Insects. 



GRAPE MANUAL. 



Phylloxera. 67 



soil.* Submersion is an etticacious remedy, but 

 to be effective tbe tield must be covered witb 

 water one foot deep during eight weeks, Novem- 

 ber and December being considered the proper 

 period; a less complete submersion is useless, and 

 on most and especially on the best hilly vinelands 

 such submersion is impracticable. A large ad- 

 mixture of sand in the soil is also of service, as 

 the root-louse does not thrive in sandy soils. 

 This was first discovered by Lichtenstein; and 

 as a result of this discovery the sandy borders of 

 the Mediterranean coast (Aigues mortes), where 

 formerly scarcely poor grass grew, are now. in 

 many places, changed into l)eautiful vineyards, 

 of great value. Sulpho-carbonate of potassium 

 and coal-tar are mentioned as capable of destroy- 

 ing the Phylloxera, and Mr. Mares, in his Minis- 

 terial report on the various (140) modes of treat- 

 ment tried, stated that manures rich in potash and 

 nitrogen, mixed with alkaline or earthy sulphates, 

 refuse of salt-works, soot, wood ashes, ammonia, 

 or fat-lime, have given the best result. Bisul- 

 phide of carbon is also effective when judiciously 

 applied, and Prof. Bilej' has proved that Kerosen- 

 emulsion is one of the most effective remedies. 

 Prof. Roessler also believed in fighting the insect 

 with manure and phosphates, ammonia and pot- 

 ash, which treatment succeeds in porous soils; 

 and to obtain this porosity he made use of dyna- 

 mite, raising the soil from a great depth without 

 injuring the vines. But the grape-growers seem 

 not to believe in these medicinal insecticides, or 

 considered theui impractical, too costly, and their 

 application too laborious. Many preferred to 

 resort to planting American vines, mostly with a 

 view to graft thereon their own varieties. And 

 now the American vine has penetrated into 

 all the vineyards of France — notwithstanding its 

 many opponents, both honestly and otherwise; 

 notwithstanding the ill-favor of the Government, 

 where subventions had been reserved for the 

 insecticides and the submersion. And this result 

 is not a passing one, but has gained a stronghold 

 by the exceptional and growing vigor of the 

 American vines themselves, under various con- 

 ditions of soil and in the midst of the most intense 

 ravages of the Phylloxera. The Medoc even 

 opens now its doors to the most meritorious 

 grafting stocks, the JRiporia, Solonis, York Ma- 

 deira, being now convinced that their celebrated 

 Medoc wines will not be in the least changed by 

 grafting their varieties on American roots. It is 

 the same in other famous wine districts, and even 

 in the regions of the great white wines (Sauterne, 

 Bommes, Barsac, &c.) which are as yet but little 

 attacked by the Phylloxera. It has been the 

 same in other countries, wherever the insect has 

 made its appearance, in spite of all precautionary 

 measures to protect them from infection. 



Riley and Planchou have established tlie fact 

 that the insect is indigenous to the North Ameri- 

 can continent east of the Rocky mountains, and 

 there is little doubt but that it was first imported 

 into Europe on American vines. Yet it must not 

 be supposed that our American vines are all 

 necessarily infested with Phylloxera, or that the 

 insect has been introduced in everj' locality where 

 our vines have been planted. On the contrary, 

 there are localities where, from the isolated 

 position of the vineyards, or the nature of the 

 soil, it is difficult to find the insect, and, 



* La lutte contre le phylloxera. (The struggle against 

 the Phylloxera) hy .1. A. Barral, 1 vol., Paris, 188.S, is the 

 most complete work on this subject. 



like many other indigenous species, it is in 

 some years very numerous and injurious, in 

 others, scarcely to be seen. There is compara- 

 tively little danger of its being imported from 

 one country to another on clean cnttinys of 

 one year's growth, as the winter egg is almost 

 invariably laid in the older, rougher portions 

 of the vine. It should be recollected also that 

 vines imported in late wintev, or early spring, 

 cannot possibly carry the insect, even if in- 

 fected, in any other than the egg or larva form, 

 as no winged insects are then in existence, to 

 escape on the way, or upon opening the cases; 

 and all danger of importing the insect would be 

 avoided if the plants or cuttings, upon being un- 

 packed, were placed in a bath of strong soapsuds. 



Prof. V. Mayet, of the National Agricultural 

 School at Montpellier, advises the following pre- 

 caution : — (Vignes Am., Dec. 1882.) " 1. Never 

 to keep the cuttings in the soil, in whatever else 

 we may preserve them for exportation; clear 

 fine sand would be preferable. 2. To fumigate 

 the cuttings on arrival with sulphur smoke, as 

 the sulphuric acid infallibly kills all insects, 

 without injuring the buds or vegetation; ten 

 minutes are fully sufficient for that. An old large 

 box may serve as a receptacle for the fumigation." 

 In answer to inquiries whether this would be 

 sufficient also to destroy the eggs of the Phyl- 

 loxera, the Professor emphatically declares (La 

 Vigne Americaine, May, 1883), that "we need 

 not trouble ourselves about the eggs — none of 

 these have ever been found on canes of one j^ear's 

 wood. And if ever any live insects were trans- 

 ported with cuttings, less than a quarter of an 

 hour's fumigation with sulphur would kill them 

 on arrival." 



The greatness of the evil, however, seemed to 

 justify the adoption of extreme measures, and 

 the iinportation of both American vines (oid 

 CKttvKjs was strictly prohibited by the govern- 

 ments of Europe (except as to certain already 

 invaded districts of France). Thus they ex- 

 cluded—not the insect, but the best remedy. 

 And whilst it is now recognized and fully estab- 

 lished that Phylloxera-destroyed vineyards can 

 be reconstituted only by replanting with resisting 

 American vines, be it for direct production or for 

 grafting on them other preferred varieties, it is 

 yet very difficult to get the prohibitions and 

 restrictions repealed. "V. Babo, the celebrated 

 Director of the Oenol. Institute of Anstria, Klos- 

 ternenburg, near Vienna, wrote us (April, 1883) 

 that " notwithstanding the unanimous declaration 

 of the Commission in favor of American Grape- 

 vines, the Government refuses to listen; we shall 

 tarry until the Louse will have spread as a 

 great calamity. Sulphocarbonates are continu- 

 ally used — at Government's expense. The mo- 

 ment it shall have to be done at private expense 

 nobody will use it, as the annual cost is out of 

 proportion to the effect. In spite of my own 

 most careful and through treatment with sulpho- 

 carbonates my success is incomplete. Much as I 

 was at first in favor of sulpho- carbonates, I am 

 now fully convinced that our grape-culture can- 

 not be carried on except by using proper Phyl- 

 loxera-resisting stocks." 



The Beriip dpn Deux Mondfs of June 1, 1883, 

 contains a very Interesting article on the I'hyl- 

 loxera question by the Duchess of Fitz-James, in 

 which she says: — "While the Phylloxera con- 

 tinues to extend her sinister veil over beautiful 

 France, the American Vine throws over it here 



