184 I^ruit ^rospecfs in Orcffon. 



Flavor of Wine. 



A CALIFORNIA vineyardist writes to Prof. J. L. Tracy, of St. Louis : 

 " Can you tell me why wine, made in California, from vines not irrigated, is 

 entirely free from the earthy flavor so much objected to in the wines of that country? 

 Why do the roots of vines, not irrigated, penetrate deep down through the dry, grav- 

 elly soil, while those that are watered remain close to the surface ? " 



Reply. — The answer to the first query seems easy enough. Nature is a wonder- 

 ful alchemist, but cannot perform the miracle of making wine out of water. If the 

 atmosphere around the vine, or the earth covering its roots is saturated with moisture, 

 the sun will try, in vain, to elaborate sufficient sugar in the grape, or produce the 

 true Falernian fire in the wine; but instead there will be the "earthy flavor," or 

 something else that is " flat, stale and unprofitable," in the liquid falsely called wine. 



In answer to your inquiry respecting the habit of vine roots that are not irrigated, 

 I can only say that the penetrating deep into the arid and stony soil shows an instinct 

 stronger than reason. The plant is evidently in search of water, and stretches down 

 its long fibres to meet the slight moisture that rises by capillary attraction. I once^ 

 knew an apple tree that stood in dry, stony ground, some fifteen feet from a founda- 

 tion wall, that was sunk two feet in the ground. On the other side of the wall was a 

 trough for watering stock, and the surface of the ground was always wet. A root 

 from the apple tree, thirsting for water, started to find it. Reaching the wall it first 

 turned up, but coming near the surface, it became conscious of a mistake and turned 

 downwards ag^in, pushing its way quite under the broad stone wall and coming up 

 to drink just under the horse trough. Plants sometimes show more sense than peo- 

 ple. You may see a man climb walls and go around all sorts of corners to find a 

 glass of whisky, but where did you ever find one digging under a stone wall to get a 

 drink of water? 



Remedy for Bark Lice. — A correspondent of the Country Gentleman relates 

 that, several years ago, he eff'ectually expelled the bark louse from his apple trees by 

 placing small pieces of whale oil soap in the forks of the limbs of the trees in a way 

 that it will be retained in place until dissolved by rain and carried over the bark. 

 There is nothing new about this, except the method of application. Whale oil and 

 other soaps, for its removal, are almost coeval with the appearance of the bark louse 

 itself. Any alkaline substance, of sufficient strength, will destroy it; but with 

 large trees, badly infested, no application of the kind is scarcely practicable. The 

 best remedy, we know of, is to keep the trees in a robust, healthy, growing condition. 



Fruit Prospects in Oregon. — The Williamette Farmer, of Oregon, says : 

 " The fruit crop this season will be light, many orchards hardly bearing enough for 

 family use. In many localities the frost has been very severe, killing large apple 

 trees; even town raspberries and blackberries are much injured." 



