102 GRAPP: CULTURE AND 



ing just as much to bear each season as it can ripen in perfection. If 

 we overload it, inferior, insipid fruit will be the result, and a feeble 

 growth of wood, which will also not ripen fully. If, on the contrary, 

 we prune too short, a rank, succulent growth, black knot, con lure, etc., 

 will be the result, and the fruit will also suffer accordingly. On this 

 nice balancing of the powers of the vine more of the success of the 

 vintner depends than many are aware of. 



That resistant vines planted on soil of ordinary fertility are and will 

 be a success I am confident beyond a doubt. That thousands of acres 

 have been planted to vines in this State which are entirely unfit for re- 

 sistants or any other vines I am also convinced ; and the sooner our 

 people learn that even a grapevine will not grow in waste and barren 

 places, too poor to produce even sagebrush, the better it will be for the 

 industry. 



Yours sincerely, 



GEORGP: HUSMANN. 



Loss or Gain of Time of Grafting. While I am fully in 

 accord with Professor Husmann in respect to most of the 

 points made in the above communication, and believe that 

 the grafting on resistant stock should, and in fact must with- 

 in a comparatively short time, become the rule instead of the 

 exception in California, yet I think his broad statement that 

 instead of losing time in bringing a vineyard into bearing 

 time will be gained by grafting requires material restriction. 

 I think the average experience will be found to be that there 

 is a loss of one year, or thereabouts, when a vineyard is 

 grafted instead of being allowed to bear directly from the 

 cuttings, and that on the large scale the cases of gain in time 

 will be very exceptional. 



In the first place, it would be difficult to find a more vig- 

 orous and early-bearing stock than the Zinfandel grape, which, 

 were it resistant, could be recommended as a grafting stock 

 for its exceptional advantages in these respects. I doubt 

 that, in the case of this vine, even the Calif ornica, grafted 

 successfully the first year from the seed, would distance it ; 

 so that when this grape or others of similar habits are in ques- 



