62 DECIDUOUS FRUIT INSECTS AND INSECTICIDES. 



A BRIEF CONSIDERATIOlSr OF VINEYARD CONDITIONS. 



During the past eight or tea years changes have occurred in both 

 market conditions and in the age, area, and productivity of vine- 

 yards throughout the Ijake Erie valley, which deserve brief consid- 

 eration for full appreciation of the present active interest of vine- 

 yardists in this insect problem. 



In 1900, when the grape root-worm first appeared in injurious 

 numbers in the Lake Erie valley, the grape industry was just emer- 

 ging from a period of depression which had caused, for several years 

 previous, an almost complete cessation in planting of new vineyards. 

 The period of low prices had resulted in indifferent care, amounting 

 in some cases to positive neglect, thus creating a condition very favor- 

 able to the increase of this pest. The tendency of most vineyardists 

 at that time was to pull out declining vineyards rather than to go to 

 the expense of fighting insect foes. Furthermore, the fact that prac- 

 tically all vineyards had been for several years in bearing and had a 

 well-established root system permitted the insect to become thoroughly 

 disseminated through them before the unsuspecting owners Avere 

 aware of its presence in numbers sufficient to affect the vigor of their 

 vines. Thus it happened that a combination of circumstances con- 

 spired to favor a general spread of the insect without creating wide- 

 spread alarm. 



With the steady rise in the value of grapes since 1900, however, 

 this condition has been reversed. Thousands of acres of new vine- 

 yards have been planted, and the more progressive vineyardists are 

 commencing to appreciate fully what an enormous amount of injury 

 has been done to their old vineyards, and are gi-eatly alarmed at the 

 rapidity with which many young vineyards are falling a prey to this 

 pest. 



A study of the production of grapes in the Lake Erie valley since 

 the advent of the grape root-worm shows a steady decline in yield. 

 The figures given below are taken from the " Chautauqua Grape 

 Lelt," a newspaper which is largely devoted to the gTape interests of 

 that region, and every year publishes carefully gathered statistics on 

 grape production. 



Gr<ii>r crop pnxliniioii from I'.KIO to I'MH. 



Carloads. 



Yield for 1000 8,000 



1901 0, 000 



1902 - n. 002 



1903 2, urA 



1904 7, 479 



1905 5,305 



1906 5, 403 



1907 5, ISO 



