6 The Phylloxera. 



BUSHBERG CATALOGUE. 



American Species. 



gall-louse, au insect long kuown here, lu 

 1871 and since, Prof. Riley often visited our 

 vineyards, as we gave him full permission and 

 eheerfully assisted him to unearth both dis- 

 eased and health}' vines, native and foreign, 

 of e7er3-kind, in order to examine their roots 

 and to study the question. By his observa- 

 tions and those of Prof. Plauchon, made by 

 both in this countr}' as well as in France, and 

 afterwards confirmed and verified by all 

 prominent naturalists, the identity of the 

 American insect with the one discovered in 

 France, and of the two types, the gall and 

 the root-lice, has been substantiated. Thus, 

 the principal cause of the absolute failure of 

 European vines in this country has been dis- 

 covered, but no satisfactory remedy has been 

 found. So far, it seems impossil)le to destroy 

 or to guard against this insect enem}' ; while 

 the vigorous roots of our American vines en- 

 }oj a relative immunit}' from its injuries, the 

 pest thrives on the tender roots of the Euro- 

 pean vines, which readily succumb. 



The French Commission, in its report to 

 the Viticultural Congress, held at Montpel- 

 lier, Oct., 1874, came to the conclusion that 

 "In presence of the non-success obtained 

 from all attempts made since 1868, with a 

 view to preserve or cure our vines, and feel- 

 ing that after six years of efforts in this 

 direction, no process except submersion* has 

 been found effective, manj^ persons are quite 

 discoui-aged, and see in the American vines, 

 whether justly so or not, the only plank of 

 safety." Since that time, wheresoever the 

 most careful, practical grape-growers and 

 most scientific naturalists met and exchanged 

 their views, as at the International Congress 

 helil at Lyons, France, and at Saragossa, 

 Spain, in 1880; at Bordeaux in 1881, the 

 leading principle established has been : " that 

 the Phylloxera cannot be exterminated where 

 it once infests the vineyards, nor can its in- 

 troduction 1)6 prevented by any precautionary 

 measures ; but that there are some means 

 whereb}', in spite of the insect, we maj' yet 

 save our vine3'ards from destruction, and en- 

 joy their richly paying returns ; and that the 

 most practical, the simplest, cheapest and 

 surest means is by planting the resisting 

 American grapes." Alread}'^ millions of 

 American grape-vines are growing in France, 



* Some Insecticides are now believed to be of service, if 

 correctly applied and under certain favorable condi- 

 tions, in prolonKini? the life of vines which are infested 

 by llic Phylloxera. 



hundreds of thousands in Spain, Italy, Hun- 

 gar}-, etc. California also imported manj- 

 cuttings of Riparia Vines to graft thereon 

 their European (Vinifera) sorts which suc- 

 ceed there on our Phylloxera-resisting stock. 

 In Feb., 1894, Senator Fair purchased from 

 us half a million of such cuttings for his new 

 1000-acre vineyards near Lakeville, Cal. 

 How much more, then, must we look to 

 species which we find indigenous here, and 

 to their descendants, for success in grape 

 culture.* 



A knowledge of the distinctive permanent 

 characters of our species, and a proper classi- 

 fication of our varieties, referable to them, is 

 of far more importance than is generally sup- 

 posed.! Thirty-five years ago Robert Bu- 

 chanan wrote in his book on the culture of 

 the grape: " The perfection of a definite ar- 

 rangement of all our varieties must remain 

 for future labors, but it is to be hoped an end 

 so desirable will not be lost sight of." 



And while many grape-growers may skip 

 over the following pages as useless, we 

 hope that some of them will thank us for em- 

 bodjang in this catalogue the valuable treatise 

 on The True Grape-Viues of the United States 

 by the late Dr. Engelmonrt. and the "Classi- 

 fication of the Wild Grapes of North Amer- 

 ica," by Prof. T. V. Munson. 



* While our Horticulturists zealously work with confi- 

 dent hopes to produce, from our indigenous species and 

 tlieir hybrids, varieties which will equal those of 

 Europe, it is meet tliat we do not ignore the views of 

 foreign Viticulturists who visit this country with the 

 special purpose to study tliis question and examine tlie 

 American grape. We translate from " Une Mission 

 Viticole en Amerique " par Pierre Yiala, Professor of 

 Viticulture, Montpellier, France, 1889: " The reputation 

 acquired l^y certain new American vines was the un- 

 fortunate cause of tlieir introduction in France. On 

 my return from the United States I was convinced that 

 we have to count on American grafting stock, bearing 

 our (European) varieties, for the reconstruction of our 

 vineyards and tlie preservation of the legitimate repu- 

 tation to the French wines. This impression which I 

 brought with me from the United States, and formed 

 since in France, has verified my opinion more and more 

 that no American vine is susceptible of giving us prod- 

 ucts equalling in quantity ana quality our indigenous 

 (European) vines. The most meritorious direct Ameri- 

 can producers are abandoned (discarded); tlie mainte- 

 nance of their culture in tlie I'nited States is caused by 

 the action of the mildew and lilack Rot whicli destroys 

 t\\*i trmt of European vines. It may l)e that tlie lately 

 discovered efficacious treatment of tliese diseases will 

 determine tlie Americans of the South to constitute 

 their vineyards, on Pliylloxera resisting stocks, with 

 our (European) vines."— Tliis view msiy be inspired by 

 patriotic pride of the Frencli Viticulturist; but it is 

 still worthy of attention. 



t Even A. S. Fuller, in his excellent Treatise on Grape 

 Culture, written in 1866, said: " Practically it is of little 

 con.sequence what view is taken of these unusual forms 

 (of distinct species, orniiirked varieties of the species), 

 as the cultivator is interested in tliem only as varie- 

 ties, and it is of no particular moment to him wliether 

 we liave one hundred or only one native spec es." We 

 are satisfied that he considers it of far more conse- 

 quence now. 



