The Locality. Any locality where the vine grows vigorously and 

 ripens its wood regularly will produce good cuttings. As a rule the 

 warmer localities produce the best wood, heavy, firm and well nour- 

 ished. The canes on vines grown very near the coast, as at Berkeley, 

 are often soft and pithy. Certain varieties such as Refosco and 

 Almeria do not ripen their wood well in the cooler parts even of 

 Sonoma and Santa Cruz counties where they are exposed to frequent 

 sea fogs during the summer. Being immature when the frosts cause 

 the leaves to fall, the canes are easily attacked by saprophytic fungi. 

 The work of these fungi is often seen in the blackened or mottled ap- 

 pearance of the canes. Any discoloration of the canes is a bad sign, 

 whether it is caused by fungi wl^ich only attack imperfectly matured 

 wood, or by parasitic fungi, such as oidium, which may occur any- 

 where. With the exception of a few isolated localities quite near the 

 coast, it may be said that good, well ripened cuttings may be obtained 

 from any of the vine-growing regions of California. 



Vine Diseases. An exception should perhaps be made to this state- 

 ment as regards localities where the so-called Anaheim disease is prev- 

 alent. Until we know more about that disease it is wiser to avoid 

 obtaining our cuttings from such regions. That this disease can be 

 transported and communicated by cuttings is perhaps not thoroughly 

 demonstrated, but at all events the disease results in poor growth and 

 poor wood, and cuttings from diseased vines cannot be expected to give 

 the best results. 



With regard to other diseases there need be no fear of their intro- 

 duction into the vineyard by means of cuttings. Phylloxera can be 

 guarded against by proper disinfection of the cuttings and all other 

 vine diseases, which exist in California, are found in every district. 

 This is not true as regards rooted cuttings. There is no sure and prac- 

 ticable method of destroying Phylloxera on the roots, and rooted vines 

 should be introduced into a new district only with extreme caution. 



While there need be no fear of introducing Oidium, vine-hoppers, 

 etc., for they exist in every vine-growing region of California, no cut- 

 tings should be used which show distinct signs of their attacks, as such 

 signs are proof that the vines from which the cuttings came were not 

 perfectly healthy, and unhealthy vines do not produce the best cut- 

 tings. 



The Vineyard. As a rule it is best to obtain the cuttings in the 

 district where they are to be planted, if the desired variety is grown 

 there. The only exceptions to this rule are for districts where Ana- 

 heim, Oidium, or some other disease is so prevalent that it is difficult 

 to find perfectly healthy vines. 



The locality being decided on, it is not a matter of indifference 

 what vineyard is chosen. Only a well kept, vigorous vineyard can pro- 

 duce the best cuttings. If the vineyard is badly cultivated, the vines 

 mildewed, or the grapes of poor quality, it is a bad source for our cut- 

 tings. A vineyard which has healthy vines producing paying crops of 

 good grapes is the best place to get them. 



