POSSIBILITIES OF OUR NATIVE GRAPES. 



RECORDS OF PROGRESS AND INDICATIONS FOR THE FUTURE- 



{Coiicluded from page 586.) 



-AN ATTRACTIVE FIELD. 



VITIS ViRGiNiANA, known as the " Posson Grape " 

 in Buncombe Co. , N. C. , is very small in berry. 

 The clusters are very compound and compact, 

 the seeds small, with depressed chalaza, so far 

 as seen, usually one or two in a berry. Leaves 

 small to medium, of a lively green color, similar to V. 

 cestivalis, in its hybrids with F. cordifolia. It ripens be- 

 fore V.cordifo/ia, and appears about midway between 

 coriiifolia and V. ciiierea. The flavor is pure and fine. 

 No hybrids are known. I have collected it from Kanawha 

 River, W. Va., and received it from Roanoke Co., Va , 

 and from Buncombe Co., N. C, always from consider- 

 able altitudes — from 2,000 to 3,000 feet. The vine is 

 slender, not rampant, much branched. 



ViTis Berlandieri. This, from the limestone hills 

 of central southwest Texas, is, like V. cinerea, small in 

 berry and large in cluster. The berries are more abun- 

 dantly supplied with "bloom" (glaucus) when ripe. 

 The leaves differ from ciiici-ea in being generally smaller, 

 with more prominent teeth, and dark glossy green on 

 both sides. The species is now regarded with great 

 favor in France as being the best to grow in dry, chalky 

 soils, where it is largely used for stocks. It is often 

 found naturally hybridized with moii/ico/a, and 



rarely with other species of that region. A few arti- 

 ficial hybrids of it with other species have been made. 

 H. Jaeger has united it with V. riipestris and F. 

 Lincecumii ; but the hybrids, so far as known to me, are 

 not valuable without further development. The quality 

 is fine for wine, productiveness is great, but size of berry 

 must be greatly increased, especially to make table va- 

 rieties. The species blooms and ripens very late, and 

 the leaves remain on till frost kills them. 



ViTis ciNEREA. This species ranges from central 

 Illinois (Fulton Co.) to the Alleghany Mountains, south- 

 ward to the Gulf into Florida east, and on the lower 

 Rio Grande to the west. The fruit is very small, in very 

 large clusters, of fine quality. It must be intermingled 

 with large-fruited species to be valuable. Some good 

 wild hybrids of it with V. Liiuecmnii have been found 

 by H. Jaeger and myself, and Mr, Jaeger and Prof. A. 

 Millardet, of France, have made some interesting hy- 

 brids of it with V. riipestris and T' Liiiceciiiiiii. H. 

 Jceger's (a) is a wild hybrid of cinerea \ ' Lincciiiiini. 

 Berries below medium, cluster large, compact, beauti- 

 ful ; quality very fine, especially valuable for wine. I 

 have already mentioned a good wild Florida hybrid of V. 

 Simpsonii >' V. eiiierea, wa.x . Floridana , named Ashtabula. 



ViTis RUPESTRis has much promise as a parent for 

 future work. The fruit of the pure species is never at- 

 tacked by rot. It ranges among low hills and mountains 

 from southwestern Texas to southern Missouri, central 



Tennessee and reaches southern Pennsylvania. Many 

 wild hybridsof riipestris, with V. riparia, V. cordifo/ia, 

 J^. candicaiis and F. Chanipirni, have been found by H. 

 Jaeger, myself and others, George W. Campbell has 

 produced several hybrids of this with improved varie- 

 ties of Labrusca and its hybrids. Prof, A. Millardet, 

 of the School of Science, Bordeaux, France, and some 

 other French experimenters have produced many hy- 

 brids with F, vinifera, which are really fine grapes in 

 F'rance, but though I have found some of these which I 

 have tested very vigorous, they are more or less subject 

 to anthrax, mildew, etc. Some of the hybrids have been 

 named ; one of the best known of which is Huntington 

 ( F. riipestris '/ Labrusca'). 



The River-bank Grape (I'itis riparia) of our north- 

 ern states is commonly looked upon as possessing no 

 merit for the cultivator ; yet considerable progress has 

 already been made in improving it. From this species 

 we have reason to look for our hardiest grapes of the 

 future. It is the species most largely used as a resistant 

 stock in phylloxera regions. Judge Grote and Carver 

 are two promising wild varieties picked up in Wisconsin 

 and Minnesota respectively. Elvira is one of the most 

 prominent hybrid offsprings of the species The species 

 is everywhere so common in the north that it offers an 

 attractive field for the young experimenter. Following 

 are some of the improved riparia sorts : 



Taylor Riparia ■' Labrusca, accidental, Ky. 



Elvira " " Rommel, Mo. 



Amber Sister to Elvira, " " 



Montefiore 



Pearl " 



Faith " 



Transparent " 



Wilding " 



Etta Seedling of El vi 



25th of July 



Missouri Reissl ing ... " 



Joegei 's too " 



Noah 



Early Market " 



Blanco " 



Pres. Lyon " 



Rommel Seedling hybrid witli Triumph. 



Old Gold Seedling of Elvira, Munson. 



Elvin Elvira ,\ Vinifera, 



Beagle ... Elvira ■; Black Eagle, 



... Riparia X Concord, Minn. 



Grein, " 

 Ja'ger, 



Wassetziehr, 111. 

 V. Munson, Tex. 



Suelter 

 Monitor 

 Beta . . 



Carver " X 



The last three were produced by L. Suelter, of Carver 

 Co., Minn., by artificially hybridizing "Carver" (see 

 above) with Concord. They are of good quality, endured 

 in Minnesota 50° below zero unprotected, and bore good 

 crops. Many other varieties of Taylor and Elvira, not 

 named above, have been produced, of useful qualities. 



