520 " TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



A^ril 15, 1856. 



Present — Messrs. Atwood, R. L. Pell, Dr. Smith, Dr. Welling- 

 ton, Dr. Holcomb, Solon Robinson, Judd, Bouton, Ganse, Ander- 

 son, Wm. B. Leonard, Chambers, George Dunn of Newark, Dr. 

 Edgar F. Peck of Brooklyn, Prof. Marsh of Vermont, Prof. 

 Mapes, Rev. D. White of Staten Island, Judge Samuel Van Wyck, 

 Mrs. Penfield, Mrs. Hurd, Hon. Robert Swift Livingston, Mr. 

 Brower, Mr. Doughty of Jersey, Mr. Benyne, Mr. Stacey and 

 others — 60 in all. 



President Pell in the Chair. 



Henry Meigs, Seeretaiy. 



The Secretary read the following papers selected by him : 



W^NES OF OPORTO AND THE DISEASE. 



We extract the following useful knowledge from the Agricul- 

 tural Bureau of the Patent Office of the United States : 



Consulate of the U. S., ) 

 Oporto, Jan. 28, 1856. ) 



" The disease made its appearance early in March, and spread 

 with great rapidity over the wdiole kingdom. By the middle of 

 April the young shoots became spotted and did not grow with 

 their usual vigor. The leaves assumed a yellowish-green, curled, 

 and during the month most of them became covered with the 

 Oidium. (This word is from the Greek oiSri^j^a, a swelling, H. Meigs) 

 The bloom was rather better than usual, but much of the fruit 

 became shriveled and dropped off. In many instances, after the 

 branches had been well developed, a small black spot appeared 

 on the stem of the bunch where it united to the branch ; this 

 gradually extended down the stem, covering the whole bunch 

 with oidium. Many of the bunches thus aftected died on the 

 vine. It was impossible, in the district, to find a vine not affected. 

 The w^eather of May, June, July and August was very favorable, 

 and it was supposed that the fruit which had escaped early in the 

 season might become mature, but as soon as they began to color, 

 they shriveled and dried up, very few cracking as they did the 

 preceding year. They did not contain the usual quantity of 

 juice, and it was sour and unpleasant to the taste and smell. 

 Almost all of it, when nearly matured, commenced rotting on the 

 vines ; and many farmers, to save what remained, gathered it 

 and made wine of it. It took double the usual quantity of grapes 

 to make the wine. Throughout September, excessive cold rains. 

 I believe in fact that there was not a basket of good, healthy 



