PROPAGATION 



107 



In this family we find the grape (Fig. 122), which is thought 

 to be the oldest of the cultivated fruits. The very, very early 

 historical records refer to grape-growing and wine. The most 

 important grape of the old world is the Vitis vinifera, which is 

 probably of Asiatic origin. In Europe, the grape is grown 

 largely for wine, but it is also grown for raisins and other 

 purposes. The effort to introduce the European grapes into the 

 American colonies was a failure, owing to the fungous diseases 

 and insects which destroyed them. But in time a number of 



FIG. 123. Grape-vine cuttings of four forms. A, one bud or single eye; B, simple 

 cutting showing two buds; C, heel cutting with some of the wood of the larger stem; 

 D, mallet cutting, with a piece cut out of the larger stem. (Productive Farming.) 



good varieties were developed from the native American grapes. 

 Among the most important are the Concord and Catawba types 

 from V. labrusca and the Scuppernong from the V. rotundi- 

 folia. With the spread of civilization westward, the European 

 grape has been introduced into southern California. In America 

 the grapes are grown primarily for food instead of for the pro- 

 duction of wine. 



Propagation. Grapes are usually propagated by means of 

 cuttings, but can be grafted without great difficulty. Four com- 

 mon forms of grape cuttings are shown in Fig. 123. It is 

 usual with our varieties east of the Mississippi to use simple 

 cuttings with two or three buds, shown at B in the* figure. Cut- 



