70 FOURTH ANNUAL REPORT OF 



where M. Laliman has, for a number of years, been assiduous in the cultivatiott 

 and trial of our different American vines. Or it might have been introduced 

 at the nurseries of the Audebert Bros., near Tarascon,* where all sorts of 

 American plants have been cultivated; and, if I mistake not, M. Planchon,. 

 with commendable zeal, has so thoroughly sifted the history of the suly'ect 

 in France that he can trace the first invasion, with tolerable certainty, to a 

 point near this place, Tarascon. It doubtless existed in France a few years- 

 before its injuries attracted attention, and the first notice of its work was. 

 made in the vineyai'd of M. de Penarvan, at Ville-neuve-les-Avignon, in 

 1863. The scourge soon increased and spread, and in 1868 and 1869 acquired 

 such dimensions as to thoroughly alarm the great grajDe-growing districts- 

 of beautiful France. At first all sorts of hypotheses were put forth as to 

 its cause. Some book-worms even thought they had found in this root-louse 

 the Phtheir of the ancient Greeks, but the intelligent labors of M. Planchon 

 soon dispelled all such illusions, and proved that the Phtheir of the ancients, 

 was a true bark-louse (Dacfylopius longispiniis, Targ.) of a totally different 

 nature, and still existing in the Crimea.'f' 



In this manner our root-louse was known and studied in a foreign land 

 before its jjresence was even suspected in this^ts native country. 



CONCLUSION — NO NEED OP UNNECESSARY ALARM. 



Knowledge of the facts I have here brought forth need not alarm the 

 grape-grower any more than correct knowledge of some indisposition, hith- 

 erto incomprehensive and consequently uncured, should alarm the human 

 patient. It was only a few years ago that our eyes were opened to the true 

 character of the entpzoa known as Trichina spiralis, and there can be little 

 doubt but that previous to our knowledge of this parasite many a death 

 occasioned by it was attributed to othter unknown causes. It may not be 

 more easy to cure the disease now than it was forinerl}", bxit we are, by 

 understanding its nature, enabled to easily guard against and prevent it, 

 "Full knowledge of the truth," says Helmholz, "always brings with it the 

 cure for the damage which imperfect knowledge may occasion." The Phyl- 

 loxera has always existed on our vnies, and those varieties which in the past 

 have best withstood its attacks will be very likely to do so in the future.. 

 The presence of a few lice on such varieties need cause no fear, for the idea 

 of ever entirely exterminating such an insect from the countr}^ must be per- 

 fectly Utopian, and all we can do is to watch and more particularly care for 

 those varieties that most easily succumb. In the future, the vineyardist 

 will be enabled, by the revelations here made, to trace to a definite cause 

 many a failure which has hitherto been wrapped in conjecture and mys- 

 tery. 



In thus calling the attention of the grape growing community to this 

 intei-esting little insect, which is sapping the roots of their vines, my inten- 



* M. Laliman in the essay already mentioned (p. G3) , shows that this nursery has not existed for 

 nearly fifteen years; Init this fart does not preclude the possibility of the louse having been first intro- 

 duced there. It would only indicate — if the syread of the disease can be traced from that point — that 

 it existed in France, without attracting attention, at an earlier epoch than is generally supposed. 



t See an Essay entitled La Phthirio.se on Fediculaire de la Vigae ches les Anciens. Biilletiu de la 

 S03. des Agr. de Fra:ice, July, 1870. 



