jEstivalis. 



GJRAPE MANUAL. 



Lincecumii. 23 



though we have never yet seen, or heard of either, an 

 undoubted JSstivalis (wild) or a Labrusca in our part 

 of Texas (S. W.)" Q. Onderdonk, Victoria, Texas. 



The following varieties of this most valuable species 

 (omitting new untried and discarded varieties) are now 

 cultivated : 



Northern Group. 

 CYNTHIANA, 

 ELSINBURG, 

 EUMELAN, 

 HERMANN, 



Southern Group. 



CUNNINGHAM (Lonpr), 

 DEVEREUX t Black July), 

 HERBEMONT (Warren), 

 LENOIR (Jaquez), 



NORTON'S VIRGINIA, LOUISIANA or RULANDER(?) 



(Several new varieties of this species, some chance 

 seedlings selected in the forests of Arkansas, others 

 raised from seeds of cultivated varieties, are on trial.) 



The quality of these varieties is so excellent that 

 even the French taste seems quite satisfied. Only their 

 size is unsatisfactory. " Dans ce group se trouvent les 

 raisins dont le goAt se rapproche le plus des ndtres, et 

 qui donnent desvins colores, corses, & bouquet souvent 

 delicat, et en tout cas non foxe." 7. E. Planchon, Les 

 Vignes americaines. 



Mr. Herman Jaeger, of Neosho, south-west Missouri, 

 writes us : " In south-west Missouri, southern Illinois, 

 Arkansas, western Texas, (also in Tennessee and Ala- 

 bama,) the Labrusca, or Fox grapes, bring two healthy 

 crops of fine grapes, and of the most vigorous varieties, 

 with proper culture and favorable seasons, a few more ; 

 then they rot to such an extent that they are entirely 

 worthless. The JDstivalis never rots, and is the only 

 truly reliable grape for these States. It was believed 

 that no large summer grapes were existing but this is 

 a mistake; summer grapes (JEstivalis), nearly of the 

 size of Concord, are found growing wild in Arkansas, 

 and I am confident that superior table grapes will be 

 obtained from their seed. The wild large JSstivalis are 

 not as juicy nor as aromatic as the small ; but by cross- 

 ing the one with the other we may obtain large grapes 

 for the south-west as juicy as Herbemont, and as 

 healthy, vigorous and productive as Norton's Virginia, 

 as free from rot and mildew as no Labrusca ever will 

 "be with us." 



The exemption from rot however, unfortunately 

 refers only to the JSstivalis of the Norton family ; 

 those of the Herbemont class or southern -^Estivalis are 

 often affected by rot, and on this account their cultiva- 

 tion has been abandoned in the south-eastern States, 

 Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, and even in parts 

 of Arkansas. 



In southern and central Texas the Herbemont and 

 its group of grapes seems free from rot, so far. Mr. G . 

 Onderdonk writes : "Every year demonstrates more 

 clearly that in southern Texas we must have Southern 

 jEstivalis grapes, or have none, except varieties of Vini- 

 iera, in localities where the Phylloxera will not work, 

 as in the sands of the immediate coast, or, as these 

 European varieties may be preserved, by grafting on 

 stocks of th-e Rupestris." 



A very intelligent and reliable vine-grower writes 

 us from Texas : " I have been investigating the grape 

 question for two years in southern and central Texas. 

 On the Rio Grande the Mexicans have been culti- 

 vating the European grapes for many years, but al- 

 ways where the land can be irrigated ; but the area 



susceptible of irrigation is very limited. All the varie- 

 ties of the V. vinifera and other grapes that ripen as 

 late as September, are liable to fail in Texas on account 

 of the summer rains, which come in August, causing 

 the grapes to mildew and rot. But the cultivated varie- 

 ties of .<EsTiVALis ripen here in July, and do well when 

 planted in the right soil. I have seen bunches of LE- 

 NOIE, called here " Black Spanish," grown in sandhills 

 of Bastrop county, that were as fine as any Zinfandel, 

 which they much resembled, being long and compact, 

 and very prolific. Yet nobody thinks it worth while to 

 plant a vineyard. Grapes sold in Austin last summer 

 at from 10 to 40 cts. per pound. 



" Land suitable for grapes can be bought in Bastrop 

 county, convenient to the Texas Central railroad, for 

 from $2.50 to $10.00 per acre, with a market for all the 

 grapes and wine within a few hours' travel by rail." 



The varieties of this group generally prefer a dry, 

 poor soil, intermingled with lime and decomposed 

 stones, with a southern and south-eastern exposure ; 

 they seem to endure the severest drouths without flag- 

 ging. Although we have seen some of them, especially 

 the Norton and Cynthiana, bear immense crops on the 

 deep, rich, sandy loam of our river bottom, their fruit 

 does not reach the same perfection as on the hills. 

 The wood of the true JEstivalis is very solid, hard, with 

 small pith, and firm outer bark ; so that it is almost 

 impossible to propagate this species from cuttings. The 

 bark on the one year old wood is of a dark gray color, 

 bluish around the eyes. The roots are wiry and tough, 

 with a smooth, hard liber, penetrating deep into the 

 ground, successfully defying the attacks of Phylloxera. 

 Their resistive power has been fully tested, and estab- 

 lished beyond a doubt. As a stock for grafting they 

 are far superior to Clinton but we think they are too 

 good and valuable to serve merely as a grafting stock. 



Another form of the Vitis ^Estivalis is the 

 VITIS LINCECUMII, or Post-oak grape. Grows in 

 Texas throughout the post-oak region of the tertiary. 

 There are already two or three esteemed varieties of 

 this class in cultivation. One of these, called McKee's 

 Everbearing grape, because it is said to have ripe fruit 

 during several months of summer, is considered an ex- 

 cellent table grape and good for wine. Mr. S. B. Buck- 

 ley, State Geologist of Texas, writes: "At the place of. 

 the Wilkins, in the north part of Lamar county, I saw 

 a Post-oak vine which, the family said, bore one of the 

 best grapes, if not the very best, they had e^ver seen ; 

 and they had a large variety of grapes in cultivation. 

 Mrs. Wilkins gave me some Post-oak grape wine which 

 was excellent, the grape being considered the best for 

 wine of any they had." 



VITIS RIPARIA. This most widely diffused and now 

 most important American species of grapevines was 

 but imperfectly known, up to within a few years, even 

 to botanists ; so that they could not clearly distin- 

 guish V. Riparia from V. Cordifolia ; and in the 

 works on practical grape-culture they were generally 

 united under the one designation, " Cordifolia." The 

 preceding treatise by Dr. Engelmann has now shown 

 their absolute specific difference ; but the circumstan- 

 ces whereby this knowledge was acquired are s,o inter- 

 esting and instructive, that we, who have almost provi- 

 dentially led thereto, deem it our doity to record them. 



