20 How TO MAKE GRAPE CULTURE PROFITABLE IN CALIFORNIA 



at least for rich soils, as anything we have at present, if it only 

 had a higher resistance against the Phylloxera. It is not adapted 

 to poor gravelly soils as the Champini is. On account of its Rupest- 

 ris strain, this latter hybrid probably would be entirely safe only 

 on somewhat deep, well-drained gravelly soils, including poor grav- 

 elly clays and loams. It is very hardy on such soils in my own 

 locality and vines bear heavily on it. A mistake has been made in 

 the Santa Clara valley undoubtedly in the use of unsound grafting 

 wood and in planting it mostly on very compact soils, to which it is 

 not adapted. The Champinis occur wild mostly on soils similar to 

 those on which the wild Rupestris grow, but richer and in a drier 

 region and on much drier ground. A vine growing wild on a rich 

 soil, even if this is gravelly and mixed with small rocks, has a 

 greater range of adaptation to moisture changes than a vine occur- 

 ring on such soils which are almost devoid of humus and fine earth. 



Aside from the hardiness of its roots the Lenoir has the ideal 

 form of root-system for rich, heavy soils, which hold excessive 

 moisture during spring and are apt to become dry later, in extend- 

 ing its main roots horizontally under the surface and its strong, 

 penetrating laterals down vertically to a great depth. 



The resistance-coefficient of Lenoir is 12 and that of Champini 

 14, which have not been found adequate under the climatic condi- 

 tions of France. Which is the minimum resistance absolutely 

 safe under California conditions is still an open question. It is 

 known that Viniferas do not succumb as quickly here from the at- 

 tacks of the Phylloxera as they do in France, which may be ex- 

 plained by the fact, that decay of the roots, which causes the death 

 of the vines, does not proceed as rapidly in our soils during the 

 summer, as it does in countries with summer rains. 



At what degree of resistance a vine is immune from an injury 

 to its roots by the Phylloxera in California, is a point which should 

 command thorough investigation in the near future as a matter of 

 the greatest importance. A stock with a somewhat low resistance 

 but a good adaptation to existing soil conditions, is much safer 

 than one with a high resistance against the Phylloxera, but without 

 the adaptation. Our past experience has shown, that this latter 

 is as important (if not more so) as the Phylloxera question, in fact 

 that the solution of one is valueless without the mastering of the 

 other. The Lenoir and the Champini are the safest known at pres- 

 ent for lands which cannot be properly irrigated and such soils as 

 have been designated for them in this treatise. The former is prob- 

 ably the best for table grapes and other heavy-bearing Viniferas 

 on any kind of land excepting the very poorest. Anybody desiring 

 to make plantings immediately should commence with these, but 

 at the same time try some of the other hybrids of the four hardy 

 species, and if some of them which have a higher resistance against 

 Phylloxera are found to be equally as good in regard to adaptation 

 to the existing soil conditions, these should be preferred for later 

 planting. What relation the nature of a soil has to the hardiness 

 of a vine can be seen most anywhere. In my own locality on a 

 rich, deep, sandy or clayey loam the Cornichon is very hardy and 



