ONICLE 



CT. 



ral -Its m ^hl^nh^Mt7soluble ^organic 



Int7- and therefore, that ammomacal ma- 



5 ?* sttrsr •=* xss 



mind 

 were 



made 



soil, for, 



manure, an 



■ere : it 



is by no means a poor 

 even though exhausted at the commencement 



any ceneral conclusion for all so Is. Mi . Lawks 

 Sales that inorganic manure is all-important for 

 W eat, m all situations ; but he does not deny that 

 the e may be poor soils and peculiar circumstances, 

 n which the supply of ammonia is Skater than 

 that of inorganic matter ; and which therefoie, the 

 nUrogen being in excess, relatively to the mineral 

 • ■ of Wheat, would be less easily 

 lcu Under such circumstances a mineral 

 manure would be more useful than an ammomacal 



mast 





constituents 

 exhausted. 



one. 



of Liebig, that we do not fall into the opposite 

 extreme. After having found that mineral manures 

 are not the hest in all cases, we must not conclude 

 that ammoniacal ones are always best; neither would 

 be true, as a generalisation. 





VINE MILDEW.— No. II. 

 Up to the present time there 'are but two opinions 

 respecting the disease of Vines : tbe one generally 

 adopted, which attributes it to the development of the 

 Botrytis* and my own, for I am in point of fact the only 

 person who considers the fungus as one of the con- 

 sequences of the [disease. This divergency of opinion 

 induces of necessity another, in the treatment of the 



malady, with a view to its cure. 



M. Duchartre, Professor of the Agronomic (Institute 

 of Versailles, in a report addressed to the Minister of 

 Agriculture, on the means of combating the effects of the 

 fungus which attacks the Vines, said, * I am to-day happy 

 in being able to announce to youthat the treatment to 

 which the diseased Vines have been submitted has given 

 excellent "results, and that henceforth we may flatter 

 ourselves with being able to combat it with success when- 

 ever it may appear." 



The remedy employed by M. Duchartre consists in 

 dashing over the diseased Vines, by'Jielp of a* garden 

 syringe pierced with rather large holes, water in which "^"T 

 flowers of sulphur are held in suspension^ This simple, P 

 inexpensive mean, by common consent, has been most 

 successful. The employment of sulphur in this form 

 had already been recommended by Mr. Kyle, an English 

 agriculturist, who had discovered its properties. These 

 advantages cannot be called in question, and I have no 

 thought of doing so ; I have myself witnessed them, but 

 I have witnessed those also which I have myself obtained 

 in the montli of July by syringing with water in which 

 was dissolved a small quantity of common salt, or sul- 

 phate of iron. My own treatment has only serve€ to 

 wash off the fungus as fast as it appeared. When the 

 disease was over everywhere, I have compared the 

 results obtained in plants which had been experimented 

 upon with those which I had left to their unhappy lot. 

 I then saw no difference, the bunches were completely 

 dry, or only retained a small number of berries. 

 Amongst these some were* small, cracked, and de- 

 formed ; others appeared not to have been affected. 



The experiments which I made were commenced too 

 late ; they would have been more successful at the 



this is that the disease has been more virulent in white 

 than in black Grapes, and that the Vineyards have been 

 spared while the trellises have suffered. 



I shall terminate these remarks by a final observation 

 oiTthe mode of propagation of Oidiura Tucken. 1 ro- 

 fessor Brongniart told me lately that some persons 

 thought they had remarked that the fungus appeared 

 first in stoves where the Vine is cultivated to obtain 

 early Grapes, and that by degrees it was communicated 

 to the surrounding trellises. Thjs point of origin, it it 

 were well established, would militate strongly m favour 

 of contagion, but in truth it proves nothing. In tact, it 

 the malady is endemic, if it is connected with a par- 

 ticular condition of the Vines, it is very natural that 

 those which are enclosed in stoves should be more dis- 

 eased than those which are in the open air, since their 

 vegetation is earlier than that of the others. The 

 fundus cannot be developed at the same time on plants 

 which are placed in very different circumstances. I am 

 well aware that it maybe objected that the one prepares 

 and preserves the elements of contagion till the others 

 are in a fit condition for being infected, but why then 

 this preference for whitfr Grapes, and repugnance tor 

 those that are black ! In this case the Vines, whether 

 staked or on trellises, should be diseased, and we see 

 the malady rage principally in Vines attached to walls, 

 or surrounded by inclosures. There is then something 

 in this question which belongs evidently to aspect and 

 cultivation. If contagion exists, the malady cannot 

 cease to prevail in stoves, and in Vineyards it ought to 

 take place as well in the montli of September as in the 

 month of June or July, which is exactly the contrary 

 to what really does take place. If, on the contrary, the 

 Vine itself is affected in the first instance, we see the 

 Oidium prevail as long as the disease lasts. When the 

 points which were diseased are cicatrised or dry, it dis- 

 appears naturally, and does not invest, as it ought to do, 

 the surrounding surfaces which are sound. The 

 moulds are great gluttons ; they are to vegetable what 

 insects are to animal substances. They do not abandon 

 their prey, or rather cease to vegetate, except when 



They could then be 



i England about two 



that it is impossible tocomTto^nTcon^ — - 



simple fact of certain individuals icapS'jLi* 1 * 

 are attacked, and it is very easy to co ' °*i 



the attack proceeded f^om within the tif ^ ^ *** 

 case, if I am correct in my observatin S nr\ M ^ *i 

 would be greater than where the fundus *£ b *» 

 secondarily on external surfaces from fallen ***** 

 is very possible, that while superficial it m* "a** * 

 ther harm than clogging up the superficial 7 *^* ** 

 hindering the due access of light and air LaT^* 

 only directly destructive where it enters tU*'* 

 through the stomata ; but this, of course is 

 jecture. The great point is to atrpmi L jg* **> 



Ker > after wtait 



* i -*-- — ~ same remed* 



least a form of it, which has long been efficaeion, *£ 

 case of Peach mildew, the destruction was til i 

 Mr. John Boys, an eminent solicitor and niJSS** 

 Margate, who has long paid especial attentSfaiu 

 cultivation of the Vine, has informed me that on d\l 

 own Vines, and another which he had an opporbJLj 

 examining, were completely killed by it, and 7hati? if 

 case even the pith of the branches was affected. r!w! 

 told me, besides, that 30 plants of the Constants GmT 

 raised from eyes received directly from the Cape * 

 all strongly affected, though there was not thesli JS 

 reason to believe that the plants from which tiTm 

 were taken were diseased. Though the destmctia^ 

 at first complete, as regarded the crop, and, as tiafei 

 above, in two instances the disease was fatal to lb 

 Vines themselves, since he has adopted the system of 

 washing the flues when warm, but not too hot, w& 

 black sulphur and quicklime, in the proportion 

 four ounces of each to sufficient rain-water to 





commencement of the malady, as I have assured myself 

 from late bunches which did not blossom till the end of 

 July. In these the berries presented no trace of dis- 

 ease. I have made but one experiment with sulphur, 

 and my Vine, at the time of maturity, did not appear to 

 me in beiter condition than the others. 



I conclude from my researches that the malady which 

 raged amongst Vines in 1 850, and principally in the 

 Chasselas in the neighbourhood of Paris, and in many 

 other parts of France, is not epidemic but endemic ; 

 that it is due to a primitive, special, unknown corrup- 

 tion of the young branches, leaves, stalks, and berries ; 

 and that Oidium Tuckeri, instead of being the cause, is 

 only one of its consequences. 



That if we wish to prevent, not the ravages, but the 

 development of this fungus, we must not allow ourselves 

 to be taken by surprise, as we did through the summer 

 ot last year, but commence from the beginning at the 

 moment of flowering, on the first symptoms of the dis- 

 ease, and TiOf. whpn i* i*e tranafalKr A1~~^~~A r._ .t 



lias produced its effects, and it is difficult to appreciate 

 That if, as I believe, the disease does not come from 



advantage 



employed. 



without, but that it is inherent, and belongs to the 

 tissues and juices of the Vine, we must seefcthe cause 

 and means of counteraction in some accidental circum? 

 stance or the mode of cultivation 



*■* — ■ i . 



Tli is is probably a slip of the 



What seems to prove 



Botrytis of the same'sectiou * th Lfmi [n^n? W f 

 more beautiful, and highly devetooeO ?„7t iai fi but ..?'I 

 species preying on tbe%aren C hyu^oec Ul .s'in WW?.™.-* 1 

 • on the Vine leaves. I hnve not, however w." £ T." 1 * 

 injurious. My specimens. whieh wer i gathered b, Mr n't « ? 

 and have been named U. viticola, Berk and rw * ?* Wna, J 

 on Vm 8 ?itiTalig , and , , belieTe) > n , e 0n y e Xr "eeies CUrred 



t As the sulphur is not soluble in water carfim„ a rL* i 

 ftftt the powdered mineral is held in bai^S it^ 2 

 is necessary, a* some authorities have r^xam^fS^^ 

 to be drawn off clear, M. J, B 9 e wat€r 



there is nothing left to feed upon. 



propagated in the months of September and October, 

 because at this time atmospheric momenta are certainly 

 as favourable for their development as in the months of 

 June or July. But they are not propagated, because the 

 vital conditions of the Vines are not the same. 



Let us admit for the moment that Oidium Tuckeri 

 grows in stoves, and that it spreads from thence into 

 the surrounding districts. By what means ought we to 

 attack it ? There is but one. The focus of infection is 

 known ; it is necessary in consequence to root up the 



In doing so the proprietor will not make a 

 great sacrifice, since the Grapes which he cultivates are 

 not saleable when diseased, and he will not have to 

 regret being the involuntary cause of greater mischief." 

 The importance of the foregoing memoir cannot be 

 denied, though written under very strong views with 

 regard to the effects of fungi on living vegetables, and 

 as it seems to me chargeable in parts with what the 

 Germans call inconsequence. The fungal theory of the 

 Potato disease, as it is termed, was nowhere more 

 strongly opposed or even ridiculed than in France, 

 insomuch that more than one botanist who commenced 

 with it, was forced to yield to the pressure from without. 

 It is extraordinary, however,' that of all the theories 

 that were broached, none has been retained by their 

 eral advocates except the fungal theory, which not 

 only is as ardently retained as ever by its first adhe- 

 rents, but is daily gaining ground, and has been even- 

 tually adopted by some who were at first the strongest 

 in their opposition. I am not, however, going to discuss 

 again a subject which has been so much canvassed, or 

 which has lost its interest with most readers. My 

 opinions were fully stated in the first number of this 

 Journal, and I have never yet seen reason to alter them. 

 It is curious that with respect to the Vine disease, the 

 majority are in favour of the fungal theory, and my 

 friend Dr. Leveille is almost alone on the other side. It 

 is not to be denied that his arguments are extremely 

 plausible, and that there is much in his observations 

 that is worth attentive consideration, but I cannot 

 always admit his data. It may be very true that neither 

 he nor M. Decaisne, of whom no botanist will speak 

 without the greatest respect and self-distrust, have been 

 able to detect mycelium within any part of the plant ; 

 but it is no less true that myself and Mr, G. Hoffman 

 have seen it most distinctly, and that the figure given in 

 the Gardners' Chronicle in November, 1847, was drawn 

 from specimens lying on the field of the microscope, in 

 which the growth through the stomata was as evident 

 as that of Botrytis infestans, through the stomata of the 

 Potato. The disease, far from disappearing early, as 

 related in Dr. Leveille's notes, continued, at least in 

 some instances, in this country as long as the leaves 

 were on the trees, specimens having been forwarded to 

 me from Margate quite late in the year from Vines 

 which I had studied in July ; and in November Mr. 

 Hoffman, than whom there are few more careful 

 observers, and who has an excellent microscope, with 

 very great powers of manipulation, assured me that 

 he then distinctly traced the mycelium in the buds when 

 the leaves had fallen. 



The same excellent observer witnessed its propaga- 

 tion from the Vine on plants of Chrysanthemum indicum 

 placed purposely beneath, and which were in conse- 

 quence materially injured. I do not for a moment doubt 

 the correctness of a single observation of Dr. Leveille, as 

 far as it goes, but the circumstances under which disease 



of all kinds is propagated are so extremely variable, 



the ^mixture ot tne consistence ot cream, with front 

 syringing with pure water, though the disease )m 

 shown itself again and again, his crop has not at 

 fered.* In this case there was no question of tie 

 mildew ceasing after the disease had been establish^ 

 as mentioned by Dr. Leveille ; but the progress of it 

 malady was completely arrested, which would not pn- 

 bably have been the case had the Grapes suffered tat 

 some inherent corruption of the tissues themsdreit 

 And the experience of Mr. Boys is borne out byfc 

 testimony of the great body of Grape growers in k 

 somh of England. As the sulphur is the wdl-ascertni 

 cure of the fungus to which Peach mildew is due, it i 

 more than natural to conclude that the cause is someii* 

 similar in Grape mildew, where the effect is eqdj 

 beneficial. Salt was not found efficacious in EngU ; 

 and where sulphur is used, except in the form of vipa; 

 it must be used in substance, as it is insoluble in 

 How it acts upon the mould is not known, but dwitfb 

 some decomposition takes place, and where used a m- 

 bination with lime the sulphate of lime may act u i 

 stimulant to the vegetative powers. Possibly, * ec* 

 bination of quick-lime and Glauber's salts, as 

 mended with such great benefit in the case o 

 might be an improvement on the methods MM 



It is curious that the Grape mildew has taken a MB 

 nearly contrary to that of the Potato disease. I 

 appeared in Kent about 1 845, and is at W ■ 

 prevalent on the opposite coast of Essex and fcWJ 

 extended southward as far as Naples. Atiien»*» 

 a Vine is free, and the black Grapes appea »« 

 attacked quite as much as the wlnte varieties, 

 Vitis Labrusca suffering from its ravage! 1 «*■» 

 and midland counties of England 1^«™S 

 is unknown, and I have not heard of its appears. 



German}'. 



■sl- 



ot spontaneous or equivocal generation, he ^ 

 difficulty in these matters, or at least m 

 throwi/aside ; but as all patient inve *JP*J^ 

 which will not submit to jump hastily »_ 



c> 



from imperfect data, is against sut " " n such a* 

 be content to treat the propagation ot eve 

 bodies as Oidium Tuckeri as we dc » tw» 

 gamous plants. When a large crop « ^fr* 

 makes its appearance on lands recov red W ^ ^ 

 it is an easy solution of the *««$£** 

 plants have been generated sponta newg 

 It may not be easy to ^count far fljj 



W' 



yet the lover of truth will not readily 

 by such an unwarranted condasion. 



the Potato disease and of the Grape 



thedW 

 In the <»* 



• It i« obvious tha<- great ca 



udo^W" be eierc^l. 



Tr- 



ent of air 



kind of funrigmtkm. and tbat^a £^^V <* »■ l 

 •oon *s thTfuineY have been ^^- Q ^ 



'ration, ana ui»«. » *~— . t00 „. 

 allowed to run from the bottom to thetop ^ ^ 



it 



l.ould never exceed an ho". e\e^ ™ "^hjjjj 



Indeed, under any mode of treatra ^i; tur e of 1 «*JU| 

 a most important element. The m i f iro t x * 



sulphur was used where the flue, wer ^ dredge ^^ 



or 'run flues, it is ™commen«a »H- ?jfc jBchi5 

 suHhur ; the heat, however, must u 



sulphur. 



■«& 



t It is but fair that I shou d «a « e *.£ „ 



attribute .he disease ro the °^fig»£* 



ant observation of a ^ 

 .urfaceof hesoiU * ii,a 



himinl3j6,m;^ gprinf .J 



tf 



the electric currents « f fc th L!rrvion of a ther^ #* 

 feenled from constant observ^on^ Th ed* ^ 



20 inches below tbe surface of the | ^ 



A «,:.K him in. lOlO, *' __. 





:•> 



ines, in consequence of the or b ^ a r » 

 linuid manure, the ternperatur^ o(r ^ ^ 



bis Vi 



with liq 

 pftratively low 





in'/egard «o the us* is ^ yj* 



regaru iy -— farS i m*~ . 



mends cultivators to wa.ch , for *««$„«,, •' • ^ 

 white bloom whieh cons tttotrt MM ^ <w 

 or five day-, the cure w cert. » of the : ^ 



require greater *««£*$?,£* M *' ' 

 the young Grapes once f pi« ■ , 

 possibly be too late to do any g« 





I 



