156 THE GRAPES OF NEW YORK. 



Second, the flesh is firm, yet tender, and uniform throughout, differing in 

 this respect from any of our American sorts, which frequently show a sweet, 

 watery and tender pulp close to the skin with a tough and more or less acid 

 core at the center. Third, the flavor is peculiarly sprightly, a quality known 

 as vinous, because it characterizes this species. It may be said in this 

 connection, however, that many Americans, accustomed to American 

 grapes, prefer the flavor of our native sorts to the vinous flavor of the Old 

 World grape. Europeans invariably, and Americans who live in Vinifera 

 raising sections, usually, deem the Vinifera flavor greatly superior. Fourth, 

 a strong adherence of the berry to the pedicel, the fruit never " shattering " 

 or " shelling " from the cluster. 



Varieties of Vinifera have been selected for the making of wine through 

 so many centuries that this species has become the first and great wine- 

 making grape. Whatever the future may hold in store for American grapes, 

 there is no question but that at present the Viniferas are far superior to 

 any native Americans for wine-making purposes, both as to quality in 

 general and the number of kinds of wine which can be made. 



The weak points of Vinifera are: First, an inability to withstand the 

 cold of our winters. The different varieties of Vinifera undoubtedly 

 vary considerably as to the exact amount of cold they will stand without 

 injury. All of them tried at this Station freeze to the ground even in the 

 mildest winters. Second, foliage particularly susceptible to the attack of 

 mildew and fruit susceptible to the attack of black-rot. Third, they 

 generally require a ripening season niuch longer than our climate affords. 

 Fourth, the roots are soft and spongy and very liable to the attack of phyl- 

 loxera, though they apparently penetrate more readily in dense clays and 

 hard dry soils than any of our American species. 



In the various hybrids that have been made between American and 

 Vinifera varieties it is usually found that the desirable qualities of 

 Vinifera are taken in about the same proportion as the undesirable ones. 

 The fruit is improved in the hybrid but the vine is weakened. Quality 

 is purchased at the expense of hardiness and disease-resisting power. 

 Vinifera may be grown very readily from cuttings. This is of little cul- 

 tural importance, however, as both in Europe and America varieties of the 

 species are usually grafted on phylloxera-resistant stock. 



