186 



THE POMOLOGIST AND GARDENER. 



1871 



Here you have the whole sentence, and you can- 

 not find your latter part, which you so "etyipJudic- 

 ally deny." You cannot even find such an idea ad- 

 vanced, for wc positively say they will not succeed 

 under certain conditions of temperature and moist- 

 ure, which wc had previously pointed out. 



But the great sin we have committed appears to 

 have been in naming a class of grapes that Mr. 

 Husman says, " of which we have not heard any- 

 thing so far." Perhaps he has not, but if he had 

 been an attentive reader of either the Gardeners' 

 Montlihj or Journal of Agrimlture, 1869, he would 

 have seen the subject there discussed. 



Now Mr. Husmau, what have we done in this in- 

 stance different from yourself? You call that class 

 of grapes which will not endure this climate except 

 the Scup])ernong, ""the southern class of the AesW- 

 valis family ; " or, as you say again, " the southern 

 division of the Aestivalis class * * 



of which the Hcrbemont may be considered the 

 type." Wc name that class of grapes natives of the 

 middle States which endures our climate, but will 

 not mature as far north as the aestivalis is found, 

 the Virginica class of which the Norton Virginia 

 is the type. 



Botanists recognize neither of these classes or 

 divisions, but make the restivalis species extend 

 from north to south, and to do so must found their 

 classification entirely upon the condition of the un- 

 der side of the foliage of the grape, regardless of 

 other more important characteristics. 



In our repoit we said — "We find the wild grapes 

 growing in Kansas and Missouri abundantly and 

 luxuriantly hardy and healthy, bearing fruit of the 

 very richest ciuality." To which Mr. Husman re- 

 marks : 



" Now we have seen as much rot on the wild 

 grapes of all classes as we ever did on the culti- 

 vated ones ; and we have observed them closely for 

 twenty-five years. Among each class we find some 

 exempt from rot and disease, while others were 

 very much subject to them, and we have found no 

 class entirely free from disease, be it sestivalis, la- 

 brusca, cordifolia, or riparia. So much for this 

 part of the learned Professor's tlieory, which is un- 

 supported by a single fad, and therefore mere as- 

 sertion." 



The first query arises in our mind how friend 

 Husman could observe for " twenty-five years as much 

 rot on the loild grapes of all classes " when two 

 species are not indigenous in his neighborhood. 

 In Feb. No. of OrajM CuUurist, 1869, he says : — " In 

 1848 Mr. Charles Terbner brought a number of 

 Scuppernong vines, of both the white and black 

 varieties, from Alabama, and planted them on the 

 place where we now reside, in the neighborhood of 

 Hermann." In Sept. No,, 1870 he says: " But we 

 have had it growing for fifteen years near Her- 

 mann, and all we obtained of it during that time 

 was three bunches of half a dozen berries each 



which we attempted to eat, but gave it up in dis- 

 gust. It will not stand the climate here." Here, 

 according to Mr. Husman's own showing, the vul- 

 piraa class is not growing wild in his section. Now, 

 until Mr. Husman shows that the labrusca s])ecies is 

 found growing wild there, we shall believe he has 

 been making the assertions he charges us of doing. 

 That the labrusca cordifolia or ceMivalis species as 

 found growing wild are as subject to rot and mil- 

 dew as the Catawba, Isabella, Delaware and their 

 seedlings, he will fail to prove. 



Col. John J. Worth in January number of Orape 

 Gulturist, 1869, says : " Let us take the vitis lairxisca 

 — the family of /ftc (/nqjes, as we call them in Vir- 

 ginia. My observation, for a half-century, over a 

 large extent of country, has taught me that this fam- 

 ily of grapes are always found either in bottom 

 lands or near creeks and spring branches — their 

 roots plunging into the ever damp and sometimes 

 boggy ground ; and mereover, it has been of very 

 rare occurrence indeed that a mi. dewed leaf or rot- 

 ten berry has been seen by me." 



Mr. William Sanders, Superintendent of the 

 experimental gardens, Washington, D. C, gays of 

 the ''vitis cordifolia — This section represents the 

 most healthy grapes of the Northern States; the 

 foliage is rarely attacked by mildew, although the 

 leaves, possibly owing to their smoothness, are 

 occasionally injured by insect punctures. The fruit 

 is not subject to rot." Of ihcmtis c^Mvcdis he says : 

 " The foliage is not so liable to disease as that of 

 the fox grape and rot in the berries is compara- 

 tively unknown." And Mr, George Husman says : 

 " Among each class we have found some exempt 

 from rot and disease." 



Now, friend Husman, are we not supported " by 

 a single fact," you even bearing witness ? And 

 where is that "part of the learned Professor's 

 theory," which you have made so emphatic ? Can 

 it be possible that stating simple/acte is a " theory ? " 

 We might also remind you that riparia is not con- 

 sidered a species by Gray, but a variety, although 

 you have used it in that connection. 



In our report we remarked that, " Rogers has pro- 

 duced many varieties by hybridizing the common 

 fox crape (vitis labrusca) with the European grape. 

 In these hybrids we find every peculiarity belonging 

 to our improved varieties, as the Catawba, Isabella 

 and Delaware and their seedlings. The most of 

 Rogers' hybrids are good in quality, and some very 

 good, but none of them are entirely hardy and free 

 from disease, but are more or less subject to rot and 

 mildew. Others are fickle and uncertain ; some are 

 ovate in shape, the berries adhere to the stems of all 

 and do not drop their fruit when ripe, but none 

 will endure extremes of temperatare and moisture. 



