58 FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT 



Mortality amoxg Vines. — We have had our attention callerl to the ^reat mor- 

 tality amoiio- grapevines in some places, especially in ISt. Louis and Fninklin comities. 



There are two distinct sta<res of disease, or de.«-rees of injury, visible amonof tiie 

 vines. (1) First, whole streaks or stretches in the vineyard are killed dead, and now dried 

 out. The form of the portion is often quite irregular ; but we liave, in every case, seen 

 that there are certain aiialo,2fies existing between the forms and two special facts that 

 are subsequently stated. Second, there are very large and irregular pieces of vine- 

 yards in which the shoots are pushing very slowly, and in many cases are not more 

 than three to six inches long, wliile tlie other portions of the vineyard have shoots 

 over tltteen inches in length. 



Among tlinse who have lost heavily are our old, intelligent friends and neiglibors, 

 F. Braches, C. Paft'rath and A. Strieker, while there are scores of others whose vines 

 are in the secimd stage named. 



Insects in general are claimed by some ; others specify the root-louse as the cause. 

 (2) There is no special or direct enidence of the root-louse beinci at work at all. Neither 

 the naked eye nor the magnifying glass cat detect their existence on roots of the vines. In 

 the position of the vines tliey are liable to be affected bv tlie drouth ; the energies of 

 the vine-i have been too "severely taxed in the attem])t to i)erfect the crop of fruit. As 

 one or both of these influences were at work, the eifect lias been a reduction of vital 

 energy, or the entire death ot the vines. 



In every inst nice of which we are advised, heavy cropping has been very clearly 

 indicated. Some of the vineyards were exliibired last fall with a distinct reference to 

 their abundant crop and liberal display of new growth; but, as the case now stands, 

 we invite the attention of grape-growers, and solicit the full facts and opinions bearing 

 on the subject. 



That well-known and experienced c;rape-grower, Hon. F. Mnench, 

 sums up his views as follows, in tlie same journal for August 3d, 1872: 



Grai'e Mortality. — During the first months of the summer, the vintner has to 

 attend to his cherished vines with so much solicitude and care that he can hardly aftord 

 to engage in anything else. July will bring some relaxation, and thus I will once more 

 take up the peii, instead of the "knife and hoe, and make some remarks on the state 

 of our vinicultural efforts. 



I lind the appearances of "mortality among the vines" correctly stated in No. 22, 

 present volume of this paper; the evil, however, extends far beyond the counties of 

 St. Louis and Franklin, in our State ; it may, indeed, be traced through all of the West- 

 ern States, more or less. The ettect is before our eyes, but about the cause the vine 

 sages differ. Let me briefly say what observation anil experioice have suggested to me. 



What in the vine is calle"d the inner bark, or liber, is, 1 think, in all plants with 

 stems enduring through the winter— such as forest and fruit trees, vines, bushes, etc. — 

 denominated cambiu/n. It consists of a green, marrow-like matter, between the outer 

 bark and the woody part of the stem or branch ; is chiefly formed in the latter pare of 

 the season, and designed as the material fi-oin which, in the following spring, the first 

 leaves sprout and also the blossoms come forth. The more completely formed and the 

 more richly stored up the cambium is, the more vigorous will be the first growth of 

 the whole plant, or of its several branches in the next season, and also the greater the 

 productiveness. Different reasons may operate singly or in combination to prevent the 

 proper formation of the ciimbiuui, such as — 



1. A very poor soil. 



2. A superabundance of branches and limbs. 



3. A decrepid or otherwise sickly state of the plant. 



4. Injur}^ to the roots or leaves. 



5. Very early frosts, or a fall time too wet and cold. 



6. Overbearing. 



7. Such a dry autumn that the scorched ground affords no nutriment to the ten- 

 der capillary rootlets. 



From all that I can see, and as a general thing, the two last mentioned causes 

 combined have effected the mischief. 



Last year most ot our vintners had allowed their vines to bear about one-third 

 more than is projier to allow. Such greediness is generally punislu d by the inferior 

 quality of the fruit, by incomplete maturity, and also by a stunted growth of the vines 

 in the" folio wing season — that is, by the want of the necessary new bearing wood. It 

 was not so last year; already early in the season, sullicient new bearing wood, appa- 

 rently sound and vigorous, had been formed, and the warm weather, nninterruptedly 

 continued through September and the first halt of October, not only matured our 

 grapes, but developed in them such an amount of grape sugar as I have never witnessed 



