CEPAGES. 95 



plains, all the siliceous soils, with more or less large 

 particles, will be reconstituted with the V. Rupestris; and 

 soils of these natures are very numerous in the viticultural 

 regions of France. Such are, for example, the soils of the 

 Alpine diluvium, the diluvium of the Durance (Crau), and 

 the dilivium of the Pyrenees in the south of France; the 

 modern pebbly alluvium of the Rhone, those of the garigues 

 of the Oxfordian and the Corallian, of certain hard lime- 

 stones of the Molasse of the same region; those of the 

 Silurian in the north of France, the hard and siliceous 

 schists, the pebbly, hard limestone of the Carboniferous; 

 those of the pebbly-granitic soils at the edge of the Central 

 Plateau (Aveyron, Beaujolais); those of the hard lime- 

 stones of the Jurassic, Oxfordian, and Corallian of the 

 Rhone hills, and of the Bourgogne; the tertiary, pebbly 

 sands of the Gironde, the graves, the ancient alluvia of 

 the Charente and Rhone with hard calcareous and siliceous 

 fragments mixed, etc. 



The V. Rupestris, as already stated, grows well from 

 cuttings or grafted-cuttings. It is possible, with special 

 care, to arrive at as large a strike comparatively as with 

 the most perfect grafting-stock, the Riparia and Vialla, 

 for examples. The successful strikes of grafts and grafted 

 cuttings have reached, in many nurseries, from 80 to 90 

 per cent. Some nurserymen consider that the success of 

 grafting with Rupestris is more perfect than with other 

 grafting-stock, on account of the vigour of the grafts and 

 the perfection of the knitting. However, the Rupestris is 

 very difficult to graft when at an advanced age. In fact, to 

 facilitate the growth of the cuttings and the grafted cuttings 

 of the Rupestris, they must be carefully barked and the eyes 

 neatly excised on the part that is underground. We will 

 specially insist on this when we treat of grafting. 



The V. Rupestris, obviously ungrafted, is not subject to 

 cryptogamic diseases of the leaves; the canes often exfoliate 

 early at their base, but this is a natural phenomenon which 

 is constantly observed of these vines in their wild state in 

 America, but which has no action on the great vigour of 

 this species. The black spots that are often observed on the 

 leaves, and attributed to melanose, are only numerous on 

 the less vigorous and valueless varieties, and never produce 

 any weakening of the more perfect varieties. The Rupestris 

 in a general way, is very subject to pourridi in damp soils; 



