the labruseas), and that the hybrids gener- 

 ally failed. The varieties considered sure 

 were of the cordifolM, riparia and aestivalis 

 types. No experiments had been made 

 with the wild vines of California or Arizona 

 (vitis Calif or nica and vitis Arizonica). 



I recommended then that our viticulturists 

 should at once try the virtues of the wild 

 vine of this State, which resembles somewhat 

 the riparia. I called attention to a new 

 proposition, viz: the use of seedling wild 

 vines for grafting purposes in place of cut- 

 tings. This reform in grape culture, which 

 if successful would cause each vine to have 

 roots constitutionally perfect in all their parts 

 with the undiminished vigor of an original 

 plant, I thought to be based upon sound 

 principles everywhere recognized in horticul- 

 ture. It occurred to me that if cuttings were 

 good to graft upon, seedlings, well selected, 

 would be better, because their vitality would 

 be unimpaired and their root system com- 

 plete. 



This idea has been criticised by many,upon 

 first hearing it, because experience in raising 

 seedlings had shown that in many cases they 

 were inferior in strength to their parents. 

 This however was answered at once by say- 

 ing that the failures were probably almost 

 wholly due to the fact that only the seeds of 

 improved, or hybridized varieties had been 

 experimented with. Such varieties not only 

 generally fail to reproduce themselves through 

 seedlings, but also fail to produce vigorous 

 offspring. The experiment of reproducing 

 simple, pure varieties, unaffected by crossed 

 saps and high cultivation, had seldom if ever 

 been tried, because the aim had been, in the 

 past, when raising seedling grapes, to pro- 

 cure either new varieties by hybridization, or 

 the reproduction of such as had already been 

 hybridized. Seedlings had therefore gener- 

 ally shown constitutional weakness. 



I feel quite safe in relying upon the gen- 

 eral law of nature that propagation from the 

 seed produces natural and healthful growth, 

 and that each produces after its own kind, 

 unless simple reproduction has suffered some 

 violence rendering seeds unreliable. 



There might however be some doubt as to 

 the vigor or rapidity of the growth of a seed- 

 ling wild vine', as compared with a cutting : 

 but I found that in France seedlings pro- 

 duced wood as rapidly in most cases, and 

 sometimes more rapidly than cuttings. I was 

 hopeful also of the California vine, and de- 

 termined to conduct some experiments. I 

 shall now offer to our viticulturists all that 

 I have been able to learn on the subject. 



EESISTANCE TO THE PHYLLOXERA. 



I can find no reason to suppose that our 

 indigenous vine will not resist phylloxera 



equally as well as the vines of Missouri, 

 Ohio, the Carolinas and Texas. I do find by 

 examination of the Sonoma Valley that wild 

 vines are flourishing in the midst of vine- 

 yards which have been destroyed by the 

 pest. This proof is one that would be gen- 

 erally accepted as sufficient, but it is not by 

 me for a reason which I will explain. I have 

 ascertained that European varieties of vines 

 in infected places ara saved from the insect, 

 if the soil near their roots is not disturbed by 

 cultivation. Instances of this are the follow- 

 ing: a roadway proves an obstacle to the ad- 

 vance of the plague and generally the vinos 

 next to the hard ground last longest; a vine 

 in the rear of Mr. Attila Harazthy's residence 

 in the Sonoma Valley, has survived, while the 

 surrounding vineyard has been destroyed 

 the soil about it is tramped hard and com- 

 pact and is not disturbed; old vineyards, 

 abandoned, after being attacked severely by 

 phylloxera, have become overgrown with 

 weeds, the soil hardened, and resuscitation 

 has been noted. It is probable that the in- 

 sect cannot work in soils that are not thrown 

 open to the air by cultivation, leaving crev- 

 ices to follow and to enter and room for 

 respiration. If this be true, the wild vine 

 can only be fairly tested where the soil is 

 cultivated and loosened. Sandy soils are 

 preferable for vineyards ; the phylloxera 

 does not spread in them, probably be- 

 cause they do not, when loosened, leave 

 passage-ways, such as clay soils do. How- 

 ever there is good reason to believe that our 

 wild vine will resist the phylloxera ; if so, 

 I should prefer to use seedlings to graft 

 upon. They may be produced in nurseries 

 by the million, and at one year old an oppor- 

 tunity will be had for selecting only those of 

 the most vigorous growth. 



SELECTING SEEDS. 



Last August I examined the wild vines 

 which grow in the Sonoma Valley with the 

 intention of having seeds collected there. 

 I was not satisfied with what I found, for 

 two reasons ; because the berries appeared 

 imperfect, and I was afraid they might have 

 been impregnated from the surrounding 

 vineyards. I intended to follow carefully 

 the theory that hybridizatim renders seed- 

 lings constitutionally weak, and also that 

 seeds from the most prolific vines, bearing 

 perfect bunches of grapes, would germinate, 

 with the best results. 



By inquiry I learned that the wild vines 

 in the vicinity of Harbin's Springs, in Lake 

 County, were the most luxuriant, prolific and 

 bore the best developed bunches of fruit. 

 At that time, I assumed, as others do, that 

 there was onls one variety of wild vine in the 

 State the vitis Californica, first described 



