UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
% BULLETIN No. 209 
Contribution from the Bureau of Plant Industry ^«Ly' 
WM. A. TAYLOR, Chief ^^^^TU 
Washington, D. C. 
PROFESSIONAL PAPER 
August 6, 1915. 
TESTING GRAPE VARIETIES IN THE VINIFERA 
REGIONS OF THE UNITED STATES. 
By George C. Husmann, 
Pomologist in Charge of Viticultural Investigations, Office of Horticultural and Pomo- 
logical Investigations. 
CONTENTS. 
Introduction 
Cooperative experiment vineyards and their 
nature 
Acreage in the California experiment vine- 
yards 
General plan of plantings in the experiment 
vineyards 
Phenological records 
Destruction of vineyards 
Factors in resistance 
Page. 
1 
2 
10 
10 
10 
11 
12 
Page. 
Adaptation to soil, climatic, and other con- 
ditions 12 
Hybrids 16 
Growth ratings of resistant vines and direct 
producers 16 
Congeniality and adaptability of vines 26 
Behavior of grapes grafted and on their own 
roots 27 
Conclusions and suggestions 155 
INTRODUCTION. 
A resume of the viticultural investigations in the Vinifera regions 
of the United States up to 1910 was reported in Bulletin 172 of the 
Bureau of Plant Industry. The present publication supplements 
that bulletin and gives additional data on the investigations then 
under way, as well as reports upon researches started since the date 
of that publication. The fundamental problems of the Vinifera 
region, as determined by the early surveys, were found to require (1) 
a comprehensive test of the resistant varieties of vines to determine 
their adaptability to the different soils and climatic conditions; (2) 
a study of the congeniality of Vinifera varieties to the different 
resistant-stock varieties; (3) a study of the behavior of fruiting 
varieties to determine those best adapted to the different localities; 
and (4) a consideration of all classes of grapes with reference to their 
resistance to destructive insects and diseases and, if found necessary, 
the origination of an entirely new class of grapes better adapted to 
85756°— Bull. 209—1.5 1 
