title: Our native grape. Grapes and their culture. Also descriptive list of old and new varieties.
text: *^ o. '>'^v-^ -^Jm^^^^ '^J.S o\ y^.^L^.% >>^ .. <>-•, -^o ^ "^^^ .^-^^ .<t^ ' r ..-•. ^<^^ Pv- ^^•n^ <• r^ 'bv •jj;;SS^»-k*- o V-^""y V*^-'*/ V'-^'"y "°* ••'■ /.•i-:»^-X >°.-^'.i-.°o >*\g.;^.\ / :. '-^^o^ : 'oK ^ -^^0^ ° r. u^^^'i' y^%^/Kr '^<'. c'^'* •^ifilfei'. t^ ^^ **^ O •' " - 7 '2'7\ GREEN MOUNTAIN, Our Native Grape. Grapes and Their Culture ALSO DESCRIPTIVE LIST OF OLD AND NEW VARIETIES, PUBLISHED BY C MITZKY & CO. 1893- / W. W. MORRISON, PRINTER, 95-99 EAST MAIN STREET ROCHESTER, N. Y. \ ./v/^f Entered according to Act ot Congress, in the year 1893, by C. MITZKY & CO., Rochester, N. Y., in the office of tlie Librarian of Congress, at Washington, 1). C. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 5 •o :.^ ^ •A ' * Introduction. RAPE GROWING is fast becoming a great industry. Its importance is almost incalculable, and it should re- ceive every reasonable encouragement. It is not our intention in this manual, ' OUR NATIVE GRAPE," to make known new theories, but to improve on those already in practice. Since the publication ot former works on this subject a great many changes have taken place ; new destructive diseases have ap- peared, insects, so detrimental to Grapevines, have increased, making greater vigilance and study neces- sary. / New varieties of Grapes have sprung up with great rapidity Many labor-saving tools have been introduced, in fact. Grape culture of the present time is a vast improvement on the Grape culture of years ago. The material herein contained has been gathered by the assistance of friends all over the country in all parts of the United States, and compiled and arranged that not alone our own ex- perience, but that of the best experts in the country, may serve as a guide to the advancement of Grape culture. We have spared neither time or expense to make this work as complete as possible. With all our efforts, however, we feel compelled to ask forbearance for our shortcom- ings and mild judgment for our imperfections. We beg to acknowledge our obligations to our numerous friends who came forward with such a willingness to assist, that with pleasure we pushed the task we had undertaken, being confident of its success. We are under great obligations to the Agricultural Department at Washington, and to many of the Directors of our Experimental Stations who have aided us with valu- able articles and engravings, —Prof. T. V. Munson, D. S. Marvin, Dr. Stayman, Luther Tucker of " The Cultivator and Country Gentleman :" To these and many others who have kindly furnished us information necessary for the completion of our work, we feel grateful and hope that many readers who have had more or less bitter disappointments in the cultivation of the most delicious of all our fruits, may profit from this work. C. MITZKY & CO. History of the Grkpe. .^i RAPE CULTURE is a matter of increasing interest. If we look back through lll^r' the pages of history into the dark ages of the past we find that God in the very beginning gave us, in the garden of Eden this most delicious of all the choice fruits, and that in Noah's vineyard there were Grapes sweet and tempting. History tells us that as early as the year 1630 there was in Palestine, Grapevines, the stems of which were nearly a foot and a half in diameter, thirty feet high with branches covering a space over fifty feet square, producing clusters of Grapes weigh- ing from ten to twelve pounds, with berries, which might be compared to our plums of the present time. At Hebron Grapes grew so large that a single bunch was as much as two men could conveniently carrj% and on the Jewish mountains the bunches of Grapes which grew wild, were each half an ell (27 inches) long and the berries two joints of a finger in length. These historical statements are worthy of credence. GRAPEVINE AT HAMPTON COURT, ENGLAND. but are, indeed, surpassed by the Grapes of Damascus, at the present day, which are often found to weigh twenty-five pounds to the single bunch. Vines in Crete and Chois produced clusters from ten to forty pounds each. A bunch of Syrian Grapes grown in a vineyard at Wetbeck, England, weighed nineteen pounds. It was known to the Egyptians ; representations of the culture of the vine, of the treading outof the juice and of the storing of the wine in jars, being all discovered in paintings within the tombs. Columns in Juno's Temple at Metapont, and a statue of Jupiter in the city of Apollonium were made from the wood of the vine. The OUR NATIVE GRAPE. great doors of the Cathedral of Ravenna are made of vine planks, some of which are twelve feet long and fifteen inches broad. The Hampton Court vine is the most famous in England. It was planted in 1769 in a glass house seventy-two feet long and about thirty feet wide which is completely filled by this one vine. The trunk is nearly three feet in circumference at about three feet from the ground, or about as large as the trunk of a full-sized apple tree. It bears an annual crop of about a ton of Black Hamburg Grapes, and has produced 2,500 large bunches in a single season. As this vine was planted not many hundred feet from the Thames, it is thought that the roots extend to the river and thus have obtained nourishment for so many years. At Montecito, Cal. , four miles from Santa Barbara, there is a Grapevine, probably the largest in the world. Its diameter and yield would be incredible, were it not that they were vouched for by men of veracity, speaking from personal observation. It is a single vine, planted by a Mexican woman about sixty years ago, and has a diameter of twelve inches, one foot from the ground. Its branches cover an area of 12,000 feet and produce annually from 10,000 to 12,000 pounds of Grapes of the Mission variety (many bunches weighing six and seven pounds), the crop being generally made into wine. The old lady who planted this one-vine vineyard died in 1S65, at the age of 107. California also has the largest vineyard in the world. It is in Tehama county, consisting of 3,825 acres, to which a considerable number of acres are added every year. Up to 1840, the only Grapes grown in this country in open air were the Catawba and Isabella, and these were confined almost wholly to the cliffs about Cincinnati. The Ives and lona came later, and when Mr. Rogers commenced his work of crossing the foreign Grapes with the wild Fox Grape of Massachusetts, the result was the production of over forty varieties, some of which are still esteemed very highl}\ Soon after this, Mr. Rickett began his experiments of hybridizing or crossing, in A'hich he was successful, producing many valuable varieties. From about this time on, the interest in such work began to develop and scores of experimenters have been busy multiplying varieties until we now have a long list of valuable sorts of this excellent fruit. Grape culture in the old world has always been considered one of the most important branches of industry and in our own favored land, especially in some sec- tions, it is fast gaining importance. The acreage is constantly increasing, but not as rapidly as the consumption. A larger and larger amount of this delicious fruit is being consumed by all classes of people. It has been but a few years since our native Grapes have become an article of commerce in our large cities, yet the trade is enor- mous ; single persons selling as many as a thousand tons in one season, and in our countn,' villages, where a short time ago a few baskets would supply the demand, tons are now used. As compared with France and many parts of the old world the vineyard business in this country is only in its infancy. In New York State, in what is known as the Lake Keuka district, a grower of Grapes shipped his first crop, amounting to fifty pounds, to the New York market, about I845, by way of the New York and Erie canal. The Grapes were delivered in good condition and the commission houses handling them wrote encouragingly to the shipper, advising further shipments. The next year the grower was able to ship some two or three hundred pounds. He overdid the matter, however, and the New York market on Grapes broke under the pressure. It is estimated, that during the season of 1890, there have been shipped from the same district and carried b}^ the different railroads and express companies to New York, Boston, Philadelphia and other mar- kets about 20,000 tons or 40,000,000 pounds of Grapes, and probably one-quarter of this amount was, in addition, sold to wine manufacturers. The Hudson River dis. OUR NATIVE GRAPE. trict is estimated to have shipped to New York and other markets, between 13,000 and 15,000 tons of Grapes, while the Chautauqua district of New York furnished about 15,000 tons of Grapes for the different markets of the country, making a grand total of nearly 50,000 tons as the product of what is known as the New York district. This does not include over 15,000 tons of Grapes used in the districts for wine. According to a bulletin sent out by the Census bureau at Washington, there are, to-day, over 300,000 acres planted to vines that are bearing Grapes, and nearly 100,000 to vines not yet arrived at that remunerative stage. The average yield of Grapes per acre is something over two tons, the commercial value of which is set down at fifty- seven dollars a ton ; the total product is put at over 600,000 tons, of which over 267,000 tons are sold for table use, including what are eaten ripe from the vines and what are dried and disposed of as raisins. This leaves over 300,000 tons as the amount turned into wine in the year, yielding the enormous amount of 24.000,000 gallons. This will probably surprise the average citizen, and none more than those whose highly cultured taste leads them to regard with contempt any wine that has not the foreign brand on the bottle or cork. Though some American made wine is openly sent abroad for foreign consumption, by far the greater part of the product is consumed here, some of it directly from the places of its manufacture, and some of it after a double sea voyage, in the course of which it passes through a French cus- tom house and gets a French name before it comes through an American custom house and finally sparkles on an American table. The average value of wine in this country is eighty-three cents a gallon, and in- asmuch as the capital invested in Grape culture of all kinds for wines, raisins and fresh table use is about ^156,000,000, it indicates a very handsome return upon the investment, say 33 '3 per cent, on the wine Grape alone and not counting the profit on the table grape and raisin. This does not represent the ultimate profit from the whole sum derived from the sale of the wine manufactured, because it is only the manufacturer's price, and to that must be added the retailer's profit on all the wines sold by the gallon, or bottle, Say nothing at all about that sold by the glass. California, the state which produces the largest amount, has more than half the total acreage under cultivation. New York State is the next largest wine producer. Sixty thousand of its 75,000 tons of Grapes are sold for table use and only 15,000 tons are turned into wine. California sells 236,000 tons to wineries and nearly 39 000 for table use, and produces 14,626,000 gallons of wine, while New York produces over 2,500,000 gallons. The yield per acre of Grapes is just about the same m New York as in California, 1.75 tons to 1.77 tons. New York Grapes, however, yield about 160 gallons to the ton while those of California only about 60. Grape culture shows a more remarkable growth than any other agricultural in- dustry. This is largely due to the development within the past ten years of new, better and ear.ier varieties than were before known. Yet so large is the demand for the best Grapes that there is yet less danger of this industry being overdone than there is of a surplus of any other kind of fruit. Millions of dollars are annually made by viticulturists in the United vStates. Judging the- future by the past, we shall know a great deal more about the Grape and its best, most scientific and profitable cultivation, than we do now. The Grape grower's vocation properly, promptly and intelligently attended to is one of the pleasantest, most healthful, respectable and enjoyable in the whole range of human industries connected with the tilling of the soil, and therefore one in which it is entirely justifiable to take an honest pride. OUR NATIVE GRAPE. Clhssifichtion. )HE Grape vines of America have been more or less judiciously divided into dif- ferent classes, but all of the varieties now under cultivation belong to either of these four classes only, viz.: ViTis Aestivalis, Vitis Labrusca, ViTis RiPARiA, Vitis Rotundifolia. The varieties of one class have not always such distinct peculiarities as to be easily identified as belonging to that class, and sometimes the difference between varieties of the same class is so great, that it could not be ventured to give the general characteristics of each class, and be certain that they would apply to all its varieties. This explains why viticulturists do not always agree in the classification of the same species. While it is not of primary importance for the practical vineyardist to know ex- actly to which class a special variety belongs, such knowledge, however, will enable him to determine at once for what soil and climate that Grape is better suited. The Grapevines cultivated in the district east of the Rocky Mountains are natives of this country, which have either been picked up in the woods, improved by culti- vation, or are a product of natural or artificial hybridization ; but all the varieties which we cultivate under the name of American Grapes belong to one of the follow- ing classes : Vitis Aestivalis. Wild Aestivalis is found in different parts of the United States, on the road side, in the hedges of the plantations and climbing the trees in the woods. It is the wine Grape of the south and some of the best wines made in this country are produced from varieties of this family. They have not been planted extensively and their superior qualities are but little known. One of the characteristics of the Aestivalis is the manner in which its roots push down into the ground instead of spreading around near the surface of the soil, thereby withstanding the most severe drought without any effect detrimental to the continuous growth of the vines. This species requires a long season and productive climate to mature and therefore their culture has been limited. The berries are without pulp and contain a large percentage of sugar. The principal varieties of this species now cultivated are : Cynthiana, Herman, Cummingham, Herbemont, Devereux, IvENOIR, EUMELAN, IvOUISIANA, Elsinburg, Norton's Va. OUR NATIVE GRAPE. Norton's Va. and Cynthiana besides being the best wine Grapes of America, are also very fine table Grapes. All of these varieties are more or less subject to mildew and rot. Vitis Labrusca. To this species belongs the largest number of our cultivated varieties. Our most popular table Grapes are crosses of Labrusca with varieties of better classes. Its home is between the Atlantic ocean and the Alleghany mountains. The vine is strong and stocky, hardy and productive ; the roots are fibrous, heavy branching and abundant. The fruit is of superior size with a foxy flavor, which, however, has mostly disappeared in some of the newly introduced varieties. It is easy to propagate from cuttings and also an excellent stock for grafting. Some of the varieties furnish the bulk of our most popular wines, though for wines of finer qualities the Aestivalis is far superior. For table use, Labrusca and its improved varieties will always have the preference. Vitis Riparia. This species is adapted to almost every kind of soil, except heavy clay. The roots are tough and grow rapidly. The flavor of the fruit is vinous and pure. The fruit contains sufficient sugar for a good wine, but it requires age to develop their qualities. All the best Grapes for white wine such as Elvira, Missouri, Riessling, etc., belong to this class. It also includes a few varieties of black Grapes which produce a fine red wine. Clinton, which belongs to this class, is known to almost everybody. Vitis Rotundifolia. This is entirely confined to the Southern states and is very characteristic in its appearance. Its leaves are small, round and shining. The fruit is not formed in bunches, but grows in large, thick-skinned and pulpy berries. The Scuppernong, Flowers, Tender Pulp and Thomas are the varieties under cultivation. For a long time the first named has been considered the only valuable Grape for the south, but they never have proved profitable enough to plant on a large scale. The Scuppernong has no commercial value as it cannot bear transportation, while it makes a splendid wine, though deficient in sugar, it is very sweet having but little acid. Hybrids. A vine or plant produced by the mixture of two species is called a Hybrid. This operation can be performed artificially or by nature. This hydridizing by nature is mostly done by insects carrying pollen from one flower to another. A cross is the production of two varieties of the same species. For instance Diamond was produced by crossing — Concord with lona. Concord is a Labrusca while lona is a seedling of Catawba, which also belongs to the Labrusca species. The operation in hybridizing and crossing is the same, but the results obtained are different. The seed of a berry will never produce the same Grape from which it was taken as always more or less hybridization has been done by nature. Plants thus obtained are often called seed- lings, though by right they are either hybrids or crosses. OUR NATIVE GRAPE. Prophghtion. ¥HEN propagating a Grapevine we simply make a new vine from a part of another and this new vine being apart of the parent vine is like it in all re- spects ; the same habit and constitution, the same bark, foliage and fruit. The several methods of propagating, are by cuttings, grafting or by layering. One of the cheapest and easiest methods by which to get a start in Grape culture, is propagating by cuttings. To have good results take cuttings from thrifty, well- ripened, close-jointed wood, avoiding all spindling twigs or reedy-like canes. Grape cuttings should be made just as soon as possible after the wood is cut from the vines, for if it is left in the wind and snow for any length of time it will dry out more or less to its detriment. If not convenient to cut up at once, the wood should be gath- ered into bundles and put into the cellar or some other convenient place out of the wind. Propagating from Short CuttingSo with new varieties, where wood is still scarce, the propagating can be done by using one eye cuttings. These should be cut about two or three inches long ; one eye on the top is sufficient. It is not necessary to have an eye below as they will strike root just as well, if not better, with one, and this is true of all kinds of cuttings without any exception. These cuttings should be put in propagating beds in a green-house the middle of February. Set them upright in rather coarse, clean sand down to the top bud. The sand should be rather compact than loose. To drive out roots bottom heat is necessary and it should remain for a few days at 60 degrees, then raised to 75 or 80 degrees during the day time and not below 65 degrees at night. The top heat should be kept about ten or fifteen degrees lower than the bottom heat by ventilation and shade. If there is sufficient ventilation no mildew or damping off will occur. The cuttings must be kept always moist by frequent sprinkling. Some varieties will root in three weeks or less, while others may take twice as long. After the cuttings have rooted and the buds driven out the first leaves, the cuttings should be taken from the propagating bed and potted singly in a small pot (thumb pot.) An average heat of 70 degrees during day time and 55 degrees at night is sufficient for their growth. About three weeks later these small pots will be completely filled with roots and the young plants should be shifted into a larger pot, where they will increase in size. As soon as all danger from night frosts is over the vines should be planted out in open SHORT CUTTINGS, ground. Nothing is gained by setting out at an earlier period. In planting choose a plot of rather sandy soil, heavy soil will not do; trench it deeply and mix it with thoroughly rotted manure. Plant the young vines in rows two and one-half feet apart and six inches apart in the rows. After shaking the plants from the pots, lay the vines in trenches made by the spade or plow, using the earth thrown out to fill in again where the young plants are placed. Always be care- OUR NATIVE GRAPE. ful to have the soil firm around the plants. In dry weather at planting time water the plants thoroughly before taking them from the pots. The vines will soon get established in the open ground. They make rapid growth and strong plants are obtained by fall in a favorable season. A thorough cultivation is necessary for suc- cess. These vines are then called j'carlings. If intended to remain in the ground another season, the young growth should be cut back to two buds, the soil plowed up to them and a light covering of coarse manure for mulching given. In the following spring the manure will be raked off thus uncovering the plants. As soon as warm weather sets in, buds will begin to swell and soon throw out new shoots. Only two canes should be allowed to grow in order to strengthen both the roots and the tops. Cultivating and hoeing several times during the growing season will produce strong, thrifty and healthy plants by fall, which are then dug up and stored in a cool cellar ■during the winter. Long Cuttings. For out-door planting the cuttings should be made six or eight inches long ; if short-jointed there may be three or four eyes to a cutting ; if long-jointed there will be sometimes but two eyes. Cut close below the lower eye and slanting at right angles with the bud, one half inch above the upper bud, in like man- ner, slanting so that the upper point is on the same side as the bud. The cuttings should be tied up in bundles of fifty and niay then be preserved in a cool cellar, buried in moderately dry sand or laid on the floor and covered with damp sawdust or nioss. Excessive dryness or dampness are equally to be avoided, keep the temperature low, but not low enough to freeze the liquids in the cuttings. As soon as the frost is out of the ground the cuttings intended for out-door propagation should be put in bundles in trenches in a warm sunny spot with the top ends down and about two inches of earth covering the top of the bundles. By the time the ground is ready for the cuttings, which should not be until the soil has become dry and warm, al> of the cut ends will be calloused and covered over with a nice growth of fine rootlets, which will give them a quick and vigorous start when put into the ground. A better and heavier root growth is then secured, than would be if the tops or branch ends of the cuttings are allowed to start first, as is the case when the cuttings go direct from the cellar to the open ground for planting. This also enables the propagator to throw out all the poor or dead wood, saving for planting only those which show life and vigor. LONG CUTTINGS. For planting out follow the same directions as given for one eye cuttings only that the cuttings, when placed in the trench, should stand at an angle like one side of a letter V, and also have the end buds, which should be out of tiie soil, uppermost. The end cut with the slant will throw the rain away from the bud, thus preventing rot. Propagation by Layering. Layering is a method of propagating plants by burying a cane while still attached to and sustained by the parent vine. For layering select a cane of well ripened wood that will bear being bent down to the earth without breaking Remove the earth to the depth of two or three inches, then carefully bend the cane into the earth, secure OUR NATIVE GRAPE. it in that position by a peg, and cover it over with only a very little earth. At every joint young roots will be driven out and the buds will develop into leaves. After the shoots have grown three or four inches in height, select the strongest ones to remain LAYERED CANE. I.AYERED CANE WITH GROWING SHOOTS, and break off all those of weaker growth, thus enabling the remaining shoots to obtain additional strength. Every bud on the cane will make a plant, but not of equal vigor, and the less number growing on the cane the better will be the result. The remaining plants should be supplied with stakes, as soon as sufficiently high to be tied up. More soil can now be drawn into the trench and every week, while hoe- ing, more soil can be added until the trench is filled up. Filling up too quickly will cause the cane below the ground to rot. Frequent cultivating and hoeing and also a light mulching will be found beneficial. At the end of the first season these plants can be separated from the parent vine by commencing with the vines nearest the original one, and carefully digging up and storing away in a cool cellar for next season's planting. Root Grafting. GARDENING: Copyrighted GRAFTING. This method of grafting will be interest- ing for experiment with varieties that are difficult to propagate from cuttings, which do not easily form their own roots. The junc- tion is effected after the ordinary manner of whip-grafting, but the tongue is cut in the center of the graft instead of at its end. The grafts con- sist of pieces of root about a quarter of an inch in diameter, which can be obtained from young vines when taken up in the fall. These roots may be stored away in a cool celler in damp sand or moss until wanted for operation. If the cuttings of the Grape to be grafted are long-jointed only one eye to the cutting is necessary, while two eyes are needed for short-jointed wood. The root graft should be cut sufiiciently long to permit of its. entering the ground to the same depth as the stock, thus affording an independent source of nourish- ment to the graft until firmly united and enable it to make roots and also draw sap from the stock. After joining the graft with the cutting, tie firmly with waxed thread. These cuttings can be started at once in a propagating bed by placing them up- righ; in boxes with damp sand. If given a mod- erate heat they will begin to grow and when warm weather has arrived be in fine condition to transplant in the open ground. By fall many good strong plants are obtained by this method. OUR NATIVE GRAPE. 13 Hybridizing. HE production of new varieties of fruits, etc., by crossing and hybridizing is a favorite line of work with many progressive horticulturists aud altogether an interesting subject of study. But the path of the hybridizer is not always strewn with roses, especially such as are free from thorns, and the reward of brilliant results, or the pay financially, for the labor is frequently not forthcom- ing. The idea prevails, that only a few skillful horticulturists can do it, but really the operation is very simple. All the knowledge required is enough understanding of botany to know the difference between the stamen and pistil, and all the skill needed is a reasonably steady hand. The tools are few and plain. A small, soft, well-pointed camels hair brush, a pair of sharp, fine-pointed scissors, that cuts well at the extreme points, and fine, thin, light muslin or cheese cloth, or tissue paper to carry the pollen. Hybridizing, or cross-fertilizing to be successful, should be done when the vines are in full health and vigor and before they have become exhausted by blooming. No guess work should be allowed, but everything should be done thoroughly so that wheu a cross is made we may be absolutely certain as to the parentage. Furthermore, we should not expect that all our attempts will be successful, for we have to bear many disappointments and failures. In this work nature has j'et many things hidden for us to bring to light. The parts of a flower are in their order, beginning at the stem, calyx, coralla, stamen and pistil. The calyx is the outer envelope, usually green ; the coralla is composed of several leaves called petals. These parts are simply ornamental ; the useful and necessary parts, and those with which we have mostly to deal, are the stamens and pistils. The stamens are the parts which bear the fine dust known as pollen. Their form is a slender stem bearing a head, shaped something like a kernel which is called the anther, and which, when ripe, bursts and scatters the pollen. This latter is a fine granular dust, quite often yellow, but sometimes brown, white, &c. The pistil is the part bearing the seed. At its base is a pod known as the ovary which when in proper condition to receive the pollen from the anther is usually slightly sticky. From this ovary the fruit is formed. The operation is performed as follows : In the selection of varieties to hybridize select those which combine hardiness, quality, earliness, &c. Choose flowers of these varieties which open nearly at the same time. As soon as the flowers are opened sufficiently cut off" every stamen with the scissors and tie a small bag of gauze cloth carefully over the flowers to prevent meddling by insects. Cover also the other flowers which are to be fertilized, in the same way and for the same reason, but do not cut off" the stamen. As soon as the latter flowers burst the pollen take off the gauze bags and with the aid of the camel's hair brush take some of the pollen and place it on the stigmas or extreme ends of the pistils in the flowers from which the stamen was cut, and replace the gauze bags after this operrtion. Flowers on Grape- vines do not open all at one time ; care should therefore be taken that all the flowers are fertilized. The operation should be repeated several times, as very often the stigma is not properly fertilized the first time. It is also a good plan to thin out some of the flowers to give the berries more room to grow larger and perfect. The fruit 14 OUR NATIVE GRAPE. from these fertilized flowers will set as usual and should be allowed to ripen perfectly. As soon as the Grapes are gathered, the seeds should be separated from the pulp and placed in boxes with sand during the winter in the cellar. The seeds may be planted the following spring in the open ground as soon as the weather is warm. Plant in drills three feet apart and the young plant should be treated the same way as those raised from cuttings. By proper care fruit can be expected the fourth year after planting the seeds. All our best varieties of Grapes have been obtained by this opera- tion, though some are chance seedlings which were produced from berries accidently dropped. The Production of New Seedling Grapes. By dr. J. STAYMAN, LEAVENWORTH, KANSAS. It is a well known fact that the selection of seeds from the best specimens is the only sure method of producing improved varieties. It then follows, as a corollary, that the only certain and successful way to grow those seeds is to fertilize their bloom with the pollen of congenial, characteristic, healthy, desirable varieties. Many of our best Grapes are the result of " chance seedlings," as the Catawba, Isabella, Delaware and Norton Virginia. These Grapes, while good for certain purposes and locations, did not fully meet the requirements of our progressive age and refined tastes. We had become acquainted with the fine quality of European Grapes and, in our eager desire to possess those of such excellence, we sought hybridi- zation as the only sure method of producing them. We never considered for a moment by what method and how long a time it took to originate them. It is ver}' certain that we have no account of its being done by hybridization or forced crossing, as these methods were then unknown. It then must have been the result of domesti- cation and natural congenial pollenization. Hybridization is a violent, forced fertilization and is seldom, if ever, congenial ; nature seldom, if ever, employs it. or there would be no distinctive species. We hope by these brief introductory remarks that we are fully understood. There are two well known theories given for the production of improved fruits, one by Dr. Monz, of Belgium, the other by Thos. Andre Knight, Esq., of England. The former advocates the planting of the seeds of wild varieties that have been domesticated or cultivated, and then plant their seeds and continue that method through successive generations until you get what you desire. This method does not answer our advanced and progressive age, and at the best it is too slow and uncertain. The latter method, by Mr. Knight, is by cross breeding and hybridization, which so far has been tolerably successful in the production of new flowers and plants, but we have few fruits produced by it of very great merit. The difficulty appears to be that we have no way to determine the congenial pollen for any flower. It is left entirely to the imagination of the operator. This is proven by the results, as well as by the fact that the pollen of a flower will not always fertilize its own bloom. This has been frequently observed in Staminate Strawberries that have sufficient pollen to fertilize other varieties, while it fails to poUeuize its own bloom, showing clearly a want of congeniality. This being true, how can we know or determine the congenial polJen for any flower to produce a given result. Then we need not wonder that chance seedlings produce more blanks than prizes. Having shown the difficulty in both of these methods, we will give what has proven to be successful and satisfactory with us, not only satisfactory, but the most remarkable and surprising in its results. OUR NATIVE GRAPE. 15 If we had every species and every variety of Grapes at our command, and the selection of pollen from all, and the mother plant also, we cannot see how we could accomplish the same results with such a degree of certainty and in such a short time. To produce hardy and productive seedling Grapes from our native varieties and species, of as high character as the European Grapes, appears impossible, yet it has been done. To show that this is the case, we will give the facts, and let the reader draw his own conclusion. About fifty years ago, Mr. John Burr, then a resident of Columbus, Ohio, com- menced the production of Seedling Strawberries, using selected seed from the few varieties then in existence. In this he was so successful that the Cincinnati Horti- cultural Society, of which he was a member, awarded him the honor of having produced the finest lot of seedlings, among which was "Burr's New Pine," which is to this day considered the highest standard of excellence. Having been so success- ful in the production of Strawberries from so few and indifferent varieties, it is no wonder that he should have been sanguine that he could produce similar results with Grapes. He planted on his lot the Catawba, Isabella, Bland, Delaware, Hartford, Prolific and Concord, and soon added the Salem and Goethe, with these few varieties he commenced, not even a neighbor vine was near to mar his operations. He first tried the Concord, but soon found that it had no congeniality to other better kinds, and was not very susceptible to improvement, so he took the Delaware, a much weaker grower, but of much higher quality, and in his first effort he produced the " Early Victor, " which is a strong grower, very productive, and of very good quality. This showed that he had struck the key-note to success, namely, that weak varieties were very easily impressed by stronger varieties, but very strong and positive varieties very seldom, if ever, by very weak varieties. From this fact and data, he soon discarded those that proved unworthy, until now he has but few on his list, except his own seedlings. But the most remarkable fact connected with this is that he has produced so many hardy varieties, with such a high per cent, of fine qualities and so few indifferent. Out of some twenty or more growing on our grounds, nearly all are of high quality. We know the source of some of them, but how and from what his " Eclipse, Paragon, Matchless, Omega, Cochee " and "Primate" came we cannot even imagine, as he never had such Grapes upon his lot, and there is no other source from which they could possibly have come. This same improvement bids fair to continue as long as the same method is pursued. We have dwelt more particularly upon Mr. Burr's success, as his method is the same as our own, and our first success was made with the same variety. Our grounds, however, are much larger, the vines planted much farther apart, the varieties more numerous, the type of many more positive and the results are a greater departure from the original types. We have the pure, wild ^stivalis, Labrusca and Riparia, as well as the best and most refined ; the feeble grower and the most vigorous and rampant from the same variety of seed. While, in some other instances, the type is so exact that it is with difficulty that we can tell the one from the other, while others do not apper to be succeptible to our improvement. PVom these observations and results, we believe the time is not far distant when we will produce as fine and excellent Grapes as the European varieties. In a great measure we have to acknowledge the perseverance of many of our professional propagators, who through proper, careful operations in hybridizing, have given to the public at large so many improved and superior varieties, which almost every inhabitant of this Union now enjoys, and with which the name of the origina- tor will be forever connected. i6 OUR NATIVE GRAPE. Proposition to Protect the Originators. All our originators of new varieties have not derived the benefit, compensation and protection by law for their long years of labor that is accorded an inventor who often obtained his invention by mere accident. A patent will protect him for years, securing for him pecuniary benefits as long as his patent holds good. What protection has the originator of new plants and fruits ? Such originators have as much right to protection as inventors of anything else. It takes years and years for the originator of a new variety of Grapes to determine the fruits of his labor and he ought to be entitled to some pay for all the time and trouble spent to develop the Grape. This is an age of progress and improvement. In the horticultural world this progress has been marked and rapid and one need not go back to observe the advance which has been made, particularly in the originating from seed and the process of hybridization of new and superior varieties. Protection would be an in- centive to extensive and systematic experimenting, which would, without doubt, result in producing valuable additions to our fruits. Many notorious swindles in horticulture have been caused by the lack of exclusive rights to new productions. A favorite trick of unscrupulous parties in the trade is to substitute old sorts for some new, rare variety under the name of the latter. Of course several years will elapse before the purchasers can find out that they have not the product of nature they bought. How can these evils be remedied ? By a law making the trial of all new varieties at the Experiment Stations compulsory before allowing them to be introduced, in order to determine, if they are really new and have merit. If, after due investigation, the new plant or fruit is accepted, the originator should be granted a certificate, which would secure him the exclusive right to propagate and sell the same for a term of years, without the right to renewal. This would give him sufficient time to prepare stock for the market and an abundance of time in which to enjoy the privileges of exclusive sale, and he in turn would protect the people in its purchase in order to protect himself in its sale. Further, the law should guarantee to the originator that in case plants or cuttings of the variety are stolen from him or the Experiment Stations and disseminated in that way, the stock shall be confiscated wherever found. The principal inducement for stealing new varieties, so frequently practiced, would then no longer exist. The purchaser of a plant entered under this act should have the right to propagate it for his own use but not to sell or disseminate it except by special arrangement with the originator. At the time of the purchase he should be furnished with a certificate of purchase by the vendor, who should keep an accurate record of the same as a means of protection to himself and to the purchaser. At any or all times before the expiration of the propagation right the possessor of a plant may be required to show how he came into possession or hold himself responsible for violation of the law. All accepted new plants or fruits being registered and num- bered very few plants or fruits could be sold which would not have the official name, number and description found upon the National register. There is reason to believe that the enactment of a law protecting originators would constitute one of the great- est benefits to horticulturists, and we hope that the time is not far off, when such steps will be taken as will protect and promote the origination of new fruit. OUR NATIVE GRAPE. 17 The Soil HE soil is a complicated subject that varies greatly in its nature in different localities. Soils are classed for convenience as sandy, clayey, loamy and peaty soils. 