36 " THE LEAVES OF THE TREE W6T6 FOR THE HEALING OF THE NATIONS. 



"There is one point worthy of note as throwing some light upon the resisting 

 power of vines; it is the manner of the insects attack. In the common vinefera 

 even, they show preference for particular spots on the roots, selecting those places 

 where the bark is softest, usually near a crack. From this they extend upward and 

 downward along the line where the tissue is continuous from that spot; and scarce- 

 ly ever do we find them working at right angles from this line. When the sap be- 

 gins to ooze out and rotting sets in, they precede it closely, always leaving a number 

 of insects to continue the destruction until the spot becomes completely rotted and 

 gives out no more sap. Large numbers of insects will often be found feeding upon 

 such spots, apparently reluctant to leave them -as long as any sustenance can be 

 derived therefrom. So closely is this mode of working followed, that in many old 

 Mission vines they will be found only on a single spot, while the remainder of the 

 root is free from them. A root covered with a fuzzy bark is noticeably objectionable 

 to them, a harder one with cracked or loosened bark is preferred." (Precisely the 

 mode of attack in Australia). "Upon a thorough resistant (?) stalk the insects act 

 cjuite differently. They are usually scattered about apparently at a loss to know 

 just where to begin operations. Their first piercings are made, and instead of a 

 deep rotting which completely kills the bark to the woody tissue, a slight thin black- 

 ening of the bark takes place, which does not extend further, and if made on the 

 firmer rootlets, will often peel of, leaving the root perfectly smooth. (Decom- 

 position of vines must precede an effective attack of insects.) 



CONCERNING KNOWN REMEDIES. 



" I abstain purposely from description of any chemical remedies, because 

 I believe them too costly and at the same time not effectual enough. They 

 give us no guarantee even if they could be so thoroughly applied as to exterminate 

 all the insects of permanent security; as they may at any time be again transmitted 

 to the same vineyard, making continued applications necessary, generally with 

 great danger to the vines. Only in cases when it is desirable to save a valuable 

 piece of vineyard of a choice variety, it may be advisable to use Dr. Baner's mer- 

 curial remedy, which, so far, is the most promising, least dangerous (?) and cheap- 

 est of all that have been tried. Insecticides, of whatever kind and description, are 

 too costly in their application, and have to be renewed too often to ever become 

 practicably applicable here or even in Europe. The lowest cost of their appli- 

 cation, of which I have seen an estimate, is about thirty dollars per acre, more than 

 the general annual cost of cultivation, and this is only a temporary remedy which 

 must be renewed every year to be of any use at all. Besides great care must be 

 exercised in their application, for an overdose will kill or fatally icjure the vines. 

 The pest is liable to appear at any time, and thus it needs constant doctoring " (as 

 do the human plant)" with costly remedies to keep the patient even in a state be- 

 tween life and death." 



Professor Husmann in his subsequent work on " Grape Culture 

 and Wine Making in California," published on October 20th, 1887, 

 referring to the Phylloxera and the much relied on " resistant" savs 

 (folio 83): 



" First of all it is necessary to dispel the illusion entertained by some that re- 

 sistant vines are such as are not attacked by the Phylloxera. So far as our know- 

 ledge extends at this time, the insect will feed on any and all of the members of 

 the true vine tribe (vitis proper) when occasion offers; but it is evident that some 

 are better adapted to the taste^ or nature of the phylloxera than others, and are 

 therefore more numerously infested when planted in the same ground with 

 others; just as cattle will pasture on the sweet grasses in preference to the sour 

 ones. The European vine (vinefera) appears on the whole to be the one most 

 uniformly adapted to the insects taste in all its varieties, and is always attacked in 

 preference. It evidently offers the best conditions to the life and multiplication of 

 the pest. It is not, then, a proof of non-resistance when a vine is found to be 

 more or less infested ; for, as far as we know, there are no true vines of which the 

 phylloxera will not attack the roots when presented to them. ..'... 



