430 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[September 



botanical characters, in wliicli respect true raphides 

 are very significant. Tlie report ol tlic June meetinjj, 

 1870, of the E.ast Kent Natural History .Society, con- 

 tains some applications of these facts to the sad state 

 of the trees in Hyde I'ark, so much deplored of late 

 in the newsjiapers and elsewhere. As if to remove 

 the natural food of these trees, their fallen leaves and 

 fruit have for many years heen carefully swept away, 

 and no suitable manure substituted. These leaves and 

 fruit are very rich in sphaeraphides and short pris- 

 matic crystals, eonsistins; chiefly of phosphate oro.\a- 

 late of lime, the very food required for the preserva- 

 tion of the plant. And indeed every gardener well 

 knows the excellence of leaf-mould as manure; but 

 in no work on botany, or horticulture, or arboricul- 

 ture, has the main cause of that excellence been ex- 

 plained or even recognized. But now we see Iiow the 

 fall of the leaf is a provision of nature for tlie welfare 

 of the plant. In such a soil as that of Hyde Park the 

 calcareous salts are especially needed for the preserva- 

 tion of the trees. No wonder, then, when so long and 

 regularly deprived of the fallen leaves and other parts, 

 these trees should show signs of decay, just as beasts 

 would pine and wasteif their naturallood were taken 

 from them. eHad the old forests been alwayscleared 

 of the fallen 1 i,aves, there would long since have been 

 adecayoftha noble vegetation which siill excites 

 the admiration.of the traveler. Rich and deep soils 

 may afford for ong periods a sufliciency of calcareous 

 salts for the preservation of the plants, but not so 

 shallow and poorsoils. The (juautity of saline matter 

 annually taken up even by a single tree from the soil, 

 and appearing as microscopic crystals in the plant is 

 prodigious; and unless this saline material be returned 

 to the earth, exhaustion thereof must sooner or lacer 

 occur. The Legumens, too, are very rich in short 

 prismatic crystals, and these no doubt in such plants 

 as the trefoils, whicli are so greedily devoured by cat- 

 tle, afford an imjionant supjily of the calcareous or 

 oilier salts, which are essential in the animal econ- 

 omy. Has any agricultural chemist ever estimated 

 the quantity, by weight, of t he short prismatic crystals 

 in a iruts of clover ? They present in the clovers and 

 other trefoils lovely microscopic objects, suggestive, 

 too, of utility. Nor are such observations alone in 

 proving the high value of the microscope in explain- 

 ing or directing piactical operations in the cultivation 

 of useful plants. 



If the foregoing extract does not elucidate 

 the .subject of blight, or satisfactorily explain 

 its cause, it at least su<;gests the iuijiortance 

 of leaf-mould in sustaining trees and plants, 

 and .securing their healthful condition, becau.se 

 the I'alleu leaves contain the "laphides," or 

 cellular crystals of tho.se mineral salts, which 

 are so essential to tlie growth of vegetation; a 

 fact that is no doubt more or less apparent to 

 many, without eliciting tlie iiractical attention 

 of any. We cannot tell how far we may be 

 injuring vegetation by the continued removal 

 from the soil of those elements which they most 

 do crave. Even in cases of Jire-hliylit, when 

 only a single branch is smitten, we cannot tell 

 how long it may have Ijeen in process of that 

 peculiar condition which was necessary for the 

 development and visible manifestation ot"the 

 phenomenon. It was, 'tis said, tlie "last 

 straw," which " broke the back of the camel," 

 and plants, like animals, may for a long time 

 patiently and tenaciously endure a deprivation 

 and then suddenly break down. Again, trees, 

 shrubs iind plants that are iu a vigorous state 

 of growth, are not so subject to the infestation 

 of insects and fungi as those whicli have be- 

 come enervated by reason of the depletion of 

 the soil in which they are growing, or at least 

 do not so readily succumb to the.se infestations. 

 Some forty or fifty years ago there was no tree 

 in Lancaster county more popular, or more 

 univer.sally grown, as an ornamental tree, than 

 the I.omliardy Poplar. Every farm house had 

 them in the yard, and in cities, towns and vil- 

 lages, whole rows of them adorned the side 

 walks. But one by one they became blighted 

 and decayed ; lirst perhaps a single branch, 

 then the fourth or half of the tree, and llnally 

 the whole body decayed and died, so that now 

 it is rarely that they are seen any where; no 

 one knew why or how, and no one seemed to 

 think that the nudching of the soil with the 

 fallen leaves was of any importanee in securing 

 it a healthy condition; for the yards and side'- 

 walks where they grew were carefully swept, 

 and kept scrupulou.sly clean. 



]5ut it is also the opinion of very respectable 

 authorities that blight is caused somehow 

 through climatic and electrical iuHueiices, al- 

 though they may not be able to explain exactly 

 how. Others again, that a long-continued 

 term of intense heat may cause it. The rapid I 



volatilization and evaporation of the sap from 

 the leaves, and especially the new growth of 

 the wood, (the trunk, from the same cause, 

 being unable to supply the abnormal exhaus- 

 tion,) and the final contraction of the tissues 

 and the pores, thus preventing tlie normal cir- 

 culation in the leaves and tender branches, 

 especially when the season is more than ordi- 

 narily a dry one. We often see this effect in 

 sucenleiit vegetation, on account of its rapid 

 secretion and luxuriant expiration, by which 

 its equilibrium is interrupted, deranged, or 

 destroyed. We also often see (for instance, in 

 long continued hot and dry weather,) the 

 blades of corn, the leaves of clover and succu- 

 lent vegetation generally, roll themselves up 

 into tubes, or close up their most exposed sur- 

 faces, and thus present a dry and shrunken 

 apiiearance, terminating in witliering decay 

 and death. Some also'allege that it is the 

 effect of a previous liard-freezing winter, 

 through whicli the sap becomes vitiated. But 

 the mild winter of 1S7.T and 187(i affords no 

 support to this theory. Notwithstanding the 

 mild winter named, the present has been the 

 worst blight season that we have had for many 

 years. 



Verily, a wide field, on this "crop, " is before 

 us, and it ought to elicit the most competent 

 and persevering explorers, for the subject is 

 drawing unusual attention towards the various 

 forms of blight. 



GRAPE PHYLLOXERA. 

 Phyllvxera vnstittrix. 



It is estimated that damage to the amount of ?37,- 

 9.5.5,000 will be done to the French vineyards this year 

 by a small insect called the phylloxera,"which attacks 

 the vine roots and dries up the leaves. 



According to the most reliable authority, 

 this insect occurs in two very different forms 

 or phases, so different indeed that there are 

 others vvlio contend that they are two different 

 insects. We have observed it in the tubercular or 

 gall form on the leaves of the Clinton and other 

 grape vines in this county, at various times, 

 during the past seven years. Generally, how- 

 ever, on tlie Clinton, and other varieties th.it 

 have originated from the same stock. On one 

 occasion we visited the vineyard of Mr. Reuben 

 Weaver, of Rapho township, not far from the 

 northern boundary, and found all his Clinton 

 vines seriou.sly infested, and none of the others, 

 except here and there a few on the Franklin. 

 Whole rows of the Clinton were infested from 

 one end to the other, from the base to the very 

 ends of the new growth, in some in.staiices 

 hardly a single leaf escaping. Of course, this 

 IJrevented the leaves from developing and per- 

 forming their normal functions, and in the 

 same degree preventing the ripening and ma- 

 turing of the fruit. We recommended the 

 cutting off the infested ends and laterals, and 

 destroying the insects in their ova or larva 

 form. To what extent he followed our sugges- 

 tions we are not informed, but in no subsequent 

 season were his vines infested as they were on 

 the occasion we alluded to, and this has also 

 been the case in various other localities in the 

 county. 



The presence of this minute insect {Phyl- 

 loxera vastatrix,) shows itself in vast numbers 

 of irregular, raised tubercles, or galls, on the 

 undersides of the leaves of the dilierent varie- 

 ties of the grape, and it is especially on those 

 whose leaves are of a delicate texture ; and 

 hence, on whatever variety they may appear, 

 they will always be on the tenderest portion, 

 often out to the very ends, where the leaves 

 are imperfectly expanded. These galls are of 

 various sizes, and, of cour.se, in various stages 

 of advancement, and it is wonderful how they 

 succeed in extending their domain so rapidly; 

 for we have noticed them on the young, sc;irce- 

 ly half-expanded leaves, at the very ends of 

 the vines. On carefully opening these galls 

 at the projicr .season (during .July ;ind August,) 

 they will be found hollow and the interior 

 cavities filled with yellowish eggs, or young 

 insects, so minute that their forms can only be 

 recognized by the aid of a magnifier. When 

 the young are ready to emerge forth, a fissure 

 occurs in the tops of the galls, through which 



they effect their escape, and thus spread over 

 the vines. 



They belong to the great Aphid, or Plant- 

 louse family, and their food is the sap of the 

 vines, and when such countless millions occur 

 as are sometimes on the vines, of course they 

 must greatly enervate theru, if they do not 

 entirely destroy them. 



But it is not in this form that they are the 

 nio.st destructive, or have been so devastating 

 as they have been for some years in France 

 and other European localities, especially the 

 former. They also occur on the roots of the 

 vines, especially after they have dropped' their 

 foliage, and in this form tliey are the most de- 

 structive, for the reason that they are not so 

 accessible as they are when their operations 

 are confined to the leaves. The paragraph we 

 have quoted at the head of this paper is no ex- 

 aggenition, but rather falls below the real loss 

 sustained by the French grape growers, than 

 rises above it. 



The root Phylloxera has also been detected 

 in this country, especially in some of the South- 

 ern States, and no doubt where our vines have 

 suffered from uivisible causes, it may liave 

 been due to the presence of the root form of 

 this insect; and where they ar« so numerous 

 as we have seen them on the leaves of the Clin- 

 ton grape in this county, it would, ho nothing 

 strange if they should also attack the roots in 

 time. The investigation of these insects is at- 

 tended with many difficidties, on accout of their 

 minute size, and their very peculiar erratic 

 economies; and notwithstanding many obser- 

 vations have been made, and much has been 

 written on the subject, their history is by no 

 means clear to the ordinary perception of those 

 who are most interested in its development. 



A liberal reward, amounting to some mil- 

 lions of francs, has been offeree! by the French 

 government for a certain remedy to destroy 

 them, which has not yet been awarded, if it 

 has even been claimed ; and the Academy of 

 Sciences has appointed a coiumission to insti- 

 tute the proper investigation; but we believe 

 nothing that can be universally applied has 

 yet been developed. Submerging the vine- 

 yards has been deemed the most effectual, but 

 this, of course, cannot be applied except on 

 low flats ; therefore, so far as it relates to high- 

 land or hillside yards, it is entirely out of the 

 question. Perforating the ground near the 

 vines, and introducing an insecticide has been 

 found beneficial iu such localities, but even 

 these remedies have not been of sufficient effi- 

 cacy to claim the rewards that have been 

 ofl^'red. In the face of these discouragements 

 the French grape culturists are looking 

 towards prevention, and consequently are be- 

 ginning to import largely from America our 

 hardier varieties of the grape, as root stocks for 

 new vineyards, and are digging out and de- 

 stroying their own finer varieties, as it is these 

 which have been most subject to the attacks 

 of the Phylloxera. The insect seems bound 

 to run its course, and perhaps after that the 

 afflicted districts may enjoy some repose, but 

 more millions of dollars may be lost before 

 that auspicious period arrives. 



The history of the procreation, transforma- 

 tions, habits and specific development of the 

 Phylloxera vastatrix, is too complicated to be 

 made clear to the mass of the people, or even 

 to the generality of the horticultural public, 

 mainly from the exceeding minuteness of the 

 suljjects, and the eccentric order of their trans- 

 formations. From the weight of the evidence, 

 as the question now stands, it appears to have 

 had its origin in America, from whence it was 

 somehow introduced into England, and from 

 thence to France. 



Dr. Fitch, of New York, described grape- 

 leaf galls formed by this inisect, under a differ- 

 ent name, years before it became destructive 

 in Eiu'ope, or perhaps even before it was known 

 there, tmd we noticed the galls in Lancaster 

 county, even before Dr. Fitch described them. 

 During the existence of the Old Horticultural 

 Society— about 1855 — an infested vine was 

 brought to the meeting for the month of July; 

 but oif course, it was an enigma that we could 

 not then answer, and the matter passed off. 



