stunted autumnal branchlets. The few lowest 

 leaves of a cane have no opposite tendrils, but 

 after the second or third leaf the regularity in 

 the arrangement of the tendrils, as above de- 

 scribed, rarely fails to occur. In weak branches 

 we sometimes find tendrils irregularly placed 

 opposite leaves, or sometimes none at all. 



It is a remarkable fact, connected with this 

 law of vegetation, that most Grape-vines bear 

 only two inflorescences (consequently two 

 bunches of grapes) upon the same cane, while 

 in the forms belonging to Labrusca there are 

 often three, and sometimes, in vigorous shoots, 

 four or five, or rarely, even more in succession, 

 each opposite a leaf. Whenever in other spe- 

 cies, in rare cases, a third or fourth inflorescence 

 occurs, there will always be found a barren 

 leaf (without an opposite inflorescence) be- 

 tween the second and third bunches. 



Another valuable character, discovered by 

 Prof. Millardet, of Bordeaux, is found in the 

 structure of the branches (" canes," as they are 

 usually called). These contain a large pith, 

 and this pith is transversely separated at each 

 node (point where a leaf is or has been insert- 

 ed), by what is called a diaphragm. These 

 diaphragms consist of harder, solid pith, of the 

 appearance of wood, and are examined best in 

 canes 6 to 12 months old, when the pith has 

 turned brown and the diaphragm is whitish ; 

 A longitudinal section through the cane will 

 best exhibit them. They are, in most spocies, 

 1 to 2 lines thick ; but in the Riverbank grape, 

 Vitis riparia, the diaphragm is not more than 

 J to i line thick ; and in the Sand, or Rock 

 grape, Vitis rupestris, it is very little thicker. 

 For us here, the distinction of these species is 

 of no great practical importance ; but, as a con- 

 siderable demand for them has sprung up in 

 Europe, it is well to characterize them accur- 

 ately ; and this character holds good in winter, 

 when all others of foliage or fruit have disap- 

 peared. There is only one American Grape- 

 vine, also in other respects an aberrant form, 

 the Southern Muscadine grape, Vitis vulpina, 

 which is entirely destitute of such diaphragms. 



The cut represents the diaphragms of differ- 

 ent species. Fig. 34, Vitis riparia, with the 

 thinnest, and fig. 36, Vitis cordifolia, with a 

 thick diaphragm ; Vitis aestivalis, is similar to 

 this last, and Vitis labrusca scarcely thinner ; 

 but fig. 35, Vitis rupestris, has a diaphragm not 

 much thicker than the first. Fig. 37 shows 

 Vitis vulpina without any partition. 



It is well known that some species of Vitis 

 grow well from cuttings, while others are diffi- 

 cult to propagate in this way. 



Easy to propagate are Labrusca, Monticola 

 Riparia, Rupestris and Palmata. Almost im- 



Fig. 34. 



Fig. 35. Fig. 36. 



Fig. 37. 



V. riparia. V. rupestris. V. cordifolia. V. vulpina. 

 possible to propagate by cuttings are Candi- 

 cans, JEstivalis, Cinerea, Cordifolia, Vulpina, 

 and probably Californica. Arizonica and Car- 

 ibea f do not know in this respect. That the 

 southern cultivated forms of JEstivalis grow 

 more or less readily from cuttings is stated 

 further on (page 16). 



The structure of the bark of the young canes 

 shows also differences in the different species, 

 but as the characters are to some extent of 

 microscopical detail they are here omitted. 

 The bark of the mature canes is ashy gray 

 ( V. cordifolia, V. Cinerea), to red or brownish 

 V. aestivalis); it peels off after the first season 

 in large flakes, or in narrow strips or shreds ; 

 only in the Muscadine grape the dark gray 

 bark does not peel off at all, at least not lor a 

 number of years. 



Young seedlings of all the Grape-vines are 

 glabrous or only very slightly hairy. The 

 cobwebby or cottony down, so characteristic of 

 some species, makes its appearance only in the 

 more advanced plants ; in some of their varie- 

 ties, and not rarely in the cultivated ones, it is 

 mainly observed in the young growth of spring 

 and is apt to disappear in the mature leaf; but 

 even then such leaves are never shining as 

 they are in the glabrous species, but have a 

 dull or unpolished, or even wrinkled surface. 



The form of the leaves is extremely variable, 

 and descriptions must necessarily remain 

 vague. They are usually cordate at base, 

 either with an acute and narrow sinus ( V. cor- 

 data, and many other species), or with a broad 

 and wide one ( V. riparia and V. rupestris). 

 Leaves of seedling plants are all entire, i. e. 

 not lobed ; young shoots from tne base of old 

 stems, as a rule, have deeply and variously 

 lobed leaves, even where the mature plant 

 shows no such disposition. Some species ( V. 

 riparia), or some forms of other species (forms 

 of V. labrusca and V. aestivalis), have all the 

 leaves more or less lobed, while others exhibit, 

 on the mature plant, always entire, or, I should 

 rather say, not lobed leaves ; the leaves of V. 



