GRAFTING AND NURSERIES. 21 7 



parties of adaptation to soil rather than reciprocal action 

 between stock and scion. We can ascertain it by studying 

 the chemical composition of grafted -vines. Those suffering 

 least from grafting are evidently those the composition of 

 which is closest to that of the same vines ungrafted. The 

 chemical composition of Folle-blanche grafted on its own 

 roots and of the same vine ungrafted is identical. There is 

 more nitrogen and less starch above than below the joint, 

 and similarly in the ungrafted vine there is more nitrogen 

 and less starch above than below the collar. With Euro- 

 pean vines grafted on pure American stock the phenomena 

 is just the reverse. Grafted Franco-Americans have an 

 identical chemical composition to Vinifera grafted on their 

 own roots or ungrafted. This is an indirect proof of their 

 great affinity to European vines. 



The various American stocks in use show considerable 

 differences of " affinity " with .varieties of V. Vinifera. 

 These differences have been studied for each of them. Let 

 us remind that V. Labrusca varieties have the greatest 

 affinity to European vines. The Vialla, Taylor, Noah, York- 

 Madeira, provided their resistance to phylloxera and adapta- 

 tion to soil are not taken into consideration, associate well 

 with European varieties, and do not appear to suffer from 

 grafting; Labrusca and Vinifera present, in fact, great 

 analogy in their development. 



But the diverse European varieties do not all behave in 

 the same manner with a given American stock ; some are very 

 vigorous, others remain weak. Table No. I clearly indicates 

 these differences. 



The figures given to each graft-bearer must be read verti- 

 cally; they only indicate in what manner the various Euro- 

 pean varieties experimented upon behave in regard to a 

 given graft-bearer; they do not allow comparisons to be 

 made between the affinities of different graft-bearers, as the 

 growth of the latter, represented by the figures, is not only 

 the result of their affinity with the scions they bear, but also 

 the effects of phylloxera and influence of soil. 



Tables Nos. 2, 3, and 4, condensed in tables Nos. 5 and 6, 

 which were communicated by Professor E. Durand, of the 

 School of Agriculture, Montpellier, indicate the comparative 

 differences of fructification of two French vines, Aramon and 

 Carignane, when grafted on various American stocks. Table 

 No. 7 shows the comparative circumferences of stock and 



