9 



the disasters recorded by A. P. Hayne, Director of Viticul- 

 ture for California.* We extract the following from Hayne's 

 work on Resistant Vines : 



" Cause of Failures. Another cause of failure in soils that 

 to all appearances are ' Riparia soils,' is that the land was not 

 in proper condition when the stocks were planted. It has 

 already been remarked that the resistant vines require 

 far greater care in planting than is usually given to the 

 Vinifera. The most important point is the proper prepara- 

 tion of the soil before planting. It has been established 

 beyond the possibility of rational doubt that, before planting 

 American vines, the land should be given one ploughing that 

 is twice as deep as would have been necessary had Viniferas 

 been planted in the usual manner. This is one of the prac- 

 tical lessons learned abroad. One of the vineyards that is 

 used by the Professors of the National School of Agriculture 

 in France as the most striking illustration of the necessity 

 of deep planting, is situated on the banks of the River 

 Herault, on the very best " Riparia soil " in France. When 

 first planted in resistant stocks no deeper ploughing than 

 had been given for the Viniferas was thought necessary. 

 A very large vineyard was planted with Riparias. After 

 several years it was found that they seemed to be total 

 failures. As the soil was a typical Riparia soil, and the 

 variety used was the very best, much interest was aroused. 

 After consultation it was decided to dig out the entire vine- 

 yard, give it a very deep ploughing, and replant it with cut- 

 tings from the same mother vines that had supplied the 

 cuttings for the original plantation. This was done, and 

 to-day there is not a finer vineyard in the district. Experience 

 has shown that all American resistants require deep plough- 

 ing at first, though some do not require quite as deep pre- 

 paration as others. The Riparias are the most exacting in 

 this respect. It is a safe rule to follow, that the drier and 



* A. P. Hayne, Resistant Vines: their Selection, Adaptation, and Graft- 

 ing. University of California, Sacramento, 1897. 



