Breeding Rotundifolia Grapes 
13 
Scuppernong. Fourth, that we can fertilize both native and foreign 
and their hybrids, with male (staminate) hybrid Scuppernong pollen 
producing thereby prolific hybrid Scuppernong vines. Fifth, that we 
can fertilize those prolific hybrid Scuppernong plants with pollen from 
the hybrid male (staminate) Scuppernong vines, thereby giving more 
of the Scuppernong constitution to the progeny. I find that the seed 
of the prolific hybrid Scuppernongs grow and that you can impregnate 
other varieties with pollen from prolific hybrid Scuppernongs.” 
It is very unfortunate that we do not have more details regarding 
Dr. Wylie’s work. The meaning of some of his statements is not en¬ 
tirely clear. Some of the assertions made by him in the foregoing dis¬ 
cussion have been found by later investigators to be correct; while oth¬ 
ers are erroneous. The experiments of the writers and those of T. Y. 
Munson have shown that the first and second propositions laid down by 
Dr. Wylie are not correct; while the third, fourth, and fifth, at least in 
part are correct. 
RECENT EXPERIMENTS. 
The late T. Y. Munson, of Denison, Texas, from 1890 to 1900, did 
some excellent breeding work with the Rotundifolia grapes. His work 
was thorough and systematic. He demonstrated that Yitis rotundifolia 
will hybridize with such other species as Yitis munsoniana and Yitis 
linciicumii hybrids. By such hybridization he produced a number oi 
varieties, of which the following are the best known: La Salle, San Ja- 
cinto, Sanalba, Sanmelaska, Sanmonta, and Sanrubra. At the pres¬ 
ent time, however, these varieties are of interest only to the plant 
breeder for they do not seem to be much if any, improved over our pres¬ 
ent cultivated pure rotundifolia varieties. It is to be regretted that this 
remarkable grape breeder did not extend his breeding work with this 
species of grape. His elaborate and valuable work with other spe¬ 
cies of grape indicates what he would have accomplished if he had ex¬ 
tended his breeding work with the rotundifolia grapes. 
The Yiticultural Division of the United States Department of Agri¬ 
culture has also commenced breeding work with the rotundifolia and 
munsoniana species of grapes. Some of the results of this work have 
been published in Bulletin No. 273, Bureau of Plant Industry, United 
States Department of Agriculture. Among their seedling grape vines 
two were found that are self-fertile. The production of valuable self- 
fertile varieties is one of the important things desired by breeders of this 
species of grapes. 
BREEDING WORK OF THE NORTH CAROLINA 
EXPERIMENT STATION. 
In 1908, as part evidence of the self-sterility of the Scuppernong and 
other rotundifolia grapes, our first handbred seeds were obtained; and 
since that time each season numerous seedlings from this and other va¬ 
rieties of rotundifolia were secured. The resulting seedlings were 
transplanted to nursery rows and carefully studied. 
It should be stated that the weather conditions during this time have 
been favorable to this work. Parent vines that were used in these 
experiments have bloomed and produced fruit every year since the work 
was started. 
