a vineyard with these vines, need not fear 

 any serious loss by experimenting, because, 

 if he is not finally satisfied with the fruit of 

 the vines when cultivated, he can graft them 

 whenever he pleases and be sure that he has 

 a superior foundation for his vineyard. 



I have ascertained by examination of my 

 seeds that the dark coffee brown colored ones 

 come from the darkest grapes and that the 

 light colored, yellowish and grayish ones 

 come from light colored and imma- 

 ture grapes. Those who desire to 

 separate any samples- they may re- 

 ceive may do so, following this rule. It may 

 be the colors are due only to different degrees 

 of maturity, but my opinion is that the va- 

 rieties are different and that the darkest ones 

 are the most valuable, if the object is to 

 propagate for the fruit and not for the graft- 

 ing stock. 



SEEDLINGS OF EUROPEAN VINES. 



I am convinced by the testimony of those 

 I have consulted in France and also in this 

 State, that the general failures to reproduce 

 varieties of grapes by seedlings are owing to 

 the selection of seeds of choice improved, or 

 hybridized grapes. If we could tell which 

 among our European grapes are pure stocks, 

 I believe they could be propagated and re- 

 produced without failure from the seed. As 

 this is to me a study of grapes for wine 

 making, and not for table use, or raisin dry- 

 ing, I think the problem is an easy one. The 

 best wine grapes are those which appear to 

 be the least perverted from the natural state 

 by cultivation or hybridizing, and these will 

 probably respond favorably in seedlings. 



I have a theory which has considerable 

 evidence to base itself upon, that the best 

 known wine grapes are the nearest to the 

 original wild condition and consequently 

 pure stock. The history of the Bordeaux 

 grapes goes back to where the memory of 

 man and tradition cease to quote facts. They 

 were cultivated in the Medoc at the time of 

 the Roman conquests. Tradition says that 

 the French vines came from Greece. Per- 

 haps so; perhaps, however, only a part of 

 them came from the Orient. The belief that 

 many of the varieties were indigenous to 

 the country is gaining ground. 



I found at Bordeaux that the claret grapes 

 reproduced themselves from the seed. They 

 are poor things to eat and not more palatable 

 than our wild grapes. Yet they m^.ke fine 

 wine. 



In trying to trace up the origin of our 

 Zinfaudel grape, which we have been told 

 came from Hungary, I fell upon some curious 

 information, I consulted Count (Mart's cel- 

 ebrated work, Ampelographie Universelle, ou 

 Traite des Cepages les plus Estimes dans tous 



les Vignobtes de quelque renom, published in 

 Paris in 1873. I expected to find the Zin- 

 faiidel described as a distinct variety of vine. 

 I found, however, that the word signified 

 simply loild vine, and that while we might 

 have only one variety, there were many Zin- 

 fandels. The word has been corrupted in 

 California from Szirifaudl, or Zierfahnl. 



I found in Count Odart's work, under the 

 head of " Austria," a chapter entitled, 



SILVANER OK SZIRIFANDL. 



The writer says: "This tribe, if it may 

 be called such, is composed, in distinction 

 from others, of subjects which have, for the 

 most part, no affinity among themselves, 

 and have nothing in common except their 

 sylvan origin. For instance, I have received 

 from the Luxembourg collection one variety 

 of great value, under the name of the Gleb 

 Szirifandl, and at the same time from Mr. 

 Demermety's collection the same variety 

 under the name of Grim Muskateller and 

 Griin Manhard Traube. As I have already 

 written enough of that variety, I pass to 

 other Silvaners, or Szirifandls. 



" Griin Silvaner, or Salviner (along the 

 Rhine), Oestricher, Schwabler, Griin Frank- 

 isch; Griin Szirifandl or Zierfahnl (Hungary); 

 there are even several other names for this 

 variety, but it seems to me that these are 

 sufficient. ' ' 



Count Odart then refuses to admit the 

 identity of this vine with the Muskateller, 

 the Meslier, the Picarneau or the Gueuche 

 Blanche, as some had done. The Silvaner, 

 he says, is fertile, ripens early enough, and 

 is agreeable to eat. Its vinous properties he 

 considers poor. It will be seen that he finds 

 the Silvaner of the Rhine to be the same as 

 the Green Zierfahnl of Hungary. Next he 

 classes 



"Roth Szirifandl or Zierfahnl Silvaner 

 Rouge" (Red Zinfandl or Red Silvaner), 

 concerning which he says: " It is under the 

 first name that I have received it, and I 

 would not dare to decide that it is a variety 

 of the preceding, notwithstanding what 

 Baron Babo and Metzger, German Ampelo- 

 graphists, say of it. It is always represented 

 to be a very good grape to eat and as good 

 for the wine cellar, according to those 

 authors. I have not enough plants to make 

 wine of it separately, but the excellent Mr. 

 Burger, another German Ampeiographist, 

 whom I saw in Vienna in 1839, has boasted 

 of its aptitude to make good wine; he told me 

 then that it was the plant most used in the 

 well renowned vineyard of Gumboldt 

 Kirchen. The bunches are not large, the 

 berries are round, of a color light red, juice 

 very sweet and very agreeable. I have told 

 its advantages, I must not keep silent upon 



