150 AGRICULTURAL REPORT. 



Near San Francisco, California, wlicrc tlio winds and fogs from the ocean are 

 cold and moist, the foreign vine "will not succeed on localities where the Ameri- 

 can sorts do quite well ; hence the reasons which are conclusive against the 

 cultivation of the foreign vine in the Atlantic States apply in all localities 

 having a similar meteorological condition. The rot, which is never known in 

 California, because of the absence of rains during the ripening season of the 

 grape, seems to be the great scoin-ge of the vintner in the Atlantic States and 

 Europe, where rains are frequent while the grape is in an immature condition. 

 Many are of the opinion that the grape rot is caused solely by long continued 

 rains. This belief is true only in part. The superinducing cause of the rot 

 aiises from the fotal effects of what are designated as heated terms, when, for 

 days, and sometimes weeks, the atmosphere becomes arid from a brazen sky, 

 under a sunshine so intense as to scald the sap in the foliage of the vine, and 

 parch its leaves to such an extent that the tissues shrivel up, and the free cir- 

 culation of the sap is impeded or destroyed. This parching atmosphere, being 

 succeeded by heavy rains, the leaves of the vines become saturated with an 

 excess of moisture Avhich they are unable to distribute, through their diseasec 

 functions, to the long famishing grape ; hence decomposition takes place in the 

 foliage, and as a consequence unwholesome food is transmitted to the grape, or 

 sent to the terminal shoots, to produce enfeebled wood for subsequent bearing. 



The American vine being capable of absorbing a greater excess of moisture 

 than the European kind, because of the more porous condition of its glands, it 

 follows that it is better suited to a climate where there are extremes of humidity 

 and aridity than the latter. So far, however, as I have been able to judge, the 

 American varieties will not as successfully withstand a dry brazen sky as will 

 the foreign sorts. The reason of this is probably found in the f;ict, that the 

 upper surface of the leaf of the foreign vine has a glazed consistency, which 

 prevents the rapid evaporation of its sap under the intense rays of the sun. 



As before remarked, the rot in the grape is superinduced by the diseased 

 functions of the leaf, caused by sun scald, succeeded by soaking rains, when 

 the leaves at once undergo a partial or entire decomposition, and prematurely 

 drop from the vine, or hang on with their unsightly leprosy until the frost makes 

 an end, of them. 



To me the most interesting study of the vine has been in watching the habits 

 of the leaf. The leaf is to the vine and its fruit a combination of what all of 

 the senses are to the human form, governing its being in all the relations of its 

 vegetable existence as effectively as the senses do animal life. While the grape 

 is in the acetous condition the leaf is similarly affected, and the moment the 

 seeds have hardened so that the skins on the surface begin to have a tough con- 

 sistency, it will be found that the leaves nearest the fruit on the bearing stem 

 will also have undergone a change, and acquired a harder and drier character, 

 and contain a l*ss quantity of tartaric acid. So, also, as the grape advances 

 towards maturity, the leaf will grow lighter in weight, and assume a grayish, 

 brown tinge. Thus as the leaf ripens in ratio, vmder favorable auspices, will 

 the grapes advance to luscious maturity. If the vine is denuded of its mature 

 leaves when the grape is in process of forming its pulp its growth will be 

 checked, or entirely stop; and although the fruit may ripen so as to become 

 palatable it will have an imperfect color, and be insipid in flavor. 



Too much care cannot be exercised in protecting the early leaves of the vine 

 from injury; because on these we must always depend for an early and satis 

 factory crop of grapes. If there is an excess of foliage the vintner shoul 

 remove that on other than the bearing branches, or if this is not sufficient, then 

 he may cut off the ends of the shoots on which the grapes are growing, but 

 never the mature leaves in the neighborhood of the grapes, unless such leaves 

 are diseased. 



