Culture of the grape

Preface

WITHIN a few years, the cultivation of the Grape has become a subject of extraordinary interest in the United States. New varieties have been so multiphed, and the expectation is so strong that some of these will prove to be of superior value, that almost every landholder is induced to grow this favorite fruit. The success of its culture has indeed proved so encouraging, that multitudes are planting extensive vineyards in all parts of the country, both for the purpose of supplying our markets with an abundance of this fruit, unequalled in its health-giving qualities, and also for the more questionable purpose of wine-making.

Grape-growing is destined to become a vast interest in our land. Our soil and climate, though not

6 PREFACE.

adapted for the open-air culture of European varieties, yet encourage the most luxuriant growth of native kinds almost throughout the length and breadth of our vast domain. Bountiful Nature has done for us all that we can reasonably ask. The work left for us is to seek for good varieties, and give them generous culture. Difficulties there are and will be ; yet these are such as ought to stimulate rather than discourage.

The general principles of grape-culture are well understood ; and yet there are differences of opinion, different modes of pruning and training, which, however slight they may seem to be in themselves, become of great importance when applied to so vast an interest. It is with a desire to contribute my mite from my own experience that I have prepared this treatise. In order that the work may embrace the combined experience of practical and scientific minds, I have availed payself of such helps as were at hand, especially relying upon Prof Harris for descriptions of injurious insects, and upon numerous writers in our horticultural Monthlies for practical suggestions.

In order that it may be a guide to the inexperienced, it has been my aim to give plain, simple, concise rules, not novel, but practical and approved.

PREFACE. 7

Recent authors have done good service in this direction ; yet it has appeared that further suggestions might be made. Especially is it hoped that the collected experience in regard to rot and mildew, and the modified methods of training, may prove to be of general value. In this hope, I submit the book to

the public.

W. C. STRONG.

NoNANTUM Hill, Brighton, Mass., January, 1866.

Chapter I. History And Characteristics Of The Vine

Page.

The Vine indigenous to Asia 11

Large size of the Vine and Fruit 12

Cultivated in the earliest ages 13

Hampton-Court Vine 14

Largest American Vines 15

Longevity of the Vine 16

Variety of forms and conditions 16

Value of the Wine Interest 17

Table of European Wine Product 17

Price of Wines 18

Price of Vineyards 19

First attempts at culture in the United States 21

Culture in Ohio 23

Culture in California 24

CHAPTER n.

BOTANY AND HYBRIDIZATION.

Botanic Name 26

European and American Species 27

Subdivision of Species 29

Inflorescence 30

Hybridization 31

Letter from E.S. Rogers 32

Rules for hybridizing 33

CHAPTER HI.

PROPAGATION OF THE GRAPE.

By Seed • 37

Sowing the Seed 39

Treatment of the Seedlings 40

Propagation by Single Eyes 41

IX

X CONTENTS.

Preparing the Eyes 42

Pruning-knife 43

Form of Eyes 44

Hot-beds 46

Cuttings in Hot-beds 48

Propagating-house 49

Water-tanks 50

Slate-tanks 51

Plan of Propagating-house 53

Succession-houses 55

Ridge and Furrow Houses 57

Eyes for the Propagating-house 58

Potting the Eyes 59

Planting in Inside Borders 60

Planting in Frames 62

Growth in Frames 64

Winter Protection 64

Soft-wood Cuttings 65

Cuttings in the Open Air 68

The Mallet Form 68

A Primitive Method 69

Cutting with several joints 70

Soil ofthe Cutting bed 72

Planting the Cuttings in the Bed 73

Other Forms of Cuttings 74

Fall Planting of Cuttings 75

CHAPTER IV.

LAYERING AND GRAFTING.

Form of Layer 76

Layering Stool 17

Fruiting Layers 79 *

Grafting, an ancient art 80

Rapid growth of Grafts 80

Bleeding of the Vine 81

Directions by Chaptal 81

Form of Scion 83

Grafting after growth has started 84

Grafting in the Fall 85

Winter protection 87

Whip-grafting 88

Grafting-wax 90

Root-grafting 90

Inarching 90

CONTENTS. XI

CHAPTER V.

SOIL AND SITUATION.

Price of Choice Lands 92

Characteristics of European Soils 93

Characteristics of Hungarian Soils 95

Hill and Plain Lands 96

Analysis of Chateau Margaux 96

Different conditions for Table-fruit or for Wine 97

Advantage of deep valleys 98

Aspect of hill-slopes 99

Arid exposures • 100

Effect of the removal of Forests 100

Uniformity of Temperature and Humidity 101

Mechanical texture of the soil 102

Preparation of the soil 102

Drainage 103

Compost manures 103

Trenching and ploughing , 104

Terracing 105

Vine-borders 106

Bones of large size 109

CHAPTER VI.

PLANTING.

Comparative value of Large and Small Vines Ill

Tender Fibres of little value 112

Extra No, 1 Vines 112

Management of No. 2 Vines 113

Fall and Spring Planting 114

Rules for Planting 114

Training the young shoot 117

CHAPTER VH.

MODES OF TRAINING.

Habit of wild Vines 118

Vines in tree-tops 119

Advantage of the Horizontal Position 119

Advantage of nearness to the ground 120

Form under Glass 120

Xn CONTENTS.

Ohio Bow System 121

Tree Form of Trainmg 125>

Spiral or Cork-screw Form 122

The Thomery Form 124

The Thomery Form for High Walls 125

Advantages of the Thomery Form . . 126

Disadvantages of the Thomery Form 128

The Single-arm Form 130

The Horizontal-branch System 132

Prof. Lindley's Opinion 134

Advantages of the Horizontal Form 136

Modified Forms of the Horizontal System 138

Comparative Value of Various Forms 139

CHAPTER VIII.

DISTANCES AND TRELLISES.

Distances for the Spiral Form 141

Laying out the Vineyard 142

Distances for Trellises 143

Form of Trellis 144

Material for the Trellis 145

Construction and Painting 146

The Horizontal Trellis 147

Points of Compass for the Rows 148

Training for Family Use 150

Form for Double Cordons 151

Form for vacant spots in the Garden 152

Training upon Arbors 153

High Trellises 154

Horizontal Training in Front of Buildings 155

Cheap Trellises 156

CHAPTER IX.

SUBSEQUENT MANAGEMENT AND PRUNING.

Description of the different parts of the Vine 157

Second Year of the Vineyard 159

Growth of Cane 16o

Checking the Growth 161

Formation of Arms 162

Fall Pruning and Covering 163

Third Year 164

Tying the Branches _, 165

CONTENTS. XIII

Summer checking 166

Nature's Method of checking growth 166

Severe checking at Thomery 170

Undue vigor at the top of upright shoots 171

Uniform development of the horizontal branch 172

Short-spur Pruning 173

Annual Renewal 174

The Alternate or Long Spur 176

Objection to the Alternate Spur 177

Its occasional use 178

CHAPTER X.

METHODS OF HASTENING MATURITY.

Nearness to the ground an advantage . 179

The Ringing Process 180

Its Discovery 180

Its introduction into England 181

Effect upon the Fruit and Vine 182

Time and mode of performing it 183

Best suited for the Long Spur 185

Partial protection by Glass 186

Sashes for the Vineyard 187

Colored Walls 190

Close board-fences 193

CHAPTER. XI.

MANURES.

Analysis of the Ashes of the Vine 196

Wood and Coal Ashes 198

Value of Bones 199

Quantity per Acre 200

Action of Lime . . 201

Sulphur 202

Gypsum, or Plaster of Paris 203

Coal-ashes contain Sulphate of Lime 204

Specific food for each stage of growth , 205

Various kinds of fertilizing matter 207

Fertilizing effect of Rain 208

Analysis of Rain-water 209

Rain-fall of various Grape-districts 210

Effect of excessive Rain 212

Time of applying top-dressings 214

Mulching 215

XIV CONTENTS.

CHAPTER Xn.

DISEASES.

Mildew in the earliest Ages 217

Discovery of its nature 218

Dififerent species 219

Dampness favorable to its growth 222

Three ways to resist Mildew 223

Guarding against attack 223

Deficiency of Potash a cause 224

Sudden Changes 225

Microscopic appearance of Mildew 226

Mildew cannot exist upon healthy foliage 228

Protection of Overhanging Cornice 230

Effect of Dew and Rain 232

Uniform Temperature of Kelly's Island 233

Copings and Projecting Cornices 234

Free Circulation of Air 2.35

Destroying the Fungus 236

Salt as a remedy 237

Sulphur more certain 238

Modes of application 2-39

M. Newbert's remedy 240

Effect of Sulphurous Gas 241

A Direct Poison to the Fungus 242

Sulphur in solution more powerful 243

Strength of the solution 244

Sulphur, Preventive of Black Rot 245

CHAPTER Xm.

INSECTS INJURIOUS TO THE VINE.

Importance of guarding against 247

The Rose-chafer 248

The Flee-beetle 251

Spotted Pelindota 253

Anomala Varians 253

Thrip or Vine-hopper 254

Remedies for the Thrip . 256

Vine-scale 257

Mealy-bug 258

Galls 259

Red Spider 260

Sphinx Caterpillars 261

CONTENTS. XV

. 262 Achemon Sphinx

Hog Caterpillar ^53

Blue Caterpillar ■

Procris Americana

False Caterpillar Leaf-rollers . . • Sun-scald . . . .

Birds

CHAPTER XIV.

VARIOUS ITEMS.

Thinning the Fruit

Thinning the Foliage

Gathering the Fruit

Yield of Fruit per Acre

Yield of Wine

Average Product on Kelly's Island .

Preserving the Fruit

t'lan for a Fruit-house

Chloride of Calcium as an absorbent

Suspension of the clusters

Packing in Boxes

Packing in Earthen Jars

Branches inserted in Bottles . . . . .

Wine-making . .

Sparkling Wines ■

Still Wines

Rackings ■

Addition of Sugar • • ■

CHAPTER XV.

CULTURE UNDER GLASS.

Effect of a slight protection . .

The Cold Grapery

Its Construction ,* ' *

Mode of Training

Ventilation

Plan for raising the Ventilators

Water-tank

Forcing-grapery

Polmaise-heating

,Hot- water System

270 ,271

XVI CONTENTS.

Retarding-house 300

Borders 300

Inside and Outside Borders 302

The First Year 303

Tlie Second Year 304

Summer Checking 305

Pruning and starting the Vines 306

Pot Culture . 307

Diseases under Glass 310

CHAPTER XVI.

DESCRIPTION OF VARIETIES.

Their Number and Character 312

Exotic Kinds 313

Select List of Exotic Kinds 357

Native Kinds 328

A Select List of the most prominent 330

Recent Varieties promising well 342

A General List 340

CHAPTER I.

HISTORY AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE VINE.

rilHE apple tempted our first parents to their fall.

-*- So also Noah's vineyard brought shame to himself,

and a curse upon Ham; and untold evil has followed

in the train. Yet we cherish these best gifts of Mother

Earth, and acquit them of all complicity in guilt. The

vine is indigenous to Asia, and, as we see in the case of

Noah, was cultivated in the very infancy of our race.

Mention of the vine is constantly made in the Bible.

Canaan is called " a land of wheat and barley and vines."

It is a well-authenticated fact, that the vines and the

bunches of grai3es in Palestine were of an almost incredible size; so that the description of the cluster cut at the Brook Eshcol, and borne "betwesn two upon a staff," by the spies, is not at all improbable. Stej^hen Schultz relates, "At Beitdjin, a village near Ptolemais, we took our supper under a large vine, the stem of which was nearly a foot and a half in diameter, the height about thirty feet, and covered with its branches a hut more than fifty feet long and broad. The bunches of these grapes are so lar/yoj ;that they weigh from ten to twelve pounds ; and the git^jaws may be compared to our plums." Foster, in his Hebrew Dictionary, under the word "Eshcol," says, "I knew at Nurnburg a monk of the name of Acacius, who had resided eight years in Palestine, and had also preached at Hebron, where he had seen bunches of grapes which were as much as two men could conveniently carry." Christopher Neitzschutz, who travelled through Palestine in the year 1634, speaking of his excursions on the Jewish mountains, says, " I can say with truth that I saw and ate of bunches of grapes which were each half an ell long, and the grapes two joints of a finger in length." These accounts ' are worthy of entire credence, and are indeed surpassed by the grapes of Damascus at the present day, which are often found to weigh twenty-five pounds to the bunch. According to Heutius, the vines in Crete and Chios afforded clusters of from ten to forty pounds weight each. A bunch of Syrian grapes, 23roduced in a vinery at Welbeck in England, weighed nineteen pounds. It was sent as a present from the Duke of Portland to the Marquis of Rockingham, and conveyed a distance of twenty miles on a staff by four laborers, two of whom bore it in rotation.

That great attention was given t( "^he culture of the vine in tlie earliest ages is evident frc:_ clie fact that Homer and Herodotus make frequent mention of it, and that Theophrastus and Dioscorides treat of it in several chapters. ■ Yet it was known to the Egyptians long before these times; representations of the careful culture of the vine, of the treading-out of the juice, and of the storing of the wine in jars, being all discovered in the jDaintings v/ithin their tombs. A still stronger implication is found in the dream of the chief butler, in Gen. xl. 9: "In my dream, behold, a vine was before me, and in the vine were three branches ; and it was as though it budded, and her blossoms shot' forth ; and the clusters thereof brought forth ripe gi'apes. And Pharaoh's cup was in my hand ; and I took the grapes and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand." Probably, however, the vine was not native to Egypt. The most ancient writers mention it as a native of the hilly region on the southern shore of the Caspian, in the Persian province of Ghilan. Strabo says, that " in the Margiana, a country south-west of the

Caspian Sea, now called Ghilan, there are vines which two

•

men can scarcely span, the bunches of which are of extraordinary length." Speechly, in his treatise on the vine, page 182, says, " Such another in Margina is spoken of by Strabo, that was twelve feet in circumference." Probably this is the estimated distance, by Speechly, which two men would be able to span. But it must be regarded as an over-estimate, as it is scarcely credible that a vine could be twelve feet in circumference. We know, however, that columns in Juno's temple at Metapont, and also a statue of Jupiter for the city of Apollonium, were made from the wood of the vine. The great doors of the cathedral at 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, and now covers over twenty-two hundred square feet ; having a stem thirty inches in circumference at three feet from the ground, and bearing an annual crop of about a ton of Black Hamburg grapes. It has produced twenty-five hundred large bunches in a sino-le season; but the crop is not as large as formerly. The main cane is a liundred and twenty feet long, and covers the entire roof of the houses, which is seventy feet long and thirty feet wide.

In this country, until recently, the largest vine was supposed to be .at Burlington, N.J. Two feet from the ground, it measured, in 1858, six feet two and a half inches in girth : four feet high, it is about six inches less. On pacing the circumference covered by the branches, it was found to exceed a hundred feet. It has never borne a grape in the memory of a lady now ninety-eight years old, to whom it was a wonder in her youth. In the " Horticulturist," vol. i. p. 530, it is described as standing on a farm called West Hill, two miles from Burlington, and measuring six feet one inch round the trunk at three feet from the ground, and at ten feet high it is three feet in circumference. " Its giant folds run over and cover four trees, one of which is a full-sized oak, and the others are quite large." But it was reserved for our Golden State to eclipse the world in natural products. The " Alta Californian " thus describes it : "At Monticito, four miles from Santa Barbara, there is a grape-vine, probably the largest in the world. Its dimensions and yield would be incredible, were it not that my informant is a man of veracity, and speaks from personal observation. It is a single vine, the main stock being ten feet in circumferenqe. It is trained upon a trellis sixty feet in diameter. My informant, with another person, counted seven thousand bunches ; and the estimated yield was eighteen thousand pounds of fruit. Can this be beaten ? "

It is difficult to estimate the longevity of the vine, the yearly growth not being distinctly marked, as is the case with many trees. That it, however, attains a great age, is beyond question. Pliny names a vine which was six hundred years old. The vines of Italy bear fruit for three hundi'ed years, and vines a hundred years of age are accounted young. Professor Bosc states that there are vines in Burgundy upwards of four hundred years old. Doubtless there are vines of much greater age, were we able to ascertain the fact. At least, it is evident that the vine, under favorable circumstances, may be regarded as " a permanent institution."

It is surprising under what variety of conditions the vine exists. The instances of size which are cited above indicate that the vine aspires to overtop the mightiest monarchs of the forest, and overspreads a surface of even two hundred feet in circumference. In contrast, the vines in the most famous vineyards of France and the Rhine are

CULTURE OF T II E G RAPE. 17

the merest bushes, — only from two to three feet m height. By natm'e, it is evident the vine is a great rambler. We are to study this nature, and control it to our greatest advantaixe.

The paramount object in the culture of the grape has been the obtaining of wine. This has been, and will continue to be, more especially true of some countries than of others. The extent of this manufacture will be surprising, and almost incredible, to those who are unacquainted with the statistics. The following table, extracted from a recent work by Gustave Rawald, and reduced to Federal currency by A. Haraszthy, gives soine idea of the immense value of this interest : —

AVERAGE WINE PRODUCTION OF EUROPE.

Acres. Gallons. Gal. pr Acre.

Switzerland and Belgium 76,490 2,550,000 33|

In round figures, the aggregate number of acres in cultivation in Europe for the production of wine is twelve millions. The number of gallons produced is three billions.

The value, at an average price to the producer of twenty-five cents per gallon, would give the enormous sum of 1776,759,750. But this estimate of twenty-five cents per gallon is really applicable only to the common wines, which, ^t is true, are produced in much larger quantity than the choice brands. Though the table indicates great inequality in the number of gallons produced per acre, yet the actual profit on each acre may not be so unequal. For example, Italy is put down in the table as averaging four hundred and forty-one gallons per acre. This must be very light w^ine, commanding a low price ; probably less than twenty-five cents to the producer. On the other hand, the Swiss wines of the Rhine, produced . at an average of thirty- three and three-eighths gallons per acre, will probably yield a larger revenue than the same amount of land in Italy. In the examination of a list of sales by auction at Eberach, of wine in barrels, of the vintages of 1857-8 and 9, of which Mumm and other celebrated dealers were purchasers, I find that but little was sold under two dollars per gallon, while the average was between three and four dollars ;

some lots running up to ten dollars, and one lot of a hundred and twenty-five gallons being struck off to the King of Hanover at twenty dollars jier gallon. It should be borne in mind that this is the vintner's price before bottling, and previous to any impost duty or trade profit.

As a general rule, the quality of the wine is found tfo be in inverse ratio to the quantity produced. Hence, if we take the average product of European vineyards to be two hundred and fifty gallons per acre, and if we estimate the average price to be twenty-five cents per gallon, we have, as a result, a yield of sixty-two dollars and fifty cents per acre. This is probably not lar from a correct estimate. It will be seen that the Rhine acre, with its low product of thirty-three and three-eighths gallons, considering the high price of its wines, will yield a much larger result than the average.^

In regard to the value of lands in Europe suitable for wine-making, only a very general estimate can be made. In the Burgundy wine-district, clear lands for planting rent at the low rate of about ten dollars per acre per annum for a term of twenty to thirty years. Planted lands rent for about twice this sum. The fee of first-class vineyards is held quite out of proportion to the rental, varying from three to five thousand dollars per acre.

Even common second-class vineyards are worth fifteen hundred dollars per acre and upwards. This disproportion between the price of the fee and the rental seems strange to an American, but is, to some extent, accounted for by the hereditary dislike to sell real estate, and also by the low rate of interest prevailing in Europe. The following are the prices for which some of the celebrated vineyards of the Bordeaux district have been sold, estimating the franc at twenty cents : —

Chateau Margaux (200 acres) sold in 1804 for $130,200, equal to $651 per acre. The same was resold in 1836 for $260,000, or $1,300 per acre; an advance of 100 per cent in thirty-two years.

Gruaud-Larosse (127 acres) ^Id in in 1814 for $70,000, about $551 per acre.

Langon, St. Juhen (100 acres), sold in 1851 for $130,- 000, or $1,300 per acre.

Mouton (62 acres) sold to M. Rothschild in 1853 for $225,000, or $3,629 per acre.

Chateau d'Issan (107 acres) was adjudged to the heirs of the Blanchy estate in 1859 at $95,000, or $887.85 per acre.

On the Rhine, the choicest sites are held by wealthy proprietors, and are not for sale at any price. Most of the lots are small, containing from a quarter of an acre to an acre each : though the celebrated Steinberg, belonging to the Duke of Nassau, contains about a hundred acres ; and the Johannisberg, belonging to Prince Metternich, contains about sixty acres. In this section of the Rhine, there has been no instance of a sale for many years. In case a division takes place among heirs, and the vineyard is too small to divide, it is appraised at eight thousand dollars the morgen, which is somewhat less than an acre ; and the retainer pays a due proportion to each of the heirs. It will be observed that the above prices are for lands in the most famous districts. It should also be remembered that the percentage of income on these investments, though it may content a European, would be far from satisfactory to an American. Indeed, it will be found that the European methods and estimates will all require essential modihcation vj/ien applied to this country.

The first attempts to cultivate the vine in the United States were confined to the European varieties. The London Company planted vineyards in Virginia prior to the year 1620, and with such encouraging prospects, that they imported several vignerons from France in the year 1630. Many succeeding attempts were made by Penn, and by French, Swiss, and German settlers ; but, having depended upon foreign varieties, their efforts have invariably proved unsuccessful. We are indebted to Mr. John Adlum for the first really successful efforts, and for laying a sure foundation for future success. In the early part of this century, Major Adlura planted a vineyard near Georgetown, D.C., consisting principally of native kinds. We shall all agree with him that his obtaining and introducing the Catawba variety into general cultivation was a new era in our grape history. Major Adlum states that he procured it from Mrs. Schell, at Clarksburg, Md., and that it was called Catawba by Mr. Schell; but the family knew not whence he procured it. It is said that one exactly similar was found gi'owing wild in Pennsylvania about this time.

Major Adlum soon discovered the merits of this variety, and pronounced it "the very best wine-grape in the United States;" which opinion has certainly been sustained up to the time of the introduction of the Delaware variety, and is still maintained by many vintners up to this date. The Catawba has been planted far more extensively than all other varieties put together, for the exclusive purpose of wine-making. In a letter subsequently Avi'itten by Major Adlum to N. Longworth, he

C V L T U R E OF THE GRAPE. 23

remarks, "In bringing this grape into public notice, I have rendered my country a greater service than I would have done had I paid the national debt."

Since its first introduction, grape-culture has gi^adually increased, both for the pui-poses of fruit and for wine-making. In some States, the last has already become an important interest. Dr. Mosher repons the number of acres devoted to vineyards in the year 1852, withui a circle of twenty miles diameter around Cincinnati, O., to be twelve hundred. Of this, the late Nicholas Longworth owned a hundred and twenty-two and a half acres. Tlie annual product of these twelve hundred acres is estimated to be two hundred and forty thousand gaUons of wine, or an average of two hundred gallons per acre. Since that time, the interest in the grape has become general throughout the country, and the extent of culture has vastly increased.

But it seems to be reserved to our Golden State to eclipse the world in the products of the vine, as well as in other products of the field, the forest, and the mine. In no country does the grape require so little care, and have such entire exemption from disease, and at the same time yield such large and certain returns. The peculiar grape region is said to extend from the southern boundary

24 CULTURE OF THE GRATE.

to a distance of six hundred miles north, with an average breadth of about a hundi'ed miles. ' In this region, the amount of rain-fall is surprisingl}^ small, — the annual amount at Los Angeles being less than ten inches ; and, of this, eight-tenths fall during the winter and spring months. In a work upon " The Resources of California," Ml'. Hittel, the author, says, —

" The soil of the vineyards at Los Angeles and Anaheim is a deep, Hght, warm sand. To the inexperienced eye, it looks as though it were too poor to produce any valuable vegetable growth. In Sonoma and Napa Valleys the vineyards are planted in a red, gravelly clay, near the foot of the mountains, or in a light, sandy loam, in the centre of the valley. Of late, the vine-growers of these valleys have done mthout inigation. In Santa Clara Valley, most of the vines have been placed in a rich, black loam ; but their vineyards are unhealthy. The Sacramento vines are planted in sandy loam ; those of the Sierra Nevada, in sandy loam or in gravelly clay."

It is worthy of consideration, as exhibiting the nature of rot and mildew, that while California is remarkably exempt fi-om these diseases on account of its dry climate, yet "in Santa Clara, Sonoma, and Alameda Counties, where the \dnes are planted in a wet, black loam, or stiff clay," both of these diseases make their appearance. The

OULTUBE OF THE GRAPE, 25

statistics of the enterprise of the vineyardists of that State are unparalleled in the history of the grape. In 1861, we have an account, published in "The Horticulturist," of the vineyai'd of William Wolfskill, containing fifty-five acres, and ninety thousand vines in bearing, yielding seven- hundred tliousand pounds of gi-apes annually, and producing fifty thousand gallons of wine. In "The United-States Agricultural Report" for 1862, the estimated number of vines in California in 1861 is placed at 10,592,688, of which Los Angeles County had 2,570,000, and Sonoma 1,701,661. Subsequent to this time, the number has vastly increased. Mr. Speaker Colfax reports, that, during his travels in this State in the summer of 1865, he found one vineyard which alone had upwai'ds of a million of vines. "With such rapid increase, the mhid staggers in making estimates for the fatm'e.

CHAPTER n.

BOTAI<fY AND HTIBRIDIZATION OF THE GRAPE.

npiHE old Latin noun vitis, meaning " vine," derived from the verb vieo, " to bind with twigs," was adopted by Tounefort, and accepted by Linnaeus, as the botanic name for the graj)e. Dr. Whittaker exj^resses the opinion that it is derived from the noun vis, signifying "strengtli." The grape belongs to the natural order Vitaceae, and to the class Pentandria and order Monogynia of Linnaeus. In the European species, the flowers are generally perfect ; but in our native kinds the flowers are frequently imperfect, the stamens and pistils being separated in difierent flowers. In common language, the graj^e is divided into two classes, — the European and the American. These two classes are decidedly distinct ; and yet there are varieties of each family which have so few of these distinctions, and approach so nearly to the characteristics of the other family, that it is sometimes difficult to determine to which class they belong. The European class, Vitis vinifera, is but a single species, fi'om which have sprung all the different kinds which have been or now are cultivated in Europe, — probably exceeding two thousand varieties. While these varieties have their own individual habits, more or less distinct, yet they give good evidence of belonging to the one sjoecies vinefera. Which one of these varieties was the parent of all the rest, it is now impossible to determine. Doubtless the number of varieties Avill go on increasing, the number of seedlings which are likely to be brought forward exceeding the number which will be rejected and lost.