316 MANUAL OF AMERICAN GRAPE-GROWING 



but in France has been found to do poorly on limestone land 

 and calcareous marls. The French tell us, however, that this 

 is a characteristic of all our American grapes, and tha,t Vulpina 

 is more resistant to the injurious effects of an excess of lime than 

 either Rupestris or ^Estivalis. 



The fruit of Vulpina is usually small, there being occasional 

 varieties of medium size or above. The clusters are of medium 

 size and, if judged from the standpoint of number of berries, 

 might frequently be called large. The flavor is usually sharply 

 acid but free from foxiness or any disagreeable wild taste. If 

 eaten in quantity, the acidity is likely to affect the lips and 

 end of the tongue. When the acidity is somewhat ameliorated, 

 as in the case of thoroughly ripe or even over-ripe and shriveled 

 fruit, the flavor is much liked. The flesh is neither pulpy nor 

 solid and dissolves in the mouth and separates readily from the 

 seed. The must of Vulpina is characterized by an average 

 amount of sugar, varying considerably in the fruit from differ- 

 ent vines, and by an excess of acid. 



Vulpina is very resistant to phylloxera, the roots are small, 

 hard, numerous and branch freely. The roots feed close to 

 the surface and do not seem to be well adapted to forcing their 

 way through heavy clays. Vulpina grows readily from cuttings 

 and makes a good stock for grafting, its union with other species 

 being usually permanent. When Vulpinas w r ere first sent to 

 France to be used as a stock in reconstituting the French vine- 

 yards, it was found that many of the vines secured from the 

 woods were too weak in growth to support the stronger-growing 

 Viniferas. On this account the French growers selected the 

 more vigorous forms of the Vulpinas, to which they gave varietal 

 names, as Vulpina Gloire, Vulpina Grand Glabre, Vulpina Schrib- 

 ner, Vulpina Martin and others. With these selected Vulpinas, 

 the graft does not outgrow the stock. Vulpina is less resistant 

 to black-rot than ^Estivalis but somewhat more resistant than 

 Labrusca. The foliage is rarely attacked by mildew. One of 



