Plantlet: Seed-leaves, large cordate or ovate, acute, green, petioles short; first year, slender, 

 weak, declining, leave,s entire. 



Viticultural Observations and Remarks 



Germination early to medium, those from Florida (6) quickest; foliation early, medium 

 to late, usually with or a little earlier than V. Lincecumii and after V. labrusca; inflorescence 

 just after V. labrusca, before V. Lincecumii; ripening of fruit very late, long after V. testivalis, 

 about with V. cinerea; foliage and wood mature in a very early, about the first of our native 

 species, leaves turning yellow before frost, falling and exposing the fruit for ripening, while in b the 

 leaves persist very late. Vigor great; plants attain an immense size, one in Kentucky was 

 measured by the writer, which at six feet from the ground was sixty-six inches in circumference ; 

 endures cold about equally with V. cinerea; found in same locality, those native in Illinois a, 

 being very hardy, while b is quite tender in Northern Texas; resists Phylloxera fully, also mildew 

 and rot. Its hybrids with V. rupestris have been found eminently resistant to Phylloxera by 

 Prof. A. Millardet. Some of its wild hybrids with V. labrusca* and V. Lincecumii show much, 

 amelioration. Cuttings grow with difficulty. The immense size and age it may attain well suit 

 it for graft-stocks, though the difficulty of rooting the cuttings makes it less desirable than the 

 easier rooting hybrids with V. rupestris and V. vulpina; mixed with V. Longii and V. Doaniana 

 it doubtless would be most excellent, as stocks in dry soils, and with V. Champini would be most 

 excellent in very limy soils, though may be no better than pure V. Champini. 



Numerous natural hybrids of this species with V. rupestris, V. vulpina, V. Lincecumii, and 

 V. cinerea were found by H. Jaeger in Southwest Missouri; in Northern Texas by myself with 

 V. cinerea and V. Lincecumii; by J. H. Simpson in Florida, with V. coriacea, V. Simpsoni, 

 V. (Estivalis, and rarely even with V. Munsoniana, and it has been obtained from Virginia and 

 Georgia hybridized with V. cestivalis, V. labrusca and V . cinerea. 



The foregoing analysis is from specimens obtained from Virginia, Kentucky, Illinois, Missouri, 

 Oklahoma, many parts of Texas, Georgia, and Florida, which show its range. Its northern 

 limit is about 40 degrees, its westward, is through eastern Kansas, central Oklahoma and 

 the Trinity River in Texas. The entire, simple cordate, and shouldered leaf forms, the bronzy 

 pubescent and smooth, clear yellowish-green forms are found intermingled throughout its entire 

 distribution and are poorly defined botanical varieties. Its late foliation, blooming, ripening, 

 thick diaphragm, prominent chalaza and raphe, pungency of fruit, narrowly cordate, thick 

 shiny leaves, fruit without bloom, tall growth, in extensive regions where V. vulpina is not found, 

 and many other marks, readily distinguish it from that species, with which it was so long and 

 so much confused by botanists. This species prefers argillaceous, alluvial moist bottoms ( 

 but in Northern Texas grows with great vigor on strong limy soils, but does not endure drouth 

 there so well as V. cinerea or V . candicans. 



The variety sempervirens, though so far as seen is always bronze colored in young shoots, 

 and leaves, is chiefly distinguished from the species by the truncate base and deltoid shape of 

 leaves with great persistency of foliage, smaller clusters and later ripening of fruit, and its greater 

 sensitiveness to cold. 



* The Ronk's Blue Grape, found many years ago, in the woods in Roanoke County, Va., by a Mr. Ronk, and 

 by him moved into his yard, grew to be a large vine and continued for many years to bear large crops of fruit of 

 quite good quality. The clusters and berries are of medium size, the berry black, ovoid, skin thin, tough, pulp 

 melting, juicy, sprightly without Labrusca flavor but possessing that of V. cordifolia to some extent. The writer 

 has bearing vines of it, the characteristics of which are certainly V. cordifolia and V, labrusca, in wood, leaf 

 and fruit. From seeds of it he has grown a dozen or more plants, most of which are exceedingly like V. cordifolia, 

 with the small very late characteristic fruit of that species, while two have large fruit ripening a little after mid- 

 season, one large cluster, berry large, ovoid, black, with good melting pulp, much better than its parent. It is 

 without any Labrusca flavor, but has a trace, quite agreeable, of Cordifolia. The other has cluster and berry 

 medium, berry red, quality sweet, fair The leaves in both show clearly both species, the tendrils on some shoots 

 continuous show ]/. labrusca, certainly. Such result in size and quality from a combination of those two species 

 is veiy surprising, and shows what grand results lie in store for any persistent, intelligent hybridizer of our native 

 giapes 



77 



