/ CEPAf.ES. 131 



importance. When the American resistant vine plays the 

 part of male, the resistance is generally more pronounced 

 than in the opposite case ; a Vinifera X Rupestris is, as a rule, 

 more resistant than a Rupestris X Vinifera. In this latter 

 case of hybridization, in which the Vinifera plays the part of 

 male, the offspring are generally fecund and fructiferous. 



The affinity of hybrids to the grafting of different varieties 

 of Vinifera is so much the greater as the parents have them- 

 selves more affinity for those varieties. For instance, a 

 Labrusca X Rupestris will have a more pronounced affinity 

 than Rotundifolia X Rupestris. All binary hybrids con- 

 taining the element Vinifera will have more affinity for 

 European vines than a pure American species or binary 

 American hybrids, and so much the more that the American 

 species has itself a greater affinity. A Labrusca X Vini- 

 fera or a Berlandieri X Vinifera would have more pro- 

 nounced properties of affinity for Vinifera than hybrids 

 Rotundifolia X Vinifera or Lincecumii X Vinifera. 



As for adaptation, one may evidently foresee that the 

 combined elements will give to the resulting combination 

 their required properties. The study we are going to make 

 of the hybrids will prove this conclusively. As the Vinifera 

 grows under almost any conditions, we can forsee that the 

 hybrids between Vinifera and American species will have a 

 greater geographical area of adaptation than the species or 

 hybrids between those species; for instance, a Vinifera X 

 Labrusca or a Vinifera X Riparia will grow in a greater 

 variety of soils than a Riparia X Labrusca. And, again, 

 a Vinifera X Berlandieri will have to a greater degree the 

 property of adaptation to chalky soils than a Vinifera X 

 Rupestris or a Vinifera X Riparia for instance, and our 

 numerous experiments prove that this is really a fact. 



But here, as in any other case, exceptions may exist, the 

 individuals resulting from crossing not only inheriting the 

 properties of their parents, but also acquiring new properties. 

 A few important cases will be studied in the chapter on 

 adaptations (Solonis, Riparia X Rupestris, etc.). 



Up to the present we have only considered hybrids result- 

 ing from the union of two species or binary hybrids. As 

 for hybrids produced by more complex combinations, by the 

 union of three, four, or five distinct species, it is not easy to 

 state definitely the results that would be obtained. We may 

 expect that the predominant species will impress on the 



