WINTER MEETING AT LEBANON. 279 



The most profitable variety was the Early Harvest. On account 

 of its early ripening the whole crop was disposed of before the other 

 varieties were ready to market, and also before wild blackberries were 

 ripe. 



The two varieties that ranked next were Kittatinny and Agawam. 

 It may be well to state that the lowest point the mercury reached dur- 

 ing the winter was 7 degrees below zero. 



The grapes in the vineyard suffered from the effects of black rot 

 to a very great extent. The mildew showed itself on the grapes when 

 they were quite small. To test the value of the sulphate of copper 

 mixture, the whole vineyard was syringed once, and a certain number 

 of rows were selected and these were syringed every two weeks dur- 

 ing the whole season. As the season advanced and the grapes ripened 

 there was a very marked difference between the vines syringed regu- 

 larly and those that were not. (G pounds sulphate copper in 16 gal- 

 lons of water, and 4 pounds of lime in 6 gallons of water.) 



Of the grapes that were not syringed regularly, fully three-fourths 

 were rotten, while of those syringed regularly_not over one-fourth were 

 poor. It should be borne in mind that the past season has been a 

 favorable one for the growth of fungous diseases, and a hard season 

 for the use of fungicules, as the frequent rains tended to wash the 

 material used off of the leaves and fruit. 



Of the newer varieties planted, the Niagara, Pocklington and Pot- 

 ter fruited for the first time.* The Niagara was of fine flavor, bunch 

 large, vine vigorous grower. Pocklington, bunch and berries of good 

 size and shape, flavor not equal to, Niagara, but good vine — a good 

 grower. Potter, a black grape of good size, bunches medium, quality 

 medium ; the growth of the vine was good the past season. 



Experiments with pear blight have been carried on in order to find 

 out the different ways the disease can be produced in a tree, and to 

 see if something might be discovered by the use of which this disease 

 may be controlled. The experiments have not been carried on long 

 enough to warrant any conclusions beyond what has already been pub- 

 lished ; that the disease is caused by a species of bacterium, Microccus 

 amylovorus. This minute organism is of vegetable growth, whose 

 spores (or seeds, as they may be called in a general way) are carried by 

 the atmosphere from tree to tree ; that the disease can be produced 

 by inoculation from diseased portions of either the bark, leaves or 

 fruit there is no room to doubt. I have produced it in all of these ways, 

 and have cultivated it for four generations in the laboratory entirely 

 independent of the tree, and then taken it back to the tree and pro- 

 duced the disease. 



