STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY, 137 



disease which, in extreme cases, can always be confidently fore- 

 told by the experienced cultivator. See an article on this subject 

 in the Horticulturist of February 1852, p. 63, kc. This disease 

 of the peach tree, both in the character of the weather producing 

 it, and the manifestation of its influence on the leaf and ymmg 

 branches is an important collateral proof of the true nature of 

 the disease of the grape. 



b. Hot and damp weather. — This is equally, and perhaps more 

 injurious to the vine than the preceding, when occurring at seasons 

 of rapid growth. In this case the plant seems engorged beyond 

 its power of elaboration, not perhaps absolutely, but because such 

 elaboration is hindered by the amount of dampness involving the 

 leaf and thus interfering with its due aeration, and producing a 

 retention, perhaps, both of moisture and carbonic acid, in an 

 undigested state. Thus the same morbid results, — mildew and 

 rust, follow as in the preceding case. The illustrations of 

 the morbid influence of such weather are unfortunately very 

 numerous. 



(a.) During the last summer, from June 26th to August 3d, the 

 season was very dry and hot. The rains of August 3d, and 

 following, were attended with heat. Incipient mildew was seen 

 on the grape, August 9th, and on the potato, August 14t]i. But 

 as cooler and dryer weather soon followed, the tendency to 

 disease was checked before serious consequences followed, in 

 either case. 



(h.) In 1850, the weather from July 14th to August 21st, exhib- 

 ited an unusual degree of warmth and dampness. I had about 

 two hundred grape vines under culture, on a light dry sandy soil, 

 feltilized with swamp muck, composted witli soap boiler's ashes 

 and lime. About one-half of them were trained to the south- 

 east side of a seven feet liigh fence. Tlie others were set a little 

 in hunt of it. Tlie sorts consisted of the "Early Black July," 

 " Miller's Burgundy," "Violet Chasselas," and the " Golden Chas- 

 selas," ("Royal Muscadine," of Downing,) the " Isa])t'lla'' and 

 ".Catawba," and also two or three varieties of the "Fox Grape." 

 Numbers of the foreign sorts liad been grafted on hardy native 

 roots, two or three years before. By the first of August, in the 

 weather just described, the grapes were much mildewed. By the 

 first of Se])teml»er tliey were nearly ruined in leaf and Iruit, and 



