Breeding Botundifolia Grapes 
11 
from one locality and one type of soil, will not be equally well adapted 
to the Carolinas, to central Florida, the heavy soils of Alabama, the 
limestone soils of Mississippi, and the camparatively dry climate of 
central Texas, is only reasonable to assume. Varieties are needed which 
will be adapted to each of these different environments. Here is a field 
for splendid breeding work. 
We need more white varieties. At the present time the Scuppernong 
is the only white variety in general cultivation. This variey originated 
in northeastern FTorth Carolina on sandy loam soil; hence it is 
not equally satisfactory throughout the entire Southern States. Yet the 
leading wine manufacturers do not wish any of the dark varieties for 
wine making. They find that the light-colored wines, made from the 
white rotundifolia grapes are distinctive in color and flavor, and are 
much more popular and profitable than those made from the dark 
varieties. It should also be stated that the wineries at the present time 
constitute the leading market for these grapes. Hence, the importance 
of originating more white fruiting varieties, which may be successfully 
grown in the different climates and on the various types of soils. 
It is also very'evident that we need more red fruiting varieties, for 
only one red variety is being offered for sale by the nurserymen. Four 
other red varieties, Lady James, Brown, Latham, and Luola, have 
been named and locally planted; but still the list somehow is very 
unsatisfactory. Some of the red varieties of rotundifolia grapes produce 
fruit with a shade of a beautiful wine-red, that is very pleasing to the 
eye, and certainly would attract attention on the market. But the 
fruits of these varieties are small in size and are very poor shippers. It 
is very important, therefore, that we originate other varieties that 
possess this attractive color, and which will have large clusters and 
large berries, and will ship well. 
Another objectionable feature of most all of the varieties is the large 
seeds which their fruits contain. In this respect this is the worst of all 
American species of grapes, for the seeds will average even larger than 
those of Yitis labrusca, and those of Yitis lincicumii. These large 
seeds are undesirable in grapes for the table, or, in grapes for the man¬ 
ufacture of wine. 
Other objectionable features are the thick, leathery skin, and the low 
sugar content in most varieties, coupled with a tough, coarse, and often 
a stringy pulp. 
EARLY ATTEMPTS TO IMPROYE THESE VARIETIES. 
The undesirable characters of these grapes were very apparent even 
to the early grape growers, as is indicated by their attempts to originate 
better varieties. The writers have made a careful study of all of the 
available literature on this early breeding work, and the following 
extracts from this will be given to show what was attempted and 
accomplished by these early experimenters. 
Quotations From Early Experimenters. 
One of the leading spirits early interested in the Scuppernong grape 
was J. Yan Buren, of Clarksville, Ga. In 1868 Mr. Yan Buren pub- 
