PROCEEDINGS OF THIRTY-THIRD FRUIT-GROWERS* CONVENTION. 241 



Vitis cinerea is found in deep rich, loose soils, on river banks, and 

 also quite often found in low swampy clay land, but is never found in 

 very dry soils. Its varieties are hard to propagate and are of no special 

 value except on swampy lands. 



Vitis labrusca does best in fairly fertile, deep, fresh alluvial soils. Its 

 varieties are moderate growers, very fruitful, root easily from cuttings, 

 and graft well. By far the largest part of the varieties of our native 

 grapes cultivated for their own fruit in this country are of this species. 



Vitis vinifera, given because nearly all varieties of grapes grown for 

 their fruit in California are of this species, loves a warm dry climate, 

 but varieties of it thrive in nearly all well-drained soils. It is, how- 

 ever, not resistant to the phylloxera. 



The resistance of none of the species to cold is given, because all of 

 them resist more cold than is found in the viticultural areas of Cali- 

 fornia. 



The United States Department of Agriculture, finding that at least 

 twenty years after the phylloxera had been well established in most of 

 the leading grape districts on the Pacific Slope and that scientific and 

 practical men had tried and spent large sums to counteract the devas- 

 tations caused by it, and that these on account of the diverse soil, climatic 

 and other conditions were as often, nay, oftener failures than successes, 

 and realizing the gravity of the situation and that similar conditions were 

 likely to arise at any time in any of the states and territories of this 

 country where the growing of Vinifera grapes might become a commercial 

 business and that a comprehensive investigation of the entire subject such 

 as only the Department of Agriculture is competent to undertake was 

 necessary, has for this purpose located eleven experimental vineyards, 

 one at each of the following places: Colfax, Chico, Cucamonga, Fresno, 

 Geyserville, Livermore, Lodi, Mountain View, Oakville, Sonoma, and 

 Stockton. These were located with special reference to a diversity of 

 soil and climatic conditions, nearness to and distance from ocean, bay 

 or other bodies of water, in order to afford opportunity of testing and 

 adjusting varieties and hybrids of the different species to varying con- 

 ditions, the locations also taking in wine and brandy producing as well 

 as table grape and raisin districts. 



Of some of the many important problems receiving consideration in 

 these experimental vineyards, the following are four of the cardinal 

 questions under consideration: 



1. To make a comprehensive test of the resistant vine varieties to 

 determine their adaptability to the different vineyard soils and climatic 

 conditions. 



2. To study and determine the congeniality of Vinifera varieties to 

 the different resistant stocks. • 



16 — FGC 



