New YorK AGRICULTURAL EXPERIMENT STATION, 505 
bloom. The strong vine characters of Riparia have brought 
it into extensive use as a stock, but on account of the poor 
fruit there is not a single variety of the species of more than 
local importance. The breeder has used it sparingly in crosses 
and hybrids and it is found in only 27 of the varieties listed 
here. The species is characterized by thin, smooth leaves, in- 
termittent tendrils, thin diaphragm, slender vigorous growth. 
Vitis rupestris. Rupestris is a southern species, indigenous 
to southwestern Texas, eastern New Mexico, northward and 
south from southern Missouri, Indiana, Tennessee, Pennsyl- 
vania and the District of Columbia. The vine is typically a 
small, strongly branched upright shrub, rarely climbing; dia- 
phragm thin, tendrils few, weak, usually deciduous; leaves 
small, glossy, folded, entire, glabrous on both sides; berries 
small, black or purple. It is hardy, drouth resistant, the roots 
growing deep into the soil instead of laterally, foliage not sub- 
ject to rot or mildew. Of interest to the breeder as a hardy 
parent, though it has been used but little. The habit of growth 
and characteristic leaf render it easily detected in hybrids. 
Vitis vinifera.—The original home of Vitis vinifera is prob- 
ably somewhere in western Asia. Botanists have never agreed 
as to whether it is an elementary species or a combination of 
two or more, the original forms of which are obsolete. The 
vigor of the vine is variable in our climate, not so high climbing 
as some American species; tendrils intermittent; leaves rather 
thin, three, five or seven-lobed, usually glabrous, in some varie- 
ties hairy or downy when young; berries oval, very persistent 
to pedicel, flesh and skin adhering; very variable species in 
vigor, hardiness and shape and color of fruit. As mentioned 
previously Vitis vinifera has been very freely used by the 
American grape breeder in making hybrids with native species ; 
104 of the varieties mentioned have Vinifera blood to a greater 
or less extent. Unfortunately in all cases where there is Vini- 
fera blood there is a correlated weakness in vine. Hardiness 
and resistance to disease are sacrificed in increasing the 
quality of the fruit. 
