132 



The Grape Culturist. 



THE PRODUCTION OF IMPROVED VARIETIES OF NATIVE GRAPES 



FROM SEEDLINGS. 



Uowover the very interesting ox- 

 poriraonts now being prosecuted, for 

 the improvement of the grape b}' hy- 

 l.riai/.iition of the Vitis Viniferawith 

 our American species, may eventuate, 

 it is beyond question that we have be- 

 fore us an unlimited field for improve- 

 ment, by the jiroduction of new varie- 

 ties from seedlings of our native stock. 

 The process is so simple, and inexpen- 

 sive on a moderate scale, and requir- 



By John' J. VVerth. 



the seed : the seed thus treated will 

 ver}' rarcl}^ reproduce the same im- 

 proved fruit. I suppose all observant 

 gardeners must have been struck with 

 this peculiarity of the tomato. It 

 seems that the seed must undergo the 

 drying, concentrating process in order 

 to enable it to maintain the imjirove- 

 ment of the fruit. How can the mere 

 drying of seed so seriously affect the 

 character of the fruit? I do not know. 



ing only two elemcjits of success — j Perhaps a wise Creator has deter- 



patience and perseverance — that there 

 is encouragement to hope that 

 a general interest will be enlisted 

 amongst our grape culturists in the 

 enterprise. 



As a probable means of increasing 

 the chances of success, I would sug- 

 gest the drying of the seed, clear of 

 the pulp, and their preservation in 

 that condition until the proper season 

 for planting in the spring — unless it is 

 known that the vitality of the seed is 

 thereby seriously impaired, which I 

 do not believe. 



My reason for this suggestion is 

 drawn from analog}'. Some Jruits 

 will not hold their improvement, if the 

 ripened seed are permitted to fall and 

 seed themselves — pi'oducing what Ave 

 call "volunteers." The tomato is a 

 remarkable example. Not one vine 

 in fifty produced from seed that win- 

 tered in the ground — a volunteer — will 

 jtrodnce any other than the small, 

 rounil original fruit that was common 

 in our gardens fifty years ago. 



It matters not the least how highl}' 



mined that whatever is worthy of pre- 

 servation is worthy of care in its 

 preservation. And if this care is 

 necessary to maintain an improve- 

 ment, it must be indispensable to its 

 advancement. 



It is notorious that seedlings of the im- 

 proved varieties of our native grapes, 

 except in very rare cases, lose their 

 improvement and "breed back" to 

 rude progenitors. Perhaps they are 

 in most cases propagated from seed 

 that have fallen and seeded themselves 

 — producing volunteers — or have been 

 preserved in the pulp, or in damp sand. 

 In either case the obstruction to im- 

 provement would intervene, if the 

 principle which governs the tomato 

 also controls the graj)e. 



It seems to me, at any rate, Avorlhy 

 of experiment to ascertain, whether 

 improvement may not be more readily 

 secured by dr3'ing the seeds of all 

 fruits befoi'e committing them to the 

 earth, unless the}'' are designed to raise 

 mere stocks. 



[We can not entirely concur in the 



inii)rovcd the fruit that produced j views of our friend. Most of our 



