with them diseases that became fatal to the European grape 
culture and almost wiped out the old vineyards. Well do I re- 
member the year of 1906 when there did not remain a single 
healthy grape vine to be found’ for hundreds of miles around. 
It was as though our beloved vineyards cried out in agony, 
“What are you going to do about it?” 
For the last 75 years, isolated Breeders have made great 
studies here in America to create a Hybrid to improve these 
grapes. They have contributed some good varieties, of which 
the Golden Muscat introduced by the New York State Experi- 
mental Station has lately become better known. While this 
grape vine has many of the Vinifera qualities, it has maintained 
the foxy flavor of the American Parent. The wrong material was 
used in cross-breeding. 
In France, the greatest wine growing country in the world, 
it made a calamity of the first magnitude. European Breeders 
went to work to save a National industry. Their chief endeavor 
was to obtain new grape vines or Hybrids that would unite the 
desirable qualities of resiliency, hardincss and vitality of the 
North American vine, with the fine qualities of the European 
vine, and to eliminate as much as possible the shortcomings of 
both specie to an almost perfect degree. 
Helping my father, who was also searching for the ideal 
grape vine, I know and well recollect the patient, painstaking 
efforts, and the many disappointments involved in our most 
trying attempts. Breeders like Seibel, Seyve Villard, Bacco, 
Rabaud, Oberlin, the Station in Colmar, and others have pro- 
duced varieties that combine the wanted qualities of both specie 
to produce the ideal grape vine. Namely, resiliency to our cold 
climate; diseases; and absence of all foxiness identical with the 
old Concord, etc. These Hybrid Grapes, possessing a pleasant 
sweetness and a certain native fruitiness, makes them in many 
respects far superior to the California as either fine table or ex- 
cellent wine grapes. 
Unintentionally, France rendered us an enormous service. 
Using the right kind of American Parent material, some of their 
best creations thrive marvelously well here. They feel right at 
home. A quality that endears them especially to me is the fact 
that these Hybrids have retained the traits of the Vinifera parent, 
in that they lend themselves to Spur pruning. This quality sim- 
plifies the pruning and care of the vines and permits one to 
easily train them into permanent pleasing patterns. This greatly 
modifies the yearly pruning without changing the shape or size 
of the trellis. The home owner can train these vines on a trellis 
against the house or garage wail, as a pergola, along walks, in 
the garden, etc., thus giving you a chance to enjoy exquisite 
grapes on your grounds and at the same time you will have a 
first class, inexpensive, ornamental plant. 
Even when grown on a six foot pole, they produce from 10 
to 30 pounds of luscious grapes. The clusters are of immense 
size, some of the varieties have as many as 150 big clusters the 
second year planted. Knowing that the wines from some of these 
grapes are used as blends for the finer wines that are imported 
here, I am convinced that when our wineries make use of the 
grape material we can grow here, the product will be so good that 
even the discriminating Frenchmen will ask for American wines. 
You may laugh at this, but time will tell. 
These Hybrids are no« growing in some isolated vineyards in 
different parts of the country and are a fine success. Try them 
and vou will be greatly cratified. 
For 25 years, I have imported and tested several hundreds of 
the known Hybrids, which were grown in France, Germany, 
and Switzerland: together with the product of the American 
Breeders and some of my own. Now I am ready to offer the 
following varieties which I have found to be the best. 
(Continued on page 57) 
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