly where there is but 

 a fraction of its blood combined, but shows less strength where Vitis Lince- 

 cumii is a part of the combination. Reversion is a subtle element in the 

 production of crosses and hybrids, but is less likely to show itself in the first 

 generation than later on. It is freaky and unstable. There is sometimes a 

 reversion to one parent and sometimes to the other, and the best grape that I 

 hayie produced is where Vitis vulpina, Vitis labrusca and Vitis vinifera 

 were combined. Vitis vulpina and Vitis labrusca controlled the vine and 

 Vitis vinifera the fruit. The Vitis vinifera used was the Black Hamburg, 

 and the hybrid is of the same color and size as the Black Hamburg and has 

 a decided vinifera quality, ripens early and is hardy. I am fully convinced 

 that our best table grapes will always be produced from the three above 

 mentioned species. 



As some grapes do much better on roots of other vines, the writer is now 

 growing graft stocks for the purpose of testing all new hybrids on. These 

 stocks are from a very vigorous, hardy vine that will take the graft readily. 



If the perfect blossom and fertility of the vinifera grapes are brought 

 forward to disprove the tendency to sterility of crosses and hybrids, I would 

 say that there is no evidence that the vinifera grapes have been brought up 

 to the present state of perfection by crossing or hybridizing. On the contrary, 

 it is probable that they have been improved by long years of selection. 



I am now devoting my attention to the establishing of a basis for future 

 viticulture by combining such species as are most likely to furnish desired 

 qualities when the seeds of these combinations are planted. The accompany- 

 ing diagram will shov*' a combination having in it V. labrusca, V. vulpina 

 and V. vinifera for table grapes; another has in its combination V. labrusca, 

 V. vulpina, V. Lincecumii, V. rupestris and V. vinifera. The former combina- 

 tion should furnish large bunches and berries, and the latter should furnish 

 large clusters and small harries. Such has been my experience with these 

 combinations thus far. 



