462 [ THE VINE. 



habit of growth and are very resisting to Phylloxera, 

 and would afford excellent stock for most European 

 viiles, The river-grape is now extensively used as stock 

 in Italy, and especially in France, where about f of the 

 total area under vineyards has been replanted on Riparia- 

 stock, its resistance to Phylloxera being indexed at |. 

 This vine, crossed with European vines, has given 

 origin to important hybrids, now often grown as direct 

 producers, such as Noah, Clinton, Taylor, Vial la, 

 Marion, Elvira, Black Pearl, Oporto and Franklin, but 

 unfortunately for us most of them partake of their 

 parent's dislike for calcareous soils. 



The vine-mildew, the vine-blight and the Phylloxera 

 vastatrix, which have wrought so much havoc in the 

 vineyards of Europe, are of American origin, and were 

 introduced at different times into Europe from North 

 American. It is owing to them that the cultivation of 

 the European vine could never make much headway in 

 North America, and since their importation into the 

 Old World, European viticulture has become both 

 difficult and hazardous. The vine-grower has been 

 confronted again and again by problems of the utmost 

 gravity, and at certain times matters looked so serious, 

 and the danger and the loss so widespread, that the 

 best viticulturists lost all hope of ever again seing 

 viticulture resume its old place in the national economy. 

 The use of sulphur and of Bordeaux mixture enabled 

 the vine grower to wage a fairly successful war against 

 the two fungous diseases above mentioned, but with the 

 advent and diffusion of Phylloxera it was feared that 

 the vineyards of France and of Europe will cease to 

 exist in less than a quarter of a century. Scientific 

 research again cam .: t > the rescue, and the remedy 

 against the disease was found in those same American 

 vines on whose roots the Phylloxera had trave'led to 

 Europe. 



