CHAPTER III 

 GRAPE BREEDING 



The work of grape breeding herein reported began in the spring 

 of 1916, though several crosses had been made in a neighbor's 

 vineyard in 1913. Crosses were made between Concord, Lutie 

 Moore's Early, Niagara, Diamond, Worden, Delaware, and later 

 Green Mountain (Winchel). Each variety was used as a pollin- 

 ator of every other variety except that Delaware was at no time 

 used as a mother. The actual work was largely done by Botany 

 and Biology classes under direction of the writer as teacher. 



Just as a cluster of blossoms were opening 'and before any 

 pollen had ripened all anthers were removed, either by hand or 

 with tweezers, a reading glass being employed where necessary 

 to make sure the work was thoroughly done. A cluster of blossoms, 

 the pollen of which was ripe, was then brought from the other 

 parent and the pollen thoroughly dusted over the emasculated 

 cluster, which was at once enclosed in a tissue paper cap and 

 labeled. By this method only a few of the blossoms on a cluster 

 took the pollen and matured fruit, but this insured well matured 

 seed. Grapes are more difficult to pollinate than many other 

 flowers but the simple method used never failed to produce at 

 least a few grapes. 



The fruit was allowed to ripen thoroughly and was then 

 gathered, the seeds saved, and planted, a label being placed 

 with each lot. Some of the seeds were kept in a dry state for 

 some months before planting, but all were planted before January 

 1, in cold frames without protection of any kind. 



The percentage of germination has been uniformly good, but 

 perhaps half of the seedlings produced have not lived for more 

 than three months. They suffer from insect ravages, damping 

 off and blight, and many of them die without any apparent 

 reason. Seedlings are never sprayed or given any sort of pro- 

 tection as it is felt that only plants that are strong enough 

 to succeed without protection would be strong enough for general 

 cultivation. A good seedling should produce two or three feet 

 of top the first summer. 



When one year old all seedlings are transplanted to a nursery 

 row and cut back to two inches in height. Here great loss is 

 sustained, for reasons that have not been satisfactorily determined. 

 These vines are cared for as if they were yearling vines brought 

 from a nursery, being cut back hard each spring but are not 

 sprayed. The first blossoms may appear the third year but 

 some have never blossomed as yet. 



The first fruit set on a seedling is almost sure to be small but 

 it is possible to determine the color and flavor. Both size of berry 



