DECEMBER MEETING. 243 



necessity pnmo the roots of our trees or vines in transplautini^ ; so if the roots of 

 our vines urc being i)rune(l l)y the Phylloxera, we should prune the vines to a cor- 

 responding extent beyond what is usual, and see to it, either by pruning or by 

 actually ])ickiiig the forming clusters that excessive fruiting is prevented. Mr. 

 Kelley, already referred to, in response to my iiupiiry as to the effect of heavy 

 j)runing, which I recommended three years ago, for all vines attacked by Phyl- 

 loxera, writes me that it is very advantageous. 



Again if fungi are the immediate cause of the rot, we should expect relief 

 from sulphur. Indeed this has been tried with some show of success, and is 

 worthy a thorough trial. Tho sulphur should be added so soon as the clusters 

 form, and should be sprinkled on after each rain, as if it is washed off it of 

 course would not prevent the fungoid growth whicli may perhaps cause the rot. 

 This remedy must be thoroughly applied in order to test its efficacy. One ap])li- 

 cation, to be washed off, perhaps, as soon as applied, will prove nothing. Tiie 

 sulphur may be dusted on to the fruit the same way that it is added to the foliage 

 to prevent mildew. 



Thorough drainage, the best culture, m fact every effort to render the vines 

 vigorous, can not be too highly recommended or too frequently urged. 



As yet we may not be able to destroy the lice themselves, yet by acting on the 

 above suggestions, we may greatly mitigate the evil they inflict, and perhaps 

 render their attacks barren of any considerable harm. 



Prof. J. C. Holmes, of Detroit, who was interested in the matter of this 

 paper, sent the following letters relative to the Phylloxera and grape ret, which 

 were read to the meeting : 



Detroit, Xovember 10, 1877. 

 Chas. ^V. Garfield, Secretary: 



Dear Sir, — Yours of 5th instant was duly received. In answer I will say that my 

 time is so fully occupied I think I will not be able to be with you at the annual 

 meeting of the Pomoloi^ical Society. It would afford me much pleasure to be present 

 and meet such of my old horticultural friends as may be there. 



I cannot promise a paper at present, I will give you a little item about the 

 Phylloxera. You know tliat the g'rapes in some of the vineyards at Grosse Isle were, 

 in some way, the last summer, destroyed before coming to maturity. I see by the 

 papers that Prof. Cook thinks the state of the atmosphere, w^ant of drainage, etc., had 

 something to do with the destruction of the grapes. Perhaps it is so, but I think the 

 Phylloxera is a little at fault in this matter. A few weeks since, Doot. Benedict 

 brought me a few grapes from his vinej^ard on Grosse Isle that had been injured as 

 described bj^ Prof. Cook. On some of the grapes that were still fresh I noticed a 

 semi-circular mark, similar to the mark of the curculio on plums, and within the part 

 bounded by this mark I noticed several very minute spots or excrescences which 

 looked very much like tlie work of an insect. The Doctor informed me that early in 

 the season he thought he would have at least four tons of grapes, but when he 

 gathered his crop he had less than six hundred pounds; all the rest were dried up. 

 He noticed, as the grapes began to show signs of disease, that this little semi-circular 

 mark was upon the damaged fruit, so small at first that it required very close 

 observation to detect it. The mark gradually increased in size until it could readily 

 be seen. On the specimens brought to me it was about an eighth of an inch in 

 diameter, and appeared to be caused by cracking and shrinking of the skin, but it was 

 quite uniform in shape and size on every grape that I examined. I took a thin slice, 

 Avith a little of the pulp from this diseased part of the grape, placed it upside down 

 upon a glass slide, then under the microscope. I found that this little piece of the 

 grape was filled with Phylloxera, quite lively and feeding on the juice of the grape. 

 This was about tlie middle of October, of course too late to follow up the investiga- 

 tion. This shows that the Phylloxera in one form and at some part of the season 

 will attack tlie fruit as well as the roots and leaves of grapes. This may be the cause 

 of the shriveling up of the grapes; I think it is, but cannot say positively without 

 more extended observation. I ask the attention of grape growers to this subject, for 



