14 How TO MAKE GRAPE CULTURE PROFITABLE IN CALIFORNIA 



growth may reach half dimensions, but in a year or two generally 

 another attack follows, which kills the vine. A predisposition 

 manifests itself in excessive crops, less in loss of vigor. As has 

 been previously stated, cuttings taken from only slightly affected 

 vines will grow fairly well for a few years,but soon succumb 

 The Viniferas growing for a number of years under favorable soil 

 conditions in California, a strong predisposition to the disease is 

 created or augmented in them, long before they are actually at- 

 tacked. Vines propagated from cuttings, taken from such appar- 

 ently healthy vines, will make satisfactory growth for several 

 years, but if conditions for the development of the disease become 

 more favorable again, will succumb much more quickly than the 

 mother vines, from which they originated. It is, therefore, very 

 unsafe, to take cuttings out of a vineyard, in which the disease has 

 appeared to any extent, and especially unsafe if such a vineyard 

 is old and located on alluvial soil in a valley, where the disease 

 has been very virrulent in other parts of it. It is very probable thai 

 the reason why in former years the disease has been less con- 

 spicuous, is because the first vines were propagated from perfectly 

 sound cuttings, imported from Europe or which came from young 

 perfectly healthy vines. A similar degeneration is met with in an- 

 nual plants, as some kinds of potatoes, wheat, etc., which, when 

 first introduced into a new locality, do exceedingly well, but after 

 their culture for 3 or 4 years degenerate and fail to give satisfactory 

 leturns. Propagation through cuttings is simply a prolongation 

 of the life of the old vine and young vines thus started commence 

 life with all the weakness and infirmities of the old mother vines. 



It is a good plan to have a plot of vines simply for the purpose 

 of obtaining cuttings for new plantations. These vines should be 

 carefully irrigated according to directions given below. Care 

 should be taken that only sound vines are planted in such plots ; 

 they should be grafted on stocks which are known to be hardy. 

 Where cuttings are taken from a field it is safest to take them from 

 young vines from three to six years old. Cuttings taken from vines 

 on poor gravelly hillsides in cool localities with ample rainfall are 

 better than if taken from vines on rich ground of any description 

 or any locality. Instead of grafting resistants on old worthless 

 Viniferas for the procuring of strong cuttings, as the prevailing 

 custom is, they should be grafted only on young vigorous vines, 

 or still better, if such mother vines stand on their own roots or on 

 some other hardy stocks. 



In localities where the disease has been very destructive it is 

 probably best to grow only such Viniferas, which in the past have 

 shown the greatest resistance to the trouble. These are according 

 to my experience those varieties which start growth late in the 

 spring, mature their fruit early, do not overbear nor make excessive 

 woodgrowth, as Petite Sirah, Beclan, Franken Reisling, Cabernet 

 and others. Of course there are vines like Tokay, Verdel, Gren- 

 ache and Carignan, that have shown a greater resistance, if stand- 

 ing on a favorable soil than smaller growers and smaller bearers, 

 probably on account of their stronger and more penetrating roots. 



