CEPAGES. 125 



through the short stylary channel of the pistil. Generally, 

 as soon as the pollen tube has penetrated the ovule, the 

 stigma and style die off. The gauze bag may, therefore, be 

 removed soon after; but, as an additional precaution, it is 

 allowed to remain on for a week. The fecundated branch is 

 then isolated in a larger gauze bag until maturity, to avoid 

 the destruction of the berries by birds, or accidents, etc. 



It is not generally possible to recognise, from the berries 

 themselves, if fecundation has taken place. As shown by 

 Millardet, and often observed by the writers, the action of 

 crossing on the fecundated flowers of different species is not 

 apparent on the berries resulting from the fecundation. But 

 this action takes place in the case of the crossing of two 

 varieties of the same species (Metization), and was first pointed 

 out by Henri Bouschet, who noticed that berries of Aramon 

 and Chasselas, previously fecundated with red juice cepages 

 ( Petit-Bouschet, Tinto), had red juices after fecundation, 

 while the berries of the same grape, not fecundated, still had 

 white juice. The writers have themselves verified this fact 

 with Rosaki and Chasselas fecundated with Alicante- 

 Bouschet ; the fecundated berries of Rosaki and Chasselas, 

 which are naturally white, had the juice in the skin reddish 

 or red. These facts have not been observed in the crossing 

 of two species (hybridization). 



(d) Sowing and Selection. The grapes are gathered when 

 very ripe and left to dry, before the seeds are separated 

 from the pulp. The following spring they are prepared 

 by placing them in water to separate and select the seed; 

 bad seeds float, good seeds sink to the bottom. They are 

 removed, and left for 24 to 48 hours soaked in water, and 

 are then stratified for twenty days in slightly damp sand. 



It is better to sow the seeds in large flower-pots, filled 

 with rich mellow soil, or with well decomposed mould. 

 The seeds are thus easier attended to than when in a nur- 

 sery, where other seeds might accidentally fall in the beds, 

 and cause confusion. When numerous hybridization sow- 

 ings are made, great care must be exercised in labelling, 

 and the seeds of a given species should be isolated in one or 

 several pots. The soil should be kept constantly moist, to 

 assist the germination of the seeds, which are buried from 

 1 1 /2 to 2 inches at most ; the surface is covered with a mulch- 

 ing of partly decomposed stable manure. Germination gen- 

 erally takes place one month after sowing. If we can 

 afford glass panes or glass houses the sowing should take 



