lOO Annals of Hortiailture . 



"The varieties of Vitis riparia, both wild and cultivated, 

 are, on account of their special fitness, almost exclusively em- 

 ployed in France as resistant stocks, for which they easily 

 take first rank. The varieties used are, first, the wild forms ; 

 and, second, the cultivated varieties Solonis, Clinton, and 

 Taylor. Of the cultivated varieties, the Clinton was one of 

 the first vines tried for this purpose and has been extensively 

 used with fair satisfaction. The Solonis now ranks above it, 

 but is valueless for any other purpose on account of the 

 acidity of its grapes. In California, the Lenoir, Herbemont 

 and Elvira have been used, but late experience shows that the 

 wild riparia is most satisfactory there, as it is in France. 



"The different varieties of Vitis Lab^^nsca are less resistant 

 to the phylloxera than those above mentioned. Certain var- 

 ieties have, however, been grown successfully in France, and 

 of these the Concord has given much the best results ; but 

 others, Isabella and Catawba, for example, succumb there to 

 the root-louse, as indeed they do in many sections of this 

 country. 



"Of the many valuable hybrids obtained from the Ameri- 

 can species of vitis which are serviceable as stocks, the more 

 important are the Elvira, Noah and Viala. The last named, 

 perhaps of all the resistant varieties, gives the greatest per- 

 centage of successful grafts, and is admirably adapted for 

 grafting on cuttings. 



"Early in the study of the subject it was found that the 

 nature of the soil has a very marked influence on the success 

 of the different stocks. The subject has now been quite fully 

 investigated in France, and the latest researches are formu- 

 lated by the experimental school at Montpellier in the state- 

 ment quoted below, which will be of interest as giving the 

 various classes of soils, together with the American vines best 

 adapted to each : 



(i) New, deep, fertile soils : Riparia (tomentous and glabrous), Jacquez, 

 Solonis, Viala, Taylor and Ciinninghani . 



(2) Deep soils, somewhat strong, not wet : Jacquez, Riparia, Solonis, 

 Ctinnins^ha??i, Viala, Taylor. 



(3) Deep soils of medium consistency, new and not dry in summer : 

 Riparia., Jacquez, Solonis, Viala, Taylor, Black July. 



(4) Light pebbly soils, deep, well drained, and not too dry in summer : 

 Jacquez, Riparia (wild), Taylor, Riipestris. 



(5) Calcareous soils, with subsoil shallow or granitic : Solonis, Rupestris. 



