RESISTANT VINES J THEIR SELECTION, ADAPTATION, ETC. 15 



From this list, with its grouping, it will be found that the question 

 of American vines is a far more complicated one than at first might 

 appear, especially if it is borne in mind (and too great stress cannot be 

 laid upon the fact) that each of these eighteen species embraces many 

 hundreds of varieties, these varieties differing the one from the other in 

 the same species as much as the " Zinfandel " does from the " Seedless 

 Sultana." The Vitis Vinifera, or the single species of Europe, which 

 furnishes us with our wine- and most of our table-grapes, has over 1,500 

 varieties. It is possible that there will be found almost as many varie- 

 ties of each one of the eighteen American species in America. In the 

 case of the Vinifera, however, we have the grape berries to help us 

 classify the varieties. With the American resistants we can place little 

 reliance on the berries, as many of them are not eatable, and in a vine- 

 yard the leaf alone is seen for but a year or so; and after that it is cut 

 back and grafted. Hence the difficulty in getting the average vine- 

 grower to familiarize himself with the variations in species and varieties 

 of American resistants. This explains how so many very intelligent 

 vine-growers continually confuse species and variety. 



This confusion of species with variety has proved the greatest stumbling- 

 block in the path of the modern viticulturist. The inability, or in many 

 cases the unwillingness, to recognize the fact that there are hundreds of 

 varieties of Riparias, etc., and that some are valuable and others are 

 not, has cost the world vast sums of money and has driven many vine- 

 growers into bankruptcy. The burden fell heaviest on the French, who 

 were the first to seriously take up resistants. They have had many 

 years of experience on a large scale, and we are able to profit by their 

 mistakes and successes in planting out our resistant vineyards. At 

 least we should do so; but it is unfortunately true that to-day in this 

 State there are very many who simply refuse even to investigate what 

 others have done. Local experience is necessary, no doubt; but unless 

 it is intelligently directed, vast sums must first be spent before any 

 adequate results are to be had. When certain facts have been estab- 

 lished in many countries beyond a possibility of doubt, it is folly for us 

 to disregard them. I have found that when the experience of others is 

 alluded to it is very often sneeringly thrust aside, with the remark that 

 "We do things differently in California." Just as though "doing 

 things differently" could change a thin-wooded, weak variety into a 

 thick-wooded, vigorous one. It really would seem that many of the 

 vine-growers of this State are disposed to begin experimenting with 

 resistants precisely as the Europeans did, making the same costly mis- 

 takes and utterly disregarding the successes in the way of improved 

 varieties, already achieved. 



When the Europeans found that some of their imported American 

 cuttings did well, while others perished, they took one step in the right 

 direction by recognizing the fact that there were really material differ- 

 ences existing between American vines. Their scientists told them the 

 names of the species, and pointed out the fact that each species embraces 

 many different varieties. The vineyardists, however, were in such haste 

 to replant their ruined vineyards that they grasped at the names of 

 species, and paid but little attention to the subdivisions of each group. 

 By a system of experimental selection they found that the Vitis (species) 

 Riparia and the Vitis Rupestris were the best all-around groups to select 

 from. The other species were found to be of little or no practical value, 



