Bourquiniana. 



GRAPE MANUAL. 



Lincecumii. 27 



V. Bourquiniana, best known and repre- 

 sented in the Herhemont and Jaquez. They 

 are considered a form of onr native ^stioalis, 

 styled "vSoutliern JEstivalis," but have been 

 traced to southern France. 



They are fully at home in the south, and 

 resist Phylloxera as well as most our native 

 species, their fruit, though small in berry, is 

 of the highest quality; but is very deficient in 

 imparting its fine qualit^y to hj-brids. 



The Herbemont, known as "Brown 

 French," and Jaquez (Le Noir), known as 

 *'Blue French" were brought to Savannah, 

 Ga. (as I am credibly informed), by a Hugue- 

 not fd,raily by the name of Bourquin, from 

 southern France, over 150 j^ears ago. The 

 vines, sent me by Mr. Gougie Bourquin of Sa- 

 vannah, under these names, .are direct de- 

 scendants from the original vines in the Bour- 

 quin gardens and prove be^^ond question, in sev- 

 eral years fruiting on my grounds, that they 

 are identical with Herbemont and Jacquez. 



In this blood we have vigor combined with 

 refining power, and it must be even moie 

 valuable in hybridization with our natives 

 than the vinif era, especially for the south ; 

 for it is a very late ripening species, so that 

 far north they would hardly ripen, but all the 

 more valuable south on account of their late- 

 ness. (In the descriptive part of this cata- 

 logue the editors continue, however, to 

 classify these varieties as southern ^stivalis). 



V. Lincecumii, the Post-oak grape (with 

 portrait from nature ^ reduced) of the south- 

 west, known also as Turkey grape, and as 

 large-fruited ^stivalis. Hermann Jaeger 

 first brought this species to prominent notice 

 in his "Far West," "Neosho" q. v. No. 13, 

 No. 43, «&c., (listed in third edition of this 

 Catalogue, 1883, p. 112) ; choice finds in the 

 woods of that region. In Texas the fruit of 

 this species grows larger still, often as large 

 as Concords ; and from the best finds among 

 tens of thousands of vines diverse hybrids 

 have been produced by tlie writer with the 

 result that among them the finest quality, 



neitber in this country nor in France ; it does not 

 thrive well and its fruit is very inclined to rot. 



G. Onderdonk writes us : "After all, our grapes 

 in Texas must come from the ^Estivalis family; 

 no Labrusca has given us good, permanent satis- 

 faction here." This same view obtained ground 

 in Arkansas and Southwest Missouri, a'ter full 

 trial and dearly bought experience. Herman 

 Jaeger, of Neosho, Southwest Missouri, wrote us: 

 "In Southwest Missouri, Southern Illinois, Ar- 

 kansas, Western Texas (also in Alabama), the La- 

 brusca. or Fox grapes, bring two healthy crops of 

 fine grapes, and the most vigorous varieties a few 

 more ; then they rot to such an extent that they 

 are entirely worthless. The uEstivalis never rots 

 and is the only truly reliable grape for these 

 States." 



greatest vigor and prodHctiveness have been 

 secured ; table and wine grapes with large 

 clusters, large berries, persistence and good 

 quality, which promise to succeed .over a 

 large area. The Post-oak grape has gener- 

 ally larger berries than the eastern ^stivalis, 

 and these berries are i)ossessed of a peculiar, 

 pronounced fruity flavor, sometimes too 

 strong to be agreeable, known here as Post- 

 oak grape-flavor. This species endures the 

 longest, severest drouths, on our native light 

 sandy uplands with impunity, which few other 

 species can accomplish ; and where V. La- 

 brusca, V. Rupestris, V. Riparia and V. 

 Solonis would burn out entirely, the Post-oak 

 would hang full of leaves, yet pliable and 

 lively green, scaix-el}- wilted, b^' having deep- 

 ly penetrative, large, firm, branched roots and 

 leaves of firm texture, evaporating little 

 moisture from their surface. The fruit of the 

 best of this species has richness in flavor, 

 sprightliness and sweetness ; good size of 

 cluster and berry, persistence to pedicel and 

 keeping qualities which, taken in connection 

 with its characteristics for wine-production, 

 nnake it probably the most valuable basis for 

 improvement of all our species. I do not 

 consider our best Lincecumii or Post-oak 

 grapes quite good enough for table, but think 

 that in the hands of experimenter and hybrid- 

 izers, they furnish a most valuable basis for 

 improvement. * 



The ditficulty with which the cuttings of 

 Post-oak grow, renders its propagation in 

 pure form tedious and slow ; but its hybrids 

 with Rupestris, as in Jaeger's No. 70 (now 

 named Munson), and No. 72, and in 

 "America," also in hybrids with LabruscaX 

 Vinifera hj^brids, grow generall}- well from 

 its cuttings. 



V. ^sTivALis ; Summer Grape. In this 

 species we have grapes of high astringent 

 wine properties, generally free from the mil- 

 dews and rots, as so well illustrated in the 

 Norton, It is unnecessar}' to give a more 

 detailed description of this species here, as 



*Our friend Munson is now widely known as a 

 successful hj'bridizer, a creator of new varieties; 

 but little known, however, is the immense activity 

 and loving devotion, the sacrifice of tin)e and 

 money, which this involves. He plants and tests, 

 every year, many thousands of his seedlings, 

 selecting the finest only from them; ever trying 

 new combinations. The varieties listed in this 

 catalogue are the cream from over 40,000 grown ; 

 and he says: '"If as many as a dozen are perma- 

 nently retained I shall feel that my work has not 

 been in vain. This may not be encouraging to 

 originators — but it is the road to progress; and 

 by doing this work for years, he knows now bet- 

 ter than ever which are congenial combinations 

 and the best .xpecific bases upon which to build. 



