AMERICAN VINES 



PART I. 

 ADAPTATION. 



L INTRODUCTION. 



When the American vines were first cultivated in France 

 on a large scale, it was soon apparent that they were not 

 thriving equally well in all soils. Such varieties as were 

 thriving well in one soil grew indifferently in another; 

 and, in the same soil, they were not all growing in the same 

 manner. 



Evidently, it would have been easy to foresee that this 

 would be the case if beforehand, care had been taken to 

 study the nature of the soils in which they were living in 

 America. But, in the haste in which new vineyards were 

 started, the mistake was made of thinking that American 

 vines would grow in all kinds of soils just as the European 

 (Vitis Vintferd) did. 



All the European vines belong to one species the V. 

 Vinifera. Their pecularities and properties extend, with 

 only slight differences, to all the varieties cultivated. 



With the American vines we have to deal with species 

 not only differing from the V. Vinifera, but also very 

 different from one another. Consequently, their numerous 

 varieties, which had adapted themselves to special con- 

 ditons, gave very different results when planted in similar 

 conditions. 



But this was not taken into account. Hence, widely- 

 spread failures were recorded; and extensive vineyards 

 had to be uprooted after a few years growth. It wab 

 only then seen that it was necessary to study beforehand each 

 American variety to discover its qualities and deficiencies, 

 and especially its power of adaptation to different soils. 



