OF THE STATE ENT)OMOLOGIST. . 77 



quantities, as a remedy, that those vines owed their exceptional life and vigor to free- 

 dom from Phylloxera as much as to excess of moisture, and perhaps to the former 

 entirely ? 



According to Molhauson, what is most probably the European vine, since it was 

 first brought from Spain, flourislies around El Paso, New Mexico ; but the system of 

 culture is curious and exceptional. The vines are cut down to the ground each year, 

 and in spring the vineyards are submerged until the soil is thoroughly soaked. In 

 Prof. Planchon's words: -'Is this not the very system of inundation of M. Faucon, 

 applied by people, who, without knowing it, thus kill the Phylloxera on their vines." 



Mr. D. T. Jewett, of St. Louis, has been measurably successful in the out-door 

 growth of European vines. His success is so exceptional that it has been very gene- 

 rally considered and discussed for some years back at the meetings of the Mississippi 

 Valley Grape-growers' Association. It is generally attributed to the effect of the intra- 

 mural atmosphere, which rivals that of almost any city in the world in the amount of 

 lime dust and bituminous coal smoke with which it is impregnated. But the following 

 letter, which I print because it gives an authentic account of this interesting experi- 

 ence, indicates pretty clearly, that the exceptional success is owing more to the treat- 

 ment of soil than to atmospheric influences, though these may have helped, together 

 with the thorough enclosure and isolation of the vines from other vineyards, which 

 doubtless for a time precluded the work of Phylloxera. I have italicised such portions 

 of the letter as I wish to draw especial attention to : 



Prof. C. V. EiLEY— Dear Sir : 



In answer to j'our inquiries about what success I have had in the out-door culture 

 of ''foreign grapes," 1 will give you briefly the material facts. 



In the spring of 1858 I purchased of a nurseryman a few varieties of grapes, and 

 told him to give me one or more white grapes. I set out the white one on tlie south- 

 east corner of my house (whicli is on the south side of the street). I dug for it a bed 

 about three feet deep into the yellow clay soil, and five or six feet in diameter, and 

 filled it with top soil, thoroughly mixed icithmamire, sand and some bones, and set oiitthe 

 vine in it. It grew very well, but died down during the winter. I laid it down the fol- 

 lowing winter, and covered it with straw, boards, etc., but still it died. About the third 

 winter I laid ir down and covered it four or five inches deep with earth, and it came out 

 the next spring in perfect condition and bore grapes, and upon careful examination 

 they proved to'be the Golden Chasselas. I also got at the same time, and set out and 

 treated in the same way, what proved to be the true European Ruiander — not what is 

 generally called here the Ruiander or Ste. Genevieve, though it looks and bunches very 

 much like it, but is a much better grape for the table. In the spring of ISGl I bought 

 and set out the Black Hamburgh, the Black Prince, the " White Scotch Cluster" and 

 the early " Malvasia," as the nurseryman called the last two. I set them out in the 

 south end of my garden (my lot was 50 feet by 135), which had been loio ground, but 

 'which I liad. filled in until, top soil and mnnure, sand and lime, in layers, ajid had had 

 shoveled over and loell tnixed, so that there ivas a rich, nielloio soil, about three feet deep, 

 all over my garden. These all grew well and bore a few grapes tlie third summer, and 

 a good crop the fourth summer. I have taken as high as twenty i)Ounds in a season, 

 from each of a Black Hamburgh and a Golden Chasselas ; but generally from five to 

 ten pounds. I have had bunches that weighed about a pound, a little more or less. 



About the middle of November of each year I trimmed them, laid them down and 

 buried them three or four inches or more tieep with dirt, and never lost one till the 

 winter of 1871-2. I trained them generally on trellises, as you would the Concord, 

 generally with two arms and uprights, letting them branch near the ground, so that 

 they could be easily stretched upon the ground to cover up. In 1S(!5 I bought a lot, of 

 25 feet front, on the east side of my other lots, had it dug over about two-and-a-half leet 

 deep, heavily manured and slacked lime put on it, and planted with vegetables for two 

 years, and dug over two or three times till the soil was thoroughlybroken up and 

 mixed; and in the spring of lSt!8, I set out in it about one hundred Chasselas and Ru- 

 landers, which I had propagated by cuttings from the first I had. These grew finely 

 and bore some in 1870 and a good crop in 1871. In the fall of ISG'J a house was built on 

 the lot adjoining my garden on the east, and it took otf a large portion of the sun, 

 especially in the mornings. The fall of 1871 was very dr3% and the following winter 

 very cold, and in the spring of 1872 when my grapes were taken out of the ground, the 

 wood looked as green and well as ever ; but about one-half of my yoiuiger grapes and 

 some of the older ones never put out buds, and gradually dried up. Others were very 



