RESISTANT VINES; THEIR SELECTION, ADAPTATION, ETC. 23 



As regards soils designated as silicious clays or loams, all that is to 

 be considered is their compactness, humidity, and fertility. The impor- 

 tance lies in physical effects produced by a greater or less admixture of 

 sand, clay, etc., thus giving greater or less compactness, etc. 



Silicious sands containing a quantity less than 8% of clay, are classed 

 as "light soils." The Vitis Vinifera, or European vine, does well in 

 such soils, without attaining extraordinary development; it may be 

 said to develop normally. This is not the case with the American vines, 

 however. Some few American resistants, hybrids or otherwise, such as 

 the Lenoir, Herbemont, Vialla, Rupestris, St. Georges, etc., produce in 

 them, in France, a vegetation that leaves little to be desired; while the 

 Riparia and some others give but a feeble growth. 



Compactness. The compactness of the soil is due sometimes to an 

 excess of clay, sometimes to an excess of fine silicious sand. In the 

 last case, when the amount of clay is less than 5% or 6%, the soil is 

 excessively hard and compact after the dry weather sets in; so much so 

 that the roots of the vine have great difficulty in penetrating the soil, 

 and the whole vine thrives badly. An excess of clay would seem to be less 

 harmful than an excess of fine silicious sand or silt. Too great com- 

 pactness of the soil is a serious drawback to the well-being of the vine, 

 which, like many other plants, prefers a friable, light, warm soil; and 

 the results obtained are more satisfactory in proportion as these condi- 

 tions are more perfectly realized. It is true that while some of the 

 resistants will grow in the most compact soils, yet they never attain 

 their maximum vigor; while the life of the vine is notably shortened. 

 In such cases the American vines behave somewhat as do the Viniferas; 

 but some among them would seem to resist such soils more than others. 

 Thus, the Riparia and the Rupestris do very poorly in compact soils, 

 while the Lenoir, the Herbemont, and the Vialla accommodate them- 

 selves better to such conditions. Each of these vines will be discussed 

 more fully from this point of view, but the reasons for these differences 

 will be given here; it does not suffice merely to note facts, the causes 

 and general results must be looked for. 



The Riparias and the greater part of the Rupestris varieties have 

 sparse root-systems, with slender roots; but these roots are very hard and 

 much ramified, being terminated by an abundant growth of very tena- 

 cious root hairs. The Lenoir, the Vialla, the Herbemont, the Cunning- 

 ham, the Cinerea, the York-Maderia, etc., have, on the contrary, larger 

 and stronger roots with less root hairs on them. The Vitis Vinifera 

 and Lenoir, vines that thrive so well on all kinds of soils, have also 

 quite large, thick roots. Just why the vines having the thickest and 

 fleshiest soft roots should seem to penetrate more readily into very 

 hard, compact soils than those with slim, slender, very hard roots, is 

 not fully understood as yet. It may be that the greater strength of the 

 larger roots enables them to force their way into compact subsoils by 

 sheer force of weight or mass. But whatever be the true cause, the fact 

 remains constant and deserves to be noted. It shows that the American 

 species, pure or hybridized among themselves (such hybrids are called 

 Americo-American, while those that are hybridized with the Vitis Vini- 

 fera are called Franco-American, the French having made the most 

 complete study of them thus far), as well as the Franco- American 

 hybrids, which inherit strength and size of root from the Vitis Vinifera, 



