GfiAPE MANUAL. 



orgotten. But, in the absence of any satisfac- 

 tory reason for these failures, it is quite natural 

 that renewed attempts were and are continually 

 made.* We ourselves, imported in the spring 

 of 1867, from Austria, about 300 rooted vines, 

 (Yeltliner, Blue Baden, Tantowina, Eiesling, 

 Tokay, Uva Pana, &c.,) not with expectations 

 of success, but with a view to discover by care- 

 ful observation, the real cause of failure, and 

 knowing the true cause, to be then perhaps 

 able to obviate it. The vines grew splendidly, 

 but during the summer of 1869, though bearing 

 some beautiful fruit, their foliage began to ex- 

 hibit a yellow, sickly appearance. In 1870 many 

 were dying and we almost despaired of discov- 

 ering the cause, when our State Entomologist, 

 Prof. C. V. Riley, informed us that a discovery 

 had just been made in France, by MM Plan- 

 chon and Lichtenstein: that the serious grape 

 disease which had attacked their noble vine- 

 yards, was caused by a root-louse, which bears 

 a close resemblance to^our American grape-leaf 

 gall-louse, an insect long known here, but then 

 more than usually abundant, actually covering 

 all the Clinton foliage in 1870. In 3871 and 

 since, Prof. Riley often visited our vineyards, 

 as we gave him full permission and cheerful 

 assistance to unearth both diseased and healthy 

 vines, native and foreign, of every kind, in order 

 to examine their roots and to study the ques- 

 tion. By his observations and those of Prof. 

 Planchon, made by both in this country as well 

 as' in France, and afterwards confirmed and 

 verified by all prominent naturalists, the iden- 

 tity of the American insect with the one lately 

 discovered in France, and of the two types, the 

 gall and the root-lice, has been substantiated, 

 and by this the true reason, at least the princi- 

 pal cause of the absolute failure of European 

 vines in this country has been discovered ;f but 

 no satisfactory remedy. While the mildew, 

 (Peronospora and Oidium) may be successfully 

 treated with sulphur, it seems, so far, impossi- 

 ble to destroy or to protect against this insect 

 enemy ; while the vigorous roots of our Ameri- 

 can vines enjoy a relative immunity from its in- 



Rush, a German, planted (in 1860) varieties of 

 the Vinifera on Kelly's Island; they seemed to succeed 

 the first three years remarkably well, then they died 

 and were replaced by the Catawba vineyards, which his 

 son still successfully cultivates. 



As late as 1872, M. J Labiaux, at Ridgeway, North Car- 

 olina, undertook to plant vineyards with 70,000 cuttings 

 (principally Aramons), imported from Southern France. 

 In the same vicinity, Mr. Eug. Morel, a pupil of Dr. Jules 

 Guyot (the best authority on French grape culture; , and 

 others, are also cultivating several thousands of Euro- 

 pean vines with what success remains to be seen. 



fSee ' Insects injurious to the grape-vine," at the close 

 of this " Grape Manual." 



juries, the pest thrives on the tender roots of the 

 European vines, which readily succumb. 



The French Commission, in its report to the 

 Viticultural Congress, held at Montpellier, Oct. 

 1874, came to the conclusion that: " In presence 

 of the non-success obtained from all attempts 

 made since 1868, with a view to preserve or cure 

 our vines, and feeling that after six years of ef- 

 forts in this direction, no process, except sub- 

 mersion, has been found effective, many persons 

 are quite discouraged, and see in the American 

 vines, whether justly so or not, the only plank 

 of safety." How much more, then, must we 

 look to species which we find indigenous here, 

 and their descendants, for success in grape cul- 

 ture. 



A knowledge of the distinctive permanent 

 characters of our species, and a proper classifi- 

 cation of our varieties, referable to them, is of 

 far more importance than is generally sup- 

 posed.* And while many grape growers may 

 skip over the following pages as useless, we 

 hope that some of them will thank us for em- 

 bodying in this catalogue, the valuable treatise 

 on this subject by the best living authority Dr. 

 G. Englemann. Twenty-five years ago Robert 

 Buchanan wrote in his valuable little book on 

 the culture of the grape : " The perfection of a 

 definite arrangement of all our varieties must 

 remain for future labors, but it is to be hoped 

 an end so desirable, will not be lost sight of." 

 In connection with the question of the relative 

 susceptibility of our grape-vines to the attacks 

 of Phylloxera, this end has become still more 

 desirable, aye, of first importance. 



*Even Mr. A. S. Fuller, in his excellent Treatise on 

 the Grape Culture, written in 1866, said: ' Practically it 

 is of little consequence what view is taken of these un- 

 usual forms (of distinct species, or marked varieties of 

 the species), as the cultivator is interested in them only 

 as varieties, and it is of no particular moment to him. 

 whether we have one hundred or only one native spe- 

 species." We are satisfied that he considers it of far 

 more consequence now. Moreover, the descriptions of 

 varieties become far more complete and intelligible by 

 referring these to the species to which they respectively 

 belong. Being acquainted with the distinct character- 

 istic peculiarities of each species, it becomes superflu- 

 ous to mention in a grape 01 the ^Estivalis class that it is 

 free from foxiness, or if of the Labrusca class, that its 

 foliage is wooly beneath, &c. 



