i6o THE POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY, 



Of Lahrusca^ the Concord, Dracut Amber, Israella, Martha, North 

 Carolina, and Wilder, resist well. 



This enumeration is founded principally on the effects of Phylloxera 

 in the central portion of Missouri, as ascertained by quite extensive 

 notes and observations made during the past two years. I have also 

 examined many of the varieties mentioned, with similar results, in por- 

 tions of Kansas, Illinois, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York. 

 The Arnold's hybrids, so far examined, all suffer; but some of them 

 more than others. 



Prophylactic Means of coping tvith the Disease. — It occurred 

 to me that, by grafting the more susceptible on to the roots of the 

 more resistant varieties, we might in a great measure counteract the 

 disease, even if all other remedies failed. In the grape-growing dis- 

 tricts of France, where the disease is so sweeping, and where the 

 grape is so exclusively grown that its failure affects whole communi- 

 ties, the people may be obliged and can afford to go to much labor 

 and expense in the use of insecticides to save their vines. Such insecti- 

 cides may also be used in this country where it is desired to save a 

 few choice vines regardless of expense and time. But I greatly fear 

 that no direct remedy for such an underground enemy will ever be 

 discovered, that will not entail too much labor and expense to be used, 

 to any great extent, by our own grape-growers. These will either 

 prefer to confine their attention to varieties which resist the enemy, or 

 abandon the business entirely. Yet, if it shall once be demonstrated 

 that varieties which now fail may be grown when grafted on to those 

 which resist, I see no reason why it should not become as much a cus- 

 tom and a maxim among grape-growers to use some other vine as 

 stock for such varieties as the Catawba, for instance, as it already is 

 among pear-growers to use the quince, or among cherry-growers to use 

 Mahaleb, Mazard, or Morello, as stocks. 



In the course of a year or two we shall be able to fairly judge of 

 the efficacy of the plan ; for, aside from the trials that I am making in 

 this country, others are being made on an extensive scale in France. 

 Quite a number of plants for the purpose of experiment were sent over 

 there from this country in the spring of 1872 ; and the demand has now 

 become so great that a single firm, Isidor Bush & Co., of St. Louis, has 

 this winter received orders for about four hundred thousand cuttings to 

 be consigned to one place, Montpellier, and consisting of such varieties 

 as have been recommended by myself and Prof. Planchon, as best re- 

 sisting the disease. There is every reason to hope for the best results 

 from these importations, as those vines, such as Herbemont, Cunning- 

 ham, Concord, Clinton, etc., which best resist here, and which were 

 planted there in 1871 and 1872 in Phylloxera-infested districts, have, 

 thus far, done surprisingly well, as MM. J. Leenhardt, Pomier, V. Pul- 

 liat, and others, testify. Experience, so far as had in America, alsqn 

 promises the best results. ^ 



