134 MASSACHUSETTS AGRICULTURE. 



some time in dispute among horticulturists and distinguished 

 botanists ; such among the latter is Le Conte, who says, " That 

 altlioug'h among some families of plants, hybrids occur naturally, 

 or may be formed artificially, yet it is difficult to understand, 

 how this ever can be the case in the genus Yitis, on account of 

 the minuteness of the flower, and the parts of fructification ; 

 still we would not however assert that hybridization, naturally 

 or artificially, is absolutely impossible." White, of Georgia, 

 says " it is the first time that this has been done effectually." 

 Mr. Rogers has given to the country, varieties of hardy grapes, 

 the most valuable of any heretofore known for this latitude, and 

 also for more southern ones, like New York and Virginia ; some 

 of his varieties, a little too late here, have been pronounced 

 there, to be the best hardy grapes ever grown in those parts. 



These varieties,'some forty or more, were produced by hybrid- 

 izing one of our best and earliest wild grapes, known as the 

 " Mammoth," belonging to the species Vitis Labrusca, with two 

 of the earliest of the foreign species (V. Vinifera) known as 

 Black Hamburg, and White Chasselas, and the change from the 

 wild type in the new seedlings is immense, and apparent to the 

 commonest observer ; the new varieties having none of the foxy 

 odor, peculiar to the native parent from which the seed was 

 taken, and resembling in size, color, and delicacy of fruit, the 

 foreign, and the berries like this species having the property of 

 not dropping. The few which were crossed with the Chasselas, 

 have much of the character of this sort, not one of the seed- 

 lings coming black in color like those raised from fertilizing 

 with the Hamburg. 



Mr. R. has again crossed some of his present varieties with 

 the foreign, a few of which have borne fruit ; the fruit and 

 foliage of these prove beyond the doubts of the most skeptical, 

 the certainty of raising new grapes Uy this process. Another 

 fact which we think is very strong evidence, is the character of 

 the blossoms. It is well known to botanists, that all the Ameri- 

 can species of grapes are what is technically termed dioecious, 

 polygamous ; that is, that some vines are staminate and never 

 bear, others have perfect blossoms and produce fruit. 



If we attempt to raise seedlings from our wild grapes, about 

 one-half or a large proportion usually prove barren, never pro- 

 ducing any thing but blossoms ; any one accustomed to examine 



