AlTD WIKE MAKING. 115 



and thus reach the highest possible degree of hardiness. 

 On the 19th of last January the thermometer at the 

 United States fish hatchery at Neosho, fell to 22° below 

 zero. This was sufficient to kill nearly all the fruit 

 buds on unsprayed Norton or Cynthiana vines, while all 

 those that had been well sprayed the summer before, 

 brought a fine crop. I mention the Norton because it is 

 perhaps less affected by mildew than any other vine. 

 Varieties subject to mildew show still more clearly the 

 benefit of spraying. European hybrids like Triumph, 

 Campbell, Brilliant, Goethe, Carman, and many others, 

 produced fine crops after standing last winter unpro- 

 tected. Still more agreeably was I surprised to get 

 grapes from my Nos. 50 and 56, two varieties produced 

 about fifteen years ago by crossing the delicious, but 

 very tender Herbemont, with one of our large wild Sum- 

 mer grapes {Vitis CBstivalis, type lincecumii), usually 

 called Post Oak grapes in Texas. 



Nos. 50 and 56 are fine grapes and our very latest vari- 

 eties, but proved too tender to be valuable, and there- 

 fore were never propagated. Now I consider them about 

 as promising as any grapes we have, and I dare say that 

 in quality and appearance they closely resemble the vari- 

 eties Prof. T. V. Munson has originated by similar crosses. 



Among that splendid list of twenty-nine new grapes, 

 by far the finest collection ever offered in America, now 

 being introduced by T. V. Munson of Denison, Texas, 

 eight of the most exquisite varieties are crosses of Herbe- 

 mont on wild Post Oak or Summer grapes of Texas and 

 Southwest Missouri. Mr. Munson, with his character- 

 istic conscientiousness, recommends these for the South 

 only. I am glad to be able to state that four of them 

 were tried here and have stood 32° below zero, as well as 

 Nos. 50 and 66. It seems safe therefore, to conclude 

 that with good spraying these Southern grapes will prove 

 hardy enough for the latitude of Central Missouri. Mr. 



