68 AMERICAK ^RAPE GROOVING 



widely spread and destructive disease of grapes east of 

 the Rocky mountains, and for a time it threatened to 

 utterly destroy grape culture in some of the States. It 

 commonly appears in warm, moist weather, as a brown 

 spot, like the sting of an insect, on the berry when one- 

 half to two-thirds grown. It is, however, preceded by 

 brown spots on the leaves, which give the first warning 

 of its approach. These brown spots on the fruit in- 

 crease until they cover its surface, and spread rapidly 

 over all the grapes of the bunch, which become dry and 

 hard. As it affects all the leaves, and even the young 

 shoots of the vine, the wood naturally becomes un- 

 healthy. It fails to ripen well and is consequently more 

 liable to injury from frost the ensuing winter, and to 

 attacks of disease the next summer, especially if the 

 fallen leaves and diseased grapes are left in the vineyard. 

 The spores live through the winter, and only await the 

 advent of warm weather to spring into life and multiply 

 indefinitely. It is important, therefore, that all this 

 refuse be destroyed by fire, and an early spraying applied 

 to kill any spores that may remain. It should be borne 

 in mind that all fungicides are more effective as pre- 

 ventives. So destructive had black rot and downy mil- 

 dew become in Missouri that my old friend and corre- 

 spondent, Hermann Jaeger, of Neosho, one of the most 

 persevering of pioneers in grape culture in his section, 

 had abandoned about all the Labruscas and their hy- 

 brids and confined his efforts to such ironclads as Nor- 

 ton's Virginia and Cynthiana, with a few of the iEsfci- 

 valis and Rupestris sections. Now, after thorough trials 

 since 1885, he finds that he can not only grow the varie- 

 ties of American origin liable to the disease, but has 

 hopes of success with some of the Vinifera, with some 

 protection in winter. He finds that with repeated spray- 

 ing he can not alone obtain a good crop, but also keep 

 the foliage in a healthy condition, thus promoting the 



