FRUITS 235 



but at the South they prove very susceptible to root 

 rot, and vineyards are apt to be short lived. 



The cestivalis varieties are of comparatively little 

 importance, though some of them are valuable for 

 wine. Vines of this type and of the closely related 

 Vitis rupestris are very resistant to the Phylloxera, 

 and they have been very widely used in Europe and 

 California as stocks on which to graft the susceptible 

 vinifera varieties. 



The Bourquineana varieties also constitute a small 

 group, but they are important at the South from 

 their power of resistance to the insidious root-rot 

 disease. The Delaware, everywhere so well known 

 as one of the best of American table grapes, and the 

 Herbemont, which makes one of the finest American 

 wines, are the two principal varieties of this class. 



The rotundifolia varieties are all natives of the 

 Southeastern states and thrive best on the moist, 

 sandy soils of the coast region. They are rampant 

 growers, easily climbing to the top of the tallest 

 forest trees. The fruit is large and juicy but thick 

 skinned. It is produced in small, irregular clusters 

 and not in symmetrical, compact bunches, as in the 

 other races. Unlike the bunch grapes it requires 

 little or no pruning, the vines being allowed to run 

 at will over large arbors. The Scuppernong is the 

 best-known kind. It is a light-colored grape, while 

 all the other varieties are black. While of no great 

 commercial importance, it is very widely planted at 

 the South for home use and domestic wine making; 

 in fact, no Southern home is considered complete 

 without its Scuppernong arbor. 



