October i, 1890.] 



Garden and Forest. 



475 



I have one wild hybrid of V. Girdiana, with V. vinifera, 

 which has clusters a foot long, and small to medium very 

 sweet fruit. But it can hardly endure the mildew or cold of 

 this region. This and V. Calif ornica could be of no use east 

 of the Rocky Mountains. They both are more tender every 

 way than V. vinifera. 



V. Champini produces a medium sized black grape often 

 of fine vinous flavor, and has great vigor, hardiness and consti- 

 tution. For dry, hot regions, and limy soils, it offers a most 

 excellent basis for a grand strain of varieties. It endures cold, 

 too, to five to ten degrees below zero, but is affected somewhat 

 by mildew in low, damp regions. V. candicans bears a horrible 

 fruit for eating, owing to the biting pungency of the skin and 

 the tough pulp, but the vine has great constitution for a hot 

 country and limy soils. Though I have some fair hybrid 

 Grapes with this, yet I think it time was.ted to use it when we 

 have so much better blood in other species. V. coriacca is a 

 much more refined species, and some wild hybrids of this, 

 with V. Simpsoni, from Florida, are quite good, but cuttings of 

 V. candicans, V. coriacea and V. Simpsoni can be rooted only 

 with the greatest difficulty. 



Everybody knows the coarse V. Labrusca, which in its pure 

 . or hybrid varieties supplies almost the entire country east of the 

 Rocky Mountains. It is a wonder that so good results have 

 been obtained from this miserable " Skunk Grape." It is a 

 pity that so much effort has been wasted on it while blood of 

 quality so superior for every purpose can be commanded in 

 other species. 



V. Lincecuinii, the large-fruited tribe of the ^Estivalian series, 

 has given some grand results in the careful hands of H. Jaeger 

 and with me. It would take a fair sized catalogue to describe 

 all the really good hybrids I have of this species, with V. 

 rupestris, V. Bourqtiiniana, V. Solonis, V. Labrusca, V. cinerea, 

 V. cordifolia, V. vinifera, etc. Suffice it to say that some of 

 these, with grand vigorous vines that can endure twenty to 

 twenty-five degrees below zero, have fruit that will stand 

 critical tests with the best of V. vinifera. V. bicolor is capable, 

 I am quite sure, of giving rise to a worthy tribe of pure varieties 

 for Wisconsin, Michigan, etc., where it grows wild, as it is 

 closely allied to V. Lincecumii. 



V. cestivalis, another branch of the family, is already known 

 to vineyardists in the Norton's Virginia, and with it there 

 are quite a number of hybrids. I have several of these, some 

 beautifully white and yellow, but not giving nearly such good 

 results as my V. Lincecwnii hybrids. V. Simpsoni, of south 

 Florida, is the most peculiar member of this series, and is 

 possessed of a much more tender pulp than V. cestivalis, and 

 without the excessive astringency peculiar to the genuine 

 /". aestivalis. But it is very sensitive to cold. It will probably 

 become a valuable element in a race of hybrids peculiarly 

 suited to Florida and the Gulf Coast. But its felty leaves are 

 much attacked by leaf- rollers. 



V. cordifolia, V. palmata and V. monticola have very smooth, 

 glossy leaves never attacked by leaf-rollers, but the fruit is 

 small and late and very seedy. However, V. monticola has a 

 very sweet and peculiar flavor, and may yield something 

 excellent in hybrids intelligently made. I have already men- 

 tioned some good hybrids with the unpromising V. cordifolia, 

 or " Frost Grape." 



V. Virginiana is a new species which I have obtained fre- 

 quently from the high Appalachian valleys far down in Virginia. 

 It appears to link the Cordifolia^ series to the Cinerascentes in 

 the east, as V. Berlandieri does in the far south-west. I had 

 vines of this for seven years, not knowing where to put them 

 in classification; till this year they have fruited, and prove to 

 be different specifically from other species. The leaves are 

 small, of a clear, lively green, somewhat pubescent, especially 

 along the ribs; the young wood is angled as in V. cinerea, but 

 becomes round and smooth at maturity, as in V. cordifolia. 

 The clusters are very compound and compact, with very 

 small berries of a dark purple color, covered with a thin bloom 

 when ripe. The berries are very acid till quite ripe, then 

 sprightly vinous. They ripen just before those of V. cordi- 

 folia, and two to three weeks earlier than those of V, cinerea. 

 The seeds are very small, with scarcely any beak, cholaza 

 and raphe generally sunken, while in V. cordifolia and V. cine- 

 rea they are prominent. This species has never been pub- 

 lished, so far as I am aware. V. Berlandieri, from the creta- 

 ceous soils of south-west Texas, is the species so much in 

 demand just now in the chalky soils of France, especially in 

 the Charente Inferieure, where no other species will grow with- 

 out "chlorosing" (yellowing) from excess of lime; hence they 

 use it there as a stock. But it has a very large cluster of rich, 

 though remarkably small, fruit. It can easily be developed bv 

 hybridizing, as experiments have already proved. The leaves 



are of a dark green, very glossy surface, so that the leaf-roller 

 does not prey upon them. Its greatest difference from V. 

 cinerea is in the dark- green, glossy leaves, those of V. cinerea 

 being wrinkled, dull green, pubescent and tomentose. The 

 clusters and fruit are much alike. /'. Caribaa has a rounder, 

 broader leaf, with more rusty pubescence and tomentum than 

 has V. cinerea, and the clusters are still larger, with smaller 

 berries. It is too sensitive to cold to be of any service in this 

 country. V. Blancoii has smaller, more cordate leaves than 

 either of the three last-named species, and has the lower 

 face densely tomentous, with snowy white wool and clusters 

 nearly simple and much smaller than V. cinerea or / '. Cari- 

 b&a j but the berries are larger and of a different flavor, and 

 the young wood is less angled. It can only be carried over 

 winter here by careful protection, being much more tender 

 than V. vinifera-; but mildews do not damage it much. 



V. rotundifolia is the common Muscadine of the south, 

 and is much prized by old southerners, in such varieties as 

 Scuppernong, Thomas, etc., which have three to nine berries in 

 a cymose cluster. The berries are very large, with a very thick, 

 tough skin and a large, tough pulp, and have a peculiar musky 

 flavor. They are of a dull, rusty yellow in Scuppernong, or 

 dull black in others. The seeds are very large, resembling 

 Coffee-grains. Some hybrids have been' produced, but are 

 not promising. The species is remarkably free from all 

 manner of diseases and insect attacks. 



V. Munsoniana is of a very slender, weeping habit, leaves 

 smaller, withfewer, largerteeth than in V. rotundifolia. It begins 

 to bloom later and continues to bloom on till frost. The clus- 

 ters are of the cymose character, but bear from ten to twenty 

 or more berries, which are small, with shining black skin, rather 

 thin, pulp melting, filled with acid juice without the rustiness 

 of Muscadines. The seeds are very small. This species is 

 fully as distinct from V. rotundifolia as is V. rupestris from 

 V. riparia, or V. cinerea from V. Caribaa, if not more so, and, 

 to be consistent, it should be recognized. It appears some- 

 what more nearly related to the true "bunch-grape " than /". 

 rotundifolia, and may be valuable to hybridize for the south. 



For beautiful effect as ornamental vines in bowers running- 

 over arbors and the like, V. palmata, V. monticola and / '. Mun- 

 soniana are exquisitely delicate, graceful and beautiful. / '. 

 palmata is hardy in central Illinois, V. morticola will endure 

 nearly as much, V. Munsoniana will live almost anywhere in 

 the southern states. r 



Demiison, Texas. T. I . MuHSOtl. 



Drought-enduring- Trees. 



WE have had in central Iowa during the past summer the 

 culmination of a three-year shortage in rainfall. At the 

 commencement of spring growth we were over forty inches 

 short of the normal supply during the three years past, and up 

 to the first of September our lawns have had the aspect of Cali- 

 fornia during the dry season. Under these circumstances I 

 wish to note some not well known trees and shrubs which 

 have endured our recent test winters perfectly, and have made 

 fine, luxuriant growth during the drought where most native 

 trees and shrubs have hardly held their own. 



Cut-leaved Birch. — Our trees are from Moscow, where this 

 tree has been long grown, and where it possibly originated from 

 the pendent, small leaved species from the Amur Valley {Betula 

 Amurensis). Our specimens have been models of health, and 

 have made rapid growth without apparent regard to scanty 

 rainfall. As this has also been true over the state with 

 specimens propagated from the west European stock, I suspect 

 it was originally obtained from east Europe. 



Betula alba verrucosa. — Plants from east Europe of this 

 fine variety were planted eight years ago in blue grass sod on 

 the campus. They are now handsome, erect trees, from thirty 

 to thirty-five feet in height. While the native Elms by their 

 side show little recent growth and dead branches, these 

 Birches have been growing like Russian Poplars and Willows. 



El/EAGNUS angusti folia. — This beautiful silver-leaved tree 

 of the east has also made luxuriant growth. When loaded 

 with flowers its fragrance has bee'n noted at a distance of over 

 fort) r rods. 



Alnus rugosa. — A dry climate species that appears to de- 

 light in a dry air and dry soil. In expression it is a better tree 

 than the Scotch Alder, which does not endure such sum- 

 mers on dry soil. 



IM.MUS EFFUSA. — This species is much planted to an 

 snow sweeps along the Russian railways. It has large, hand- 

 some leaves, a dense habit, and is by all odds the handsome I 

 Elm we have. It has made luxuriant growth when our natives 

 have suffered severely from drought. 



