Manual of American Grape-Growing Part 29

Owing to the fact that Cordifolia and Vulpina have been badly confused, the limits of the habitat of this species are difficult to determine. The best authorities give the northern limit as New York or the Great Lakes. The eastern limit is the Atlantic Ocean and the southern limit, the Gulf of Mexico. It extends westward, according to Engelmann, to the western limits of the wooded portion of the Mississippi Valley in the North, and, according to Munson, to the Brazos River, Texas, in the South. It is found along creeks and river banks sometimes mixed with Vulpina, having about the same soil adaptations as that species. It is a very common species in the middle states and frequently grows on limestone soils, but is not indigenous to such soils.

Cordifolia makes a good stock for grafting, being vigorous and forming a good union with most of our cultivated grapes. It is seldom used for this purpose, however, on account of the difficulty of propagating it by means of cuttings. For the same reason vines of it are seldom found in cultivation.

6. _Vitis Berlandieri_, Planch. Mountain-Grape. Spanish Grape. Fall Grape. Winter Grape. Little Mountain Grape.

Vine vigorous, climbing; shoots more or less angled and p.u.b.escent; p.u.b.escence remaining only in patches on mature wood; canes mostly with short internodes; diaphragms thick; tendrils intermittent, long, strong, bifid or trifid. Leaves with small stipules; leaf-blade large, broadly cordate, notched or shortly three-lobed; petiolar sinus rather open, V- or U-shaped, margin with broad but rather shallow teeth, rather dark glossy green above, grayish p.u.b.escence below when young; becoming glabrous and even glossy except on ribs and veins, when mature. Cl.u.s.ters large, compact, compound, with long peduncle. Berries small, black, with thin bloom, juicy, rather tart but pleasant tasting when thoroughly ripe. Seeds few, small, short, plump, oval or roundish, with short beak; chalaza oval or roundish, distinct; raphe narrow, slightly distinct to indistinct. Leafing, flowering and ripening fruit very late.

Berlandieri is a native of the limestone hills of southwest Texas and adjacent Mexico. It grows in the same region with _V. monticola_, but is less restricted locally, growing from the tops of the hills down and along the creek bottoms of these regions. Its great virtue is that it withstands a soil largely composed of lime, being superior to all other American species in this respect. This and its moderate degree of vigor have recommended it to the French growers as a stock for their calcareous soils. The roots are strong, thick, and very resistant to phylloxera. It is propagated by cuttings with comparative ease, but its varieties are variable, some not rooting at all easily.

While the fruit of this species shows a large cl.u.s.ter, the berries are small and sour, and Berlandieri is not regarded as having promise for culture in America.

7. _Vitis aestivalis_, Michx. Blue Grape. Bunch Grape. Summer Grape.

Little Grape. Duck-shot Grape. Swamp Grape. Chicken Grape. Pigeon Grape.

Vine very vigorous, shoots p.u.b.escent or smooth when young; diaphragms thick; tendrils intermittent, usually bifid. Leaves with short, broad stipules; leaf-blade large, thin when young but becoming thick; petiolar sinus deep, usually narrow, frequently overlapping; margin rarely entire, usually three- to five-lobed; teeth dentate, shallow, wide; upper surface dark green; lower surface with more or less reddish or rusty p.u.b.escence which, in mature leaves, usually shows in patches on the ribs and veins; petioles frequently p.u.b.escent. Cl.u.s.ters long, not much branched, with long peduncle. Berries small, with moderate amount of bloom, usually astringent. Seeds two to three, of medium size, plump, smooth, not notched; chalaza oval, distinct; raphe a distinct cord-like ridge. Leafing and ripening fruit late to very late.

The division of the original species has reduced the habitat materially, confining it to the southeastern part of the United States from southern New York to Florida and westward to the Mississippi River. aestivalis grows in thickets and openings in the woods and shows no such fondness for streams as Vulpina, or for thick timber as Labrusca, but is generally confined to uplands. Under favorable circ.u.mstances, the vines grow to be very large. aestivalis is preeminently a wine grape. The fruit usually has a tart, acrid taste, due to the presence of a high percentage of acid, but there is also a large amount of sugar, the scale showing that juice from this species has a much higher percentage of sugar than the sweeter-tasting Labruscas. The wine made from varieties of aestivalis is very rich in coloring matter and is used by some European vintners to mix with the must of European sorts in order to give the combined product a higher color. The berries are dest.i.tute of pulp, have a comparatively thin, tough skin and a peculiar spicy flavor. The berries hang to the bunch after becoming ripe much better than do those of Labrusca.

This species thrives in a lighter and shallower soil than Labrusca and appears to endure drought better, although not equaling in this respect either Vulpina or Rupestris. The French growers report that aestivalis is very liable to chlorosis on soils which contain much lime. The leaves are never injured by the sun and they resist the attacks of insects, such as leaf-hoppers, better than any other American species under cultivation. aestivalis is rarely injured by black-rot or mildew, according to American experience, but French growers speak of its being susceptible to both. The hard roots of aestivalis enable it to resist phylloxera, and varieties with any great amount of the blood of this species are seldom seriously injured by this insect. An objection to aestivalis, from a horticultural standpoint, is that it does not root well from cuttings. Many authorities speak of it as not rooting at all from cuttings, but this is an over-statement of the facts, as many of the wild and cultivated varieties are occasionally propagated in this manner, and some southern nurseries, located in particularly favorable situations, make a practice of propagating it by this method. Varieties of this species bear grafting well, especially in the vineyard.

_Vitis aestivalis Lincec.u.mii_, Munson. Post-oak Grape. Pine-wood Grape.

Turkey Grape.

Vine vigorous, sometimes climbing high upon trees, sometimes forming a bushy clump from two to six feet high; canes cylindrical, much rusty wool on shoots; tendrils intermittent.

Leaves very large, almost as wide as long; entire or three-, five-, or rarely seven-lobed; lobes frequently divided; sinuses, including petiolar sinus, deep; smooth above, and with more or less rusty p.u.b.escence below. (The north-Texas, southwestern Missouri and northern Arkansas form shows little or no p.u.b.escence but has fine p.r.i.c.kly spines at base of shoots and shows much blue bloom on shoots, canes and the under side of the leaves.) Fruit small to large, usually larger than typical aestivalis, usually black, with heavy bloom. Seeds larger than aestivalis, pear-shaped; chalaza roundish.

Lincec.u.mii inhabits the eastern half of Texas, western Louisiana, Oklahoma, Arkansas and southern Missouri on high sandy land, frequently climbing post-oak trees, hence the name, post-oak grape, by which it is locally known.

Lincec.u.mii has attracted considerable attention through the work of H.

Jaeger and T. V. Munson in domesticating it, both of whom considered it one of the most, if not the most, promising form from which to secure cultivated varieties for the Southwest. The qualities which recommend it are: First, vigor; second, capacity to withstand rot and mildew; third, hardiness and capacity to endure hot and dry summers without injury; fourth, the large cl.u.s.ter and berry which were found on certain of the wild vines. The fruit is characteristic because of its dense bloom, firm, yet tender texture and peculiar flavor. The cultivated varieties have given satisfaction in many sections of the Central Western and Southern states. Like aestivalis, it is difficult to propagate from cuttings.

The north-Texas glaucous form of this variety mentioned in the technical description above is the _V. aestivalis glauca_ of Bailey.

This is the type of Lincec.u.mii that Munson has used in breeding work.

_Vitis aestivalis Bourquiniana_, Bailey. Southern aestivalis.

Bourquiniana differs chiefly from the type in having thinner leaves; the shoots and under side of the leaves are only slightly reddish-brown in color; the p.u.b.escence usually disappears at maturity; the leaves are more deeply lobed than is common in aestivalis; and the fruit is larger, sweeter and more juicy. Bourquiniana is known only in cultivation. The name was given by Munson, who ranks the group as a species. He includes therein many southern varieties, the most important of which are: Herbemont, Bertrand, Cunningham and Lenoir, grouped in the Herbemont section; and Devereaux, Louisiana and Warren, in the Devereaux section. Munson has traced the history of this interesting group and states that it was brought from southern France to America over one hundred fifty years ago by the Bourquin family of Savannah, Georgia. Many botanists are of the opinion that Bourquiniana is a hybrid. The hybrid supposition is corroborated to a degree by the characters being more or less intermediate between the supposed parent species, and also by the fact that up to date no wild form of Bourquiniana has been found. The only northern variety of any importance supposed to have Bourquiniana blood is the Delaware, and in this variety only a fraction of Bourquiniana blood is presumably present. Bourquiniana can be propagated from cuttings more easily than the typical aestivalis but not so readily as Labrusca, Vulpina or Vinifera. Many of the varieties of Bourquiniana show a marked susceptibility to mildew and black-rot; in fact, the whole Herbemont group is much inferior in this respect to the Norton group of aestivalis. The roots are somewhat hard, branch rather freely and are quite resistant to phylloxera.

8. _Vitis bicolor_, Le Conte. Blue Grape. Northern Summer Grape.

Northern aestivalis.

Vine vigorous, climbing; shoots cylindrical or angled, with long internodes, generally glabrous, usually showing much blue bloom, sometimes spiny at base; diaphragms thick; tendrils intermittent, long, usually bifid. Leaves with short, broad stipules; leaf-blade large; roundish-cordate, usually three-, sometimes on older growth shallowly five-lobed, rarely entire; petiolar sinus variable in depth, usually narrow; margin irregularly dentate; teeth ac.u.minate; glabrous above, usually glabrous below and showing much blue bloom which sometimes disappears late in the season; young leaves sometimes p.u.b.escent; petioles very long. Cl.u.s.ter of medium size, compact, simple; peduncle long. Berries small, black with much bloom, acid but pleasant tasting when ripe. Seeds small, plump, broadly oval, very short beak; chalaza oval, raised, distinct; raphe distinct, showing as a cord-like ridge.

Bicolor is readily distinguished from aestivalis by the absence of the reddish p.u.b.escence and by blooming slightly later. The habitat of Bicolor is to the north of that of aestivalis, occupying the northeastern, whereas aestivalis occupies the southeastern quarter of the United States. Like aestivalis, this species is not confined to streams and river banks but frequently grows on higher land also. It is found in north Missouri, Illinois, southwestern Wisconsin, Indiana, southern Michigan, Ohio, Kentucky, Pennsylvania, New York, southwestern Ontario, New Jersey and Maryland and by some botanists is reported as far south as western North Carolina and west Tennessee.

The horticultural characters of Bicolor are much the same as those of aestivalis. About the only points of difference are that it is much hardier (some of the Wisconsin vines stand a temperature as low as 20 degrees below zero); it is said to be slightly less resistant to mildew and more resistant to phylloxera. Like aestivalis, Bicolor does not thrive on limy soils and it is difficult to propagate from cuttings. The horticultural possibilities of Bicolor are probably much the same as those of aestivalis, although many think it to be more promising for the North. It is as yet cultivated but little. Its chief defect for domestication is the small size of the fruit.

9. _Vitis candicans_, Englem. Mustang Grape.

Vine very vigorous, climbing; shoots and petioles densely wooly, whitish or rusty; diaphragm thick; tendrils intermittent. Leaves with large stipules; blade small, broadly cordate to reniform-ovate, entire or in young shoots and on young vines and sprouts usually deeply three- to five-, or even seven-lobed; teeth shallow, sinuate; petiolar sinus shallow, wide, sometimes lacking; dull, slightly rugose above, dense whitish p.u.b.escence below.

Cl.u.s.ters small. Berries medium to large, black, purple, green, or even whitish, thin blue bloom or bloomless. Seeds usually three or four, large, short, plump, blunt, notched; chalaza oval, depressed, indistinct; raphe a broad groove.

The habitat of this grape extends from southern Oklahoma, as a northern limit, southwesterly into Mexico. The western boundary is the Pecos River. It is found on dry, alluvial, sandy or limestone bottoms or on limestone bluff lands and is said to be especially abundant along upland ravines. Candicans grows well on limestone lands, enduring as much as 60 per cent of carbonate of lime in the soil. The species blooms shortly before Labrusca and a week later than Vulpina.

It requires the long hot summers of its native country and will stand extreme drouth but is not hardy to cold, 10 or 15 degrees below zero killing the vine outright unless protected; and a lesser degree of cold injuring it severely. The berries, which are large for wild vines, have thin skins under which there is a pigment which gives them, when first ripe, a fiery, pungent taste but which partly disappears with maturity. The berries are very persistent, clinging to the pedicel long after ripe. Candicans is difficult to propagate from cuttings. Its roots resist phylloxera fairly well. It makes a good stock for Vinifera vines in its native country, but owing to the difficulty of propagation is seldom used for that purpose. In the early days of Texas, it was much used for the making of wine but as it is deficient in sugar, and as the must retains the acrid, pungent flavor, it does not seem to be well adapted for this purpose. It is not regarded as having great promise for southern horticulture and certainly has none for the North.

10. _Vitis Labrusca_, Linn. Fox-Grape.

Vine vigorous, stocky, climbing; shoots cylindrical, densely p.u.b.escent; diaphragms medium to thick; tendrils continuous, strong, bifid or trifid. Leaves with long, cordate stipules; leaf-blade large, thick, broadly cordate or round; entire or three-lobed, frequently notched; sinuses rounded; petiolar sinus variable in depth and width, V-shaped; margin with shallow, acute-pointed, scalloped teeth; upper surface rugose, dark green, on young leaves p.u.b.escent, becoming glabrous when mature; lower surface covered with dense p.u.b.escence, more or less whitish on young leaves, becoming dun-colored when mature. Cl.u.s.ters more or less compound, usually shouldered, compact; pedicels thick; peduncle short. Berries round; skin thick, covered with bloom, with strong musky or foxy aroma. Seeds two to four, large, distinctly notched, beak short; chalaza oval in shape, indistinct, showing as a depression; raphe, a groove.

Labrusca is indigenous to the eastern part of North America, including the region between the Atlantic Ocean and the Alleghany Mountains. It is sometimes found in the valleys and along the western slopes of the Alleghanies. Many botanists say it never occurs in the Mississippi Valley. In the first-named area it ranges from Maine to Georgia. It has the most restricted habitat of any American species of horticultural importance, being much exceeded in extent of territory by _V. rotundifolia_, _V. aestivalis_ and _V. vulpina_.

Labrusca has furnished more cultivated varieties, either pure-breeds or hybrids, than all other American species together. The reason for this is partly, no doubt, that it is native to the portion of the United States first settled and is the most common grape in the region where agriculture first advanced to the condition at which fruits were desired. This does not wholly account for its prominence, however, which must be sought elsewhere. In its wild state, Labrusca is probably the most attractive to the eye of any of our American grapes on account of the size of its fruit, and this undoubtedly turned the attention of those who were early interested in the possibilities of American grape-growing to this species rather than to any other.

The southern Labrusca is quite different from the northern form and demands different conditions for its successful growth; in the North, at least two types of the species may be distinguished. Vines are found in the woods of New England which resemble Concord very closely in both vine and fruit, excepting that the grapes are much smaller in size and more seedy. There is also the large-fruited, foxy Labrusca, usually with reddish berries, represented by such cultivated varieties as Northern Muscadine, Dracut Amber, Lutie and others. Labrusca is peculiar amongst American grapes in showing black-, white- and red-fruited forms of wild vines growing in the woods. Because of this variability, it is impossible to give the exact climatic and soil conditions best adapted to the species. It is reasonable to suppose, however, that the ideal conditions for this species under cultivation are not widely different from those prevailing where the species is indigenous. In the case of Labrusca, this means that it is best adapted to humid climates, and that the temperature desired varies according to whether the variety comes from the southern or northern form of the species.

The root system of Labrusca does not penetrate the soil deeply, but the vine is said to succeed better in deep and clayey soils than aestivalis. It endures an excess of water in the soil, and, on the other hand, requires less water for successful growing than aestivalis or Vulpina. In spite of its ability to withstand clayey soils, it seems to prefer loose, warm, well-drained sandy lands to all others.

The French growers report that all varieties of this species show a marked antipathy to a limestone soil, the vines soon becoming affected with chlorosis when planted in soils of this nature. In corroboration of this, it may be said that Labrusca is not often found wild in limestone soils. The Labruscas succeed very well in the North and fairly well in the Middle West as far south as Arkansas, where they are raised on account of their fruit qualities, for here the vines are not nearly so vigorous and healthy as are those of other species. In Alabama, they are reported to be generally unsatisfactory, and in Texas the vines are short-lived, unhealthy, and generally unsatisfactory, particularly in the dry regions. There are some exceptions to this, as for instance, in the Piedmont region of the Carolinas, where, owing to elevation or other causes, the climate of a southern region is semi-northern in its character.

The grapes of Labrusca are large and usually handsomely colored. The skin is thick, covering a layer of adhering flesh, which gives the impression of its being thicker than it actually is; the berry is variable in tenderness, sometimes tough, but in many cultivated varieties is so tender that it cracks in transportation. The skin of this species usually has a peculiar aroma, generally spoken of as foxy, and a slightly acid, astringent taste. Beneath the skin there is a layer of juicy pulp, quite sweet and never showing much acidity in ripe fruit. The center of the berry is occupied by rather dense pulp, more or less stringy, with considerable acid close to the seeds. Many object to the foxy aroma of this species, but, nevertheless, the most popular American varieties are more or less foxy. a.n.a.lyses show that the fruit is usually characterized by a low percentage of sugar and acid, the very sweet-tasting fox-grapes not showing as high a sugar-content as some of the disagreeably tart aestivalis and Vulpina sorts. This, in addition to the foxiness which furnishes an excess of aroma in the wine, has prevented Labrusca varieties from becoming favorites with the wine-makers, but most of the grape-juice now manufactured is made from them.

In addition to the characters enumerated, it may be said that Labrusca submits well to vineyard culture, is fairly vigorous and generally quite productive. It grows readily from cuttings and in hardiness is intermediate between Vulpina, the hardiest of our American species, and aestivalis. The roots are soft and fleshy (for an American grape) and in some localities subject to attacks of phylloxera. None of the varieties of Labrusca has ever been popular in France on this account.

In the wild vines, the fruit is inclined to drop when ripe. This defect is known as "shattering" or "sh.e.l.ling" among grape-growers and is a serious weakness in some varieties. Labrusca is said to be more sensitive in its wild state to mildew and black-rot than any other American species, but the evidence on this point does not seem to be wholly conclusive. In the South, and in some parts of the Middle West, the leaves of all varieties of Labrusca sunburn and shrivel in the latter part of the summer. The vines do not endure drouth as well as aestivalis or Vulpina and not nearly so well as Rupestris.

11. _Vitis vinifera_, Linn.

Vine variable in vigor, not so high climbing as most American species; tendrils intermittent. Leaves round-cordate, thin, smooth, and when young, shining, frequently more or less deeply three-, five-, or even seven-lobed; usually glabrous but in some varieties the leaves and young shoots are hairy and even downy when young; lobes rounded or pointed; teeth variable; petiolar sinus deep, narrow, usually overlapping. Berries very variable in size and color, usually oval though globular. Seeds variable in size and shape, usually notched at upper end and characterized always by a bottle-necked, elongated beak; chalaza broad, usually rough, distinct; raphe indistinct. Roots large, soft and spongy.

The original habitat of the species is not positively known. De Candolle, as noted in the first part of this work, considered the region about the Caspian Sea as the probable habitat of the Old World grape. There is but little doubt that the original home of _V.

vinifera_ is some place in western Asia.

Neither American nor European writers agree as to the climate desired by Vinifera, for the reason, probably that all of the varieties in this variable species do not require the same climatic conditions.

There are certain phases of climate, however, that are well agreed on: the species requires a warm, dry climate and is more sensitive to change of temperature than American species. Varieties of this species can be grown successfully in a wide variety of soils, being much less particular as to soils than American sorts.

Certain characters of the fruit of this species are not found in any American forms: First, the skin, which is attached very closely to the flesh and which is never astringent or acid, can be eaten with the fruit; second, the flesh is firm, yet tender, and uniform throughout, differing in this respect from all American grapes which have a sweet, watery and tender pulp close to the skin with a tough and more or less acid core at the center; third, the flavor has a peculiarly sprightly quality known as vinous; fourth, the berry adheres firmly to the pedicel, the fruit seldom "shattering" or "sh.e.l.ling" from the cl.u.s.ter.

In the various hybrids that have been made between American and Vinifera varieties, it is usually found that the desirable qualities of Vinifera are inherited in about the same proportion as the undesirable ones. The fruit is improved in the hybrid but the vine is weakened; quality is usually purchased at the expense of hardiness and disease-resisting power. Vinifera may be grown very readily from cuttings.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLATE XXIII.--Lutie (1/2). Pocklington (1/2).]

CHAPTER XVIII

VARIETIES OF GRAPES

Nature has expended her bounties in fullest measure for the vineyard.

More than 2000 varieties of grapes are described in American viticultural literature, and twice as many more find mention in European treatises on the vine. Few other fruits offer the novelties given the grape in flavors, aromas, sizes, colors and uses. The vineyard, then, to fulfill commercial potentialities, should supply grapes throughout the whole season, and of the several colors and flavors and for all uses. A prime requisite for a vineyard being well-selected varieties, an a.s.sortment of all kinds and for all places in America is here described.