30 UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. 



Thus it will be seen that in selecting the species of resistant vines to 

 plant, more attention should be given to the physical condition of the 

 soil than to the chemical composition; there is one exception, and that 

 is in the case of an excessive amount of calcareous material, in which 

 neither the Rupestris nor the Riparia will thrive as well as some of the 

 other American species, such as the Vitis Berlandierij which though very 

 vigorous, etc., will not grow from a cutting. 



Prof. Viala, undoubtedly the greatest living authority on viticulture, 

 says: "Among the diverse forms of the Rupestris we recommend the fol- 

 lowing from a strictly practical point of view as the most valuable in 

 replanting vineyards: Rupestris St. Georges, Rupestris Martin, Rupestris 

 Mission, and Rupestris Ganzin. These alone should remain under 

 culture. The others, though possessing a certain undoubted value, are 

 inferior, because they lack resistance or all-around adaptability. The 

 Rupestris Martin, on account of its great resistance to the phylloxera, 

 should always be used in poor, silicious, gravelly soils, with or without a 

 considerable amount of lime. The Rupestris St. Georges replaces actually 

 the Lenoir and Solonis in poor calcareous soils, where formerly the 

 Vialla, Lenoir, etc., were used. The ungrafted Rupestris will frequently 

 show an alarming number of black spots on the leaves, so abundant in 

 some cases as to cause the dropping of a few of them. This is due to 

 the melanose, a disease of the vine that never does any harm at all, and 

 should alarm no one. As soon as the Rupestris is grafted this will dis- 

 appear from the vineyards, as it can scarcely live on the Vitis Vinifera, 

 but takes more kindly to the American vines." 



VITIS RIPARIA. 



This is undoubtedly one of the most valuable species of the American 

 vines for the all-around reconstitution of the vineyards of the world. Its 

 chief value lies in its ready adaptability to a greater number of soils than 

 almost any other species. There are undoubtedly others that have a 

 greater resistance to the phylloxera and greater vigor, but they either 

 refuse to grow from cuttings, or they require soils of such a special 

 nature that, when taken away from their native habitat, they refuse to 

 thrive. 



In the outset of the selection of American resistants in 1874, Prof. 

 Millardet, of the University of Bordeaux, called attention to the remark- 

 able qualities of the Vitis Riparia. Since then his predictions, as in 

 the case of the Vitis Rupestris, have been verified. There is probably 

 no other American species that is as widely scattered in America on a 

 greater diversity of soils and in all climates as the Vitis Riparia. It 

 was this that led to its being experimented with so carefully. Its 

 greatest recommendation is its ready adaptability, growing as it does on 

 almost any kind of soil and standing extreme heat as well as cold. 

 The Vitis Cordifolia and Vitis Rotundifolia are certainly more resistant 

 and more vigorous than the Riparia, but as they refuse to grow from 

 cuttings and require only the most special soils and climates, they of 

 course cannot be compared with the Riparia. 



The one weak point of the Riparia is its insistence on moisture and a 

 certain amount of richness and fertility in the soil. It is this that will 

 probably make it less valuable for the majority of California soils than 

 it has proved itself to be in Europe. Undoubtedly, when the Riparia 



