82 INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS OP VITICULTURE 



European vine to certain fungus diseases, especially to Downey Mildew and 

 Black Rot. 



The ultimate success of grape-growing in these regions was due to the 

 development of varieties of the indigenous vines of the country which were 

 more or less resistant to the attacks of these fungous parasites. This substi- 

 tution of varieties was made after repeated trials and failures and at first 

 without a clear knowledge of the reasons for the advantages obtained. 



The first attempts at grape growing in California were made also with 

 varieties of the European grape, but unlike those of the East they were 

 successful from the first. For this reason, the Eastern varieties have never 

 been grown to any large extent here and our viticulture is based on European 

 or allied varieties. 



The so-called European varieties are all derived from the wild vine which 

 is indigenous or naturalized in all the countries which border the Mediterran- 

 ean. The species is the Vitis vinifera which was perhaps the first fruit to 

 be thoroughly domesticated. The 5000 or more varieties of this fruit which 

 we now possess are the result of a millenary selection commencing before 

 the dawn of historic times. The result is that we have such a diversity of 

 characteristics, of form, size, color and flavor in the innumerable varieties, 

 that some observers can account for them only by supposing that they are 

 derived from the hybridization of several species. These species, however, 

 are merely hypothetical, as all the wild forms known can be placed without 

 hesitation in the species Vinifera. 



The variations in the fruit of Vinifera varieties are much greater than 

 those of Eastern varieties, although the latter are derived from selection and 

 hybridization of several well recognized species. In consequence, the Vinifera 

 varieties are suited for a much larger number of diverse purposes and for 

 most of these purposes are superior. Vinifera varieties are characterized as 

 a whole by vigor, fruitfulness, wide adaptation to diverse soils and amena- 

 bility to simple methods of pruning and cultivation. Their defects are in- 

 tolerance of all but a narrow range of climatic conditions and susceptibility 

 to many serious fungous and insect pests. 



The climatic conditions of the Pacific Slope are exactly those preferred 

 by this species and most of the serious fungous diseases cannot or at least do 

 not exist here. 



The excellence of the fruit and the suitability of the climate explain the 

 almost exclusive use of Vinifera varieties here. It is not that we cannot 

 grow the Eastern varieties, but that we have no occasion to do so. 



Grapes are grown in California for three main purposes: 1, wine; 2, 

 raisins; 3, shipping table grapes. These represent three types of viticulture 

 which, while on the whole distinct, are not quite mutually exclusive. The 

 growers of raisins and shipping grapes usually sell a portion of. their crop to 

 the wineries. The wineries use the cull, inferior or excess shipping grapes. 

 This material is used for brandy or for a second-class wine and brings a price 

 about 50 per cent lower than that of good wine grapes. This price, however, 

 is remunerative to the growers, as, in the absence of the wineries, a consider- 

 able portion of their crop would be wasted, or, still worse, forced on the 

 market in competition with their good grapes, thus depressing the price of 

 all. Second-crop Muscat grapes, which constitute about 15 to 20 per cent of 

 the crop of raisin grapes, are disposed of in the same way. Wine grapes, on 



