502 Report or tHe HorTIcuLTURAL DEPARTMENT OF THE | 
were generally made and it soon became evident that the region 
was well adapted to grape-growing, except in minor unfavor- 
able localities which were soon abandoned for this purpose. 
In 1906-7 the acreage in this district was approximately dis- 
tributed as follows: Erie County, 2,100; Niagara, 1,250; Or- 
leans, 375; Monroe, 700; Wayne, 380; making a total of 4,800 
acres, 
Conditions in the southern part of this district, in Erie 
County, are similar to those described in the Chautauqua belt. 
The grape lands along the Ontario Shore are upon the Ontario 
Plain, which extends from the Niagara River, along the south- 
ern shore of the lake for nearly its entire length. The plain 
varies from four to nine miles wide and like the Chautauqua 
belt is bounded on the southern side by a high escarpment or 
“the mountain,” though its influence is less marked. The sur- 
face of the plain is more or less rolling in its general character. 
The prevailing soils are sandy, gravelly or clay loams, though 
in some parts stony and shaly. As far as they have been classi- 
fied, they belong to the Dunkirk series. 
Climatic conditions here are similar to those in the Chautau- 
qua belt. As compared with inland sections, the Summer tem- 
perature is more even and the winters less severe; the rain- 
fall and dews are lighter; the fall frosts much later and the 
growing season longer. The winter months are characterized 
by much cloudy weather. 
Concord and Niagara are grown chiefly; and, in the main, 
are marketed in Buffalo, Niagara Falls, Rochester and other 
nearby towns, or shipped to eastern markets. Black-rot is very 
destructive in the Niagara vineyards owing to the susceptibility 
of the variety. 
SPECIES OF GRAPES. 
An inspection of the parentage of the 161 varieties mentioned 
in the table beginning on page 508, will show that there are 
Seven species represented. Of these, all are crosses or hybrids, 
except twenty-five, twenty-four of which are pure Labrusca. 
In sixty varieties the two species, Labrusca and Vinifera are 
