POSSIBILITIES OF OUR NATIVE GRAPES. 



and Montana, no wild grapes are reported. In southern 

 Utah V. Arizomca is found. But in all that vast region 

 devoid of wild grapes many of our American varieties 

 do well in cultivation. 



The Champin Grape (Vitis Chaiiipini) oi Texas must 

 soon come to the front as a parent of good table grapes. 

 Four varieties taken from the woods are Barnes, Ram- 

 sey, De Grasset and Vermorel. De Grasset and Barnes 

 were shown natural size in the frontispiece last month. 

 These, and several others, are very good grapes of me- 

 dium size in berry and cluster, from the woods in 

 Bell, Lamparas, Llano, and adjoining counties in south- 

 ern central Texas, where the species is found. For 

 vigor, productiveness, freedom from disease in this cli- 

 mate, and excellent wine properties (and quite good for 

 eating), I know of no other wild species that excels 

 it, save V. Lincccitntii, occasionally in eating quality. 

 It is pure, rich, tender in pulp ; ripens very early, often 

 late ; in other varieties, grows very easily from cut- 

 tings, and offers a splendid basis upon which to build, 

 by selection and hybridization, a grand family of grapes 

 for both table and wine for the extreme great south- 

 western valleys, plains and hills ; as it is found growing 

 quite as well upon the tops of very limy hills as in sandy 

 lands along streams. It roots very deeply, and severe 

 drouth does not appear to affect it. It is a species of 

 limited distribution, yet may prove valuable over a 

 large area, as its native region is subject to great 

 extremes of wet and dry, heat and cold, with very sud- 

 den changes. 



Fresh juice of ripe fruit of this species bottled as 

 " unfermented wine" is preferred by every one who 

 tastes, to the Delaware in its prime, prepared in the 

 same way. 



Mustang Grape (V'. caudicajis). — This species is found 

 all through the eastern half of Texas, mostly upon the 

 limestone soils, yet it grows equally well in bottom, 

 sandy soils. It grows to great size, going to the tops of 

 tallest trees and forming stifling canopies of foliage over 

 underbrush and medium-sized trees. It bears great 

 crops of large, thick-skinned, pulpy fruit, with a fiery 

 pungency in the skin, and a sweet, but not very palat- 

 able pulp. By adding considerable sugar to the juice, 

 quantities of wine are made from this in various parts 

 of the state of Texas, and is considered by the makers 

 as good wine, but it, of course, is not a fine wine. The 

 grape does not develop enough sugar to make wine alone. 



Elvicand, by Elvira X candicaus, is an accidental 

 hybrid, among several others of same blood with me, 

 of pretty fair table quality, which becomes very sweet 

 when fully ripe, and will undoubtedly make a fine wine. 

 It is like the wild grapes of this species, so far exempt 

 from black rot and mildew, and is exceedingly rampant. 

 This may be a good basis for a family of rot-proof 

 grapes for the southern states. 



Several persons have made hybrids of this species 

 with fine varieties, notably Prof. A. Millardet, of 

 France, but I think we have far better material to work 

 upon in other species. Though these would strictly fall 



66i 



under other heads as the mother vines were of other 

 specific blood, yet I place them here owing to their gen- 

 eral Mustangy appearance. 



Leather-leaf Grape [V. toriacea). — This is native in 

 central and southern Florida of the combined character 

 of V. candicaiis and I'. Siinpsonii of little or no value in 

 its pure form. The Simpson is a hybrid of coviacea 

 X cinerea. It was found wild near Manitee, Florida, by 

 Mr. J. H. Simpson Its hybrid nature is plain. This 

 has such a rampant growth that 20 feet apart for the 

 vines would not be too much. It ripens here in Sep- 

 tember and October, and seems entirely exempt from 

 mildew and rot. Its quality is pure vinous, and would 

 certainly produce an excellent wine. It offers a basis 

 for a valuable strain of grapes for the extreme Gulf 

 region only, as it is not capable of enduring much cold. 



The Scuppernong or Cluster Grapes of the south 

 have already become well-known, f*. roliiiidifolia has 

 been long regarded with favor in the southern states 

 owing to its large berries, certain bearing of enormous 

 crops, even in neglect, and freedom from diseases. 

 But even its best varieties can never rank high in com- 

 parison with the better "cluster grapes," which succeed 

 in the same localities, owing to the small clusters, thick 

 skin, lack of fine quality and sugar, and falling from the 

 vines as soon as ripe. The chief varieties cultivated are : 



Scuppernong, amber color South Caiolitia. 



Thomas, black " 



Flowers, " 



Tender Pulp, " 



Mish, " 



Pee Dee, " 



Some hybrids with other American species and the 

 vinifera have been made by Dr. Peter Wylie and Prof. 

 A. Millardet, of Bordeaux, France. One by Dr. Wylie 

 was, for a time, considered very promising, but with his 

 death it went into oblivion, so far as I can learn. But 

 the fact remains that V. Labriisca, V. vinifera and I', 

 riipeslris (most widely divergent species) have been suc- 

 cessfully hybridized with V. rotundif olia , thus inviting 

 growers to make others, in this most fascinating section 

 of the country, especially needing varieties peculiarly 

 adapted to it. The imagination glows at the thought of 

 what might arise from intermingling the great clustered, 

 fine flavored cinereas, the large berried, large clustered, 

 Lincecumii and aestivalis, with the great berried mus- 

 cadines. Rot, mi.'dew, late frosts and many other ills 

 might be circumvented, and a tribe of southern fall and 

 winter grapes be secured where we now have nothing of 

 consequence among introduced varieties. 



V. Miinso?iiana , in southern Florida, with larger clus- 

 ters of smaller berries, much more persistent than 

 V. roiundifolia, very juicy without pulp, and very small 

 seeds, also offers a very inviting foundation on which to 

 build a peculiar extreme southern family of grapes. 



This imperfect account of our native grapes is suffi- 

 cient to show that the field for useful experiment is 

 unlimited, and that it needs zealous and careful workers. 

 Already wonderful advances have been made. 



Texas. T V. MuNSON. 



