11 



Independent of any theory upon the sub- 

 ject, this feature of vine culture must be 

 considered as one of the conditions present 

 at the time of the development and spread of 

 this plague. Moreover, the phylloxera is not 

 the only indication of conditions favoring 

 disease. The oidium was, until the sulphur 

 treatment was discovered, a worse plague 

 than the phylloxera is now. But sulphur 

 does not cure oidium; it only alleviates the 

 trouble. The original causes remain and the 

 sulphur treatment has become an annual 

 necessity. So, also, with all the proposed 

 remedies directed against the phylloxera. 

 All of them, even submersion, have to be 

 continually repeated. Everything, so far, 

 indicates a radical source of evil, either in 

 the vines or the soils. 



As compared with all other multipli- 

 cations of animal or vegetable growth, 

 the culture of the vine in France 

 has become overcrowded, and presents 

 the primary condition, which, with mankind 

 especially, favors the generation of germs of 

 contagious diseases; diseases that commence 

 in favoring places and afterward travel over 

 the whole earth, even devastating places 

 where conditions are most favorable to health. 

 Such diseases yield to no specifics. People 

 light them with general sanitary measures, 

 and use so-called specifics only as second- 

 ary aids. 



The vine, however, cannot tell its own 

 wants; cannot change its soil and climate, 

 depends solely upon the cultivation ; and the 

 cultivator, practically, can do nothing suc- 

 cessfully, because, generally, he aims to pre- 

 serve the very conditions that have produced 

 the disease, if disease it is. He tries to main- 

 tain the same number of vines upon impov- 

 erished soils, and opposes the regeneration 

 of the vines themselves. 



If this is a contagious disease, similar in 

 general features to other contagions, it is 

 enough to know there was good cause for it 

 in France. The fact that it attacks places 

 where such causes do not apparently exist, 

 is not a good basis for argument against the 

 theory, because the same is true of diseases 

 that develop, 'spread, gain force and attack 

 the human race; only, if the theory be sound, 

 the attacks may be expected to do least 

 damage, and to be least frequent, when the 

 original favoring conditions are wanting, or 

 are in less degree existing. 



Strengthening the soil with the elements, 

 which the vine needs, succeeds often ; this is 

 one step toward solving the problem. Every- 

 where in France I find certain of su^ch remedies 

 advocated, and supported by proofs of suc- 

 cess, and everywhere, more or less, denounced 

 as useless. Hence, it is apparent that, 

 though if they had been applied in the 



beginning they might have prevented the 

 plague, they are not now specific cures. 



I cannot derive much comfort from a study 

 of soils. The general notion that sand is an 

 obstacle to the phylloxera comes only from 

 the fact that in certain places, where the 

 vines are still safe, the soil is sandy. But 

 this feature must be better understood. 

 Such soils are simply sandy loam, where, 

 centuries ago, it was found that the vine 

 succeeded and produced the best wine. The 

 absence of phylloxera in such places only 

 furnishes another proof that the soil is good 

 for the vine. But there are many other con- 

 ditions present besides a sandy loam. The 

 Medoc vineyards, which are still unaffected, 

 have good drainage and furnish favorable 

 conditions for the growth of healthy and 

 deep roots; but the adjacent bottom lands 

 are moist, with water near the surface, into 

 which the vine does not like to dip its roots, 

 and the roots, being near the surface, are 

 easily attacked. The Medoc is also subject 

 to the action of sea breezes and the influence 

 of a sea shore. A sandy soil on hillsides 

 favors deep rooting. 



One of the rules for combatting phylloxera 

 has been deduced from these facts and con- 

 ditions, viz : deep cultivation and underground 

 pruning to promote deep rooting. It has 

 succeeded, like all other remedies, when tried 

 by the man who advocates it. 



The insecticides, such as the sulphide of 

 carbon, succeed just as fumigation, etc., 

 succeed in protecting otherwise healthy peo- 

 ple from contagious diseases. It kills the 

 attacking germs, which come again and must 

 be killed again and again until the plague 

 subsides. Where, however, the conditions 

 appear favorable to the disease, the sulphide 

 of carbon and all insecticides fail, because it 

 is practically impossible to apply them effect- 

 ually without killing also the vines. 



It is only when we begin to consider the 

 constitution of the vine itself that any confi- 

 dence in results seems to be shown. I have 

 already described the American vine theory, 

 as advocated at Montpellier. It is gaining 

 ground all through France, notwithstanding 

 the greatest reluctance in substituting wild 

 plants for the civilized vine. It is already 

 the favorite theory in the parts of this section 

 where the vineyards are ruined, and is 

 scouted where the vineyards are still safe. 



The principle reason for its growing popu- 

 larity is because it offers an immediate means 

 for reconstituting destroyed vineyards with- 

 out the necessity of expensive and continuous 

 annual treatments with insecticides, which 

 are not often sure except under scientific 

 supervision. It also offers a means for pre- 

 serving the favorite French vines by means 

 of grafting, This method finds also numer- 



