THE GRAPE IN KANSAS. 7 



of 18,35. Rogers's hybrids created a great stir. T. V. Muiyson, of Texas, is doing 

 a great work in cross-fertilizing and growing hybrid grapes. Most of these 

 hybrids obtain their excellent qualities from some of the European, and their 

 vigor and hardihood from their native American ancestry. Some are of second 

 or even third crossings of hybrids on hybrids, or hybrids and European on native. 

 The American hybridizer cares little for ancestry, excepting asit;adds an ele- 

 ment of anxiety and uncertainty to its influence, but he goes for a combination 

 of certain desired qualities, and only partially successful, he goes still farther in 

 the combination to remedy the defect ; and this plan, while not scientific, is bound 

 to succeed, because it has an aim, a goal, an ideal, and, with patience and perse- 

 verance, this ideal will be attained, if not set too high. 



STATISTICAL UPS AND DOWNS IN KANSAS. 



No reliable statistics of the acreage of vineyards in the counties were taken 

 previous to 1881. 



In 1881, we find Doniphan county in the lead, with 384 acres. It was also first 

 in acreage in '82, '84, '85, '89, '91, '92, and '93, with varying acreage, from 414 to 

 567. It was second in '87, '96, and '98, with 480 and 537 acres, respectively. It 

 was third in '83, '95, '97, '99, and 1900, with 414, 457, 497, 450 and 351 acres, re- 

 spectively; fourth in '86 and '94, with 335 acres and 308 acres, respectively. 

 Thus Doniphan county was first in acreage for ten years, second for three years, 

 third for five years, fourth for two years, standing third in 1900, with 351 acres. 



Washington county was reported second in 1881, with 293 acres, and in '95, with 

 252 acres, but did not hold out, and is now (1900} reported with only 84 acres, be- 

 ing twenty-second in rank. 



Douglas county was third in 1881, with 206 acres. It has varied in standing 

 from tnird to seventeenth, with from 134 to 239 acres, ranking now (1900) twelfth, 

 with 157 acres. 



Leavenworth county was fifth in 1881, with 181 acres; in '98 it ranked third, 

 with 232 acres. Its greatest acreage was in '93, when it ranked fourth, with 

 274 acres. In 1900 it ranked tenth, with 167 acres. 



Sedgwick county came to the front in 1894, ranking first, with 445 acres; also 

 ranking first in '96, with 565 acres. In '89, '91, '92, '93, '97, '99 and 1900 it 

 ranked second, having now (1900) 404 acres. 



Wyandotte county was ninth, with 147 acres, in 1881, and has never fallen back 

 much, although in 1888 it ranked thirteenth, with 164 acres; it was in the 

 lead, ranking first, in 1895, '97, '98, '99, and 1900* varying from 550 to 709 acres, 

 with 1900 at 538 acres. 



Nemaha county claimed second place in 1884, with 393 acres, and third place 

 in 1886, with 391 acres, falling back to fourteenth place, with 131 acres, in 1900. 



Chase county got third place in 1885, with 212 ; stands now (1900) No. 42, with 

 only 24 acres. 



Saline county got third place, in 1891, with 348 acres, but went back to thirty- 

 first place, with 51 acres, in 1900. 



The above ups and downs, covering nine leading counties, while they pos- 

 sibly point out the best localities for successful grape growing, do not indicate 

 that grapes will not do well elsewhere. Grapes grow readily from cuttings, and 

 many people once put out large tracts so located that they had no market; thus 

 grapes became very plentiful and cheap, and the vines were neglected and the 

 acreage fell off. 



To-day 1900 the leading counties are : Wyandotte, 538 acres ; Sedgwick, 404 

 acres; and Doniphan, 351 acres. 



