STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 51 



by some unknown insect which had caused the loss of several 

 hundred pounds. I immediately made the vineyard a visit and 

 found the grapes badly affected with what I concluded to be the 

 American grape rot, a fungus disease that has been very de- 

 structive in the vineyards of New Jersey and other parts of the 

 East. 



The berry at the time was nearly or quite full grown, and the 

 disease appeared in various stages of development and in places 

 the ground was literally covered with berries that had fallen from 

 the stems. I discovered that when first affected they showed only 

 a small whitish speck u^Don one side, smaller than the head of a 

 pin. This white speck is soon surrounded with a brownish areolea 

 shading off in concentric rings which extend their surface until 

 one-half of the berry is implicated. At this stage the whole 

 structure of the berry is disorganized, the rings disai)pear and 

 the color changes from a reddish brown to a brownish black, and 

 it ultimately drops from the cluster, or if it remains becomes a 

 littl*^, dried up, rotten grape. In no case do the affected berries 

 recover and ripen. Later I learned that several vineyards in 

 this State were alike affected but in a less degree. Should another 

 season show a return or increase of the malady, an important 

 field will be opened for scientific investigation and experiment. 



APPLES. 



The apple crop was generally fair and in some sections large. 

 The exhibits made at the State and other fairs, surpassed all 

 previous years. The injury by the codling moth was not as great 

 as usual; but a more to be dreaded, because more difficult to head 

 off pest, has made its appearance. I refer to the apple gouger, 

 or curculio. The past season, by its w^ork, hundreds of bushels 

 of Duchess apples were rendered worthless and other varieties 

 were more or less injured, probably the Willow Twig the worst. 

 Borers, tent caterpillars, canker worms, scab blight and mildew 

 are already ravaging the older orchards of the State, and tell us 

 in the plainest of language that "eternal vigilance" is to be the 

 price of fruit. 



Gentlemen, the situation is alarming, but not past help. The 

 time has come when we need the co-operation and help of a 

 host of close observing, energetic men; men who have soul 

 enough in them to work for the good of mankind and the glory 

 of our great State instead of notoriety and the ' ' almighty dollar. ' ' 



