CHAPTER I. 



CLASSIFICATION OF GKAPES. 



It is only within the last twenty years that much 

 attention has been given to the parentage and classifica- 

 tion of our native varieties, it being thought of little or 

 no importance whether a variety was derived from one 

 or another of the few native species. Recent experience 

 has shown that the varieties of a species, however widely 

 they may differ from one another in some respects, agree 

 in other points, and however far they may be removed 

 from the native type, they retain certain characteristics 

 which indicate a common parentage. On the other 

 hand, if we know from which species a variety is derived, 

 we can with some certainty predict its behavior in 

 cultivation, and to a certain degree its value. Especially 

 has this become of the first importance since the appear- 

 ance of our greatest insect enemy, the Phylloxera vasta- 

 trix, as we know from experience that certain species 

 are entirely exempt from, while others are to a certain ex- 

 tent subject to its ravages. This is so generally true that 

 the experienced viticulturists of the present day regard 

 the origin of the cultivated varieties as of first importance. 

 It is not in the character of the fruit alone that our vari- 

 eties differ, as they are derived from our native species. 

 The foliage, the wood, the tendrils, the roots and other 

 parts of the vine retain their peculiarities and hardiness, 

 not only as to the ability to endure cold, but also to 

 resist the attacks of parasitic plants and insects or what- 

 ever else affects the health of the plant all these traits 

 are now known to be transmitted with as much certainty 

 as are the form and quality of the fruit. 



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