308 TWENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY REPORT. 
of quality of fruit in estimating their seedling grapes and have not 
given due regard to vigor of vine and freedom from disease. On 
this account all of the seedlings raised on the Station were, from 
the time when they were very small, left unsprayed in. positions 
where fungus diseases were prevalent. In the same manner they 
were left to take their chances in the winter without any pro- 
tection. Naturally many thousands died, but the surviving ones 
were able to withstand all vicissitudes incident to the life of a grape 
in this section. . 
Besides this natural selection an artificial selection was made of 
the stronger plants, that is the weaker ones were discarded as soon 
as they showed their weakness. It was found that it was hopeless 
to nurture naturally weak plants with the thought that they would 
become stronger with age. In -some cases, for the sake of infor- 
mation, especially weak plants were selected and kept as long as six 
years with no material improvement. This showed plainly that 
weakness in seedling grapes was generally, if not always, due to 
inherent weakness in the constitution of that particular vine and 
was not due to minor accidents, such as getting a poor start, etc. 
It was generally found that the larger seeds produced more vigor- 
ous seedlings. Certain parents and certain crosses always gave weak 
seedlings. Ina like manner certain other parents and certain other 
crosses usually gave strong seedlings. 
Since seedling grapes have to be six or eight years old before 
their fruiting capacity can be correctly judged, a report upon this 
experiment has not yet been made. Many plants were discarded 
during the first year of their growth, and many others were thrown 
out later. Of those that showed sufficient vigor and health to be 
worthy of further trial, 723 are now growing in a separate vineyard 
on the Station grounds. A detailed record of these will be made 
some time in the near future. | 
RINGING GRAPE VINES. 
Another bit of grape investigation very valuable in its way, 
although the results were not positive, was the ringing’® of grapes. 
The ringing or girdling of fruit trees or vines is a practice that 
is very old and frequently advised by amateur horticulturists but 
not practiced by practical fruit growers in America. This investi- 
gation extended through two seasons. The practice of ringing 
* Bul. 151 and Rpt. 17:510 (1898). 
