i ae wae teers teed etcen 
ferent 
Planting. 
GRAPE MANUAL. 
Seed Culture. sl 
scarcely one, perhaps, be an improvement on 
the cultiva t. 
The layer or the cutting of a grape-vine will, 
on the contrary, exactly reproduce the parent 
vine from which it was taken, and even any 
transplanting of the same, into a norris differ- 
ent locality, cannot change it. The differences 
in soil and climate may improve or impair the 
vigor of the vine and its foliage, the size and 
quality of its fruit; in other words, they may 
be more or less favorable to the development 
of its inherent qualities, to the good or ill suc- 
cess of the variety ; but they will never materi- 
ally changeit in appearance, form, taste, color— 
much less in its botanical characteristics.* The 
practical grape-grower, therefore, who desires 
to plant certain varieties, all fruit-bearing, will 
not plant seeds, nor young plants raised from 
seeds — alth hough some theorists pretend that 
the long continued propagation and culture of 
the grape from the wood 
recent failures to withstand dis 
and other parasites. Careful and unprejudiced 
investigation and reasoning as well as practical 
experiments have fully established the facts: 
that seedlings resist no-more successfully than 
plants from cuttings, nor ane they much less 
icissit climate; and that 
the long continued culture and propagation 
wood has nothing to do with the greater 
or less resistance to diseases, nor has their cel- 
lular tissue been softened thereby. 
For practical grape culture we should use 
none but the best rooted plants of those kinds 
which we wish to produce. Some vintners, from 
one vine is to grow; but the result generally is 
unsatisfactory, especially with American va- 
Tieties, must of which do not root as easily as 
those of the European Vinifera class, and make 
much replanting necessary ; and where both 
: rsery rows 
the best of tieon to their intended vineyard. 
Butif we desire to obtain New varieties wi 
must plant seed. This is a far more seers 
nion that a 
- * The erroneous o 
to other countries ma become ice sons by in- 
fluences ofclimate and soil was often supported by errors 
grape transplanted 
ceptions in transplanting a vine or rtp nottrue | 
toname. Thus the famous Tokay ky tape W supposed to 
have been 
from the noble Poking: 
.of the different kay th Bat lately, it has been 
ue 
plants. ‘Vines raised from layers were in for- 
trans anted from Tokay (in| p are still 
slow and difficult operation than most people 
imagine, and but very few have been successful 
tas some careful breeders 
have succeeded in raising improved kinds, on 
beisrig bhey 
d foreach 
pr same end ne eae EI the best varieties 
of grapes and planting their seeds, having due 
regard to the characteristics of the parents 
from which they breed. (See ‘‘Hybrids,”’ p.28. 7 
But of late still another very important fun 
tion has been agsigned to seed planting, name- 
ly, to produce in Europe (especially where the 
import of our cuttings and rooted plants has 
been prohibited) American vines, which resist 
the Phylloxera, as grafting stocks. For, how- 
ever great vce! camesinciih to bisescegasaeeit - = sain 
lings, still, 
of soil and climate, they retain the Phylloxera- 
resisting root as well as other botanical charac- 
ate of their parents.* During the last few 
years we have furnished several thousands of 
pounds of grape-seed to Austria, Italy, Spain, 
and Portugal. The reports of their germina- 
tion were generally favorable, while seeds sent 
by others mosily failed. The following report 
; ring 
_ ee q 
in this respect: 
from you last year, the Riparia sprouted best ; 
so well, indeed, that we can scarcely manage 
the iananverahle small seedlings. All the other 
seedlings (from cultivated sorts) show great 
variety in fruit, color, foliage, &e. Most varia- 
ble are those from Taylor seed ; from the 2,500 
bearing vines raised fro m seed of this one va- 
riety, a hundred distinct sorts can easily be 
selected. T’he young plants from Riparia seed 
seem not to vary much, as wecan find but very 
little essential difference in their foliage.” 
We donot intend here to discuss the vari- 
ous modes of multiplication or propagation of 
grape-vines from cuttings, layers or single eyes 
(buds), still less the methods of producing new 
varieties from seed and of hybridizing, as this 
would far exceed the scope of this brief manual,. 
nor do we desire to say whether plants grown 
from cuttings, from single eyes or from layers, 
are preferable. Propagators and nurserymen 
are not considered disin 
a suppose that those who ge this catalogue = 
vines from us, and want to get ‘the best’ 
pre- 
HELE MERLE ate OR PEE ES 
urpose it best to use the seed ofthe wild 
aes 
be used. 
sicti y 
terested, impartial 
judges on this question. But we may reasona-— 
