THE VINE IN SOUTHERN FRANCE. 799 



The emotion created by the ravages of phylloxera was immense, and 

 tlie French Government instituted a prize of 300,000 francs to be 

 awarded by a special committee sitting at Paris every year to examine 

 into the progress of the disease and that made in counteracting its effect. 

 In its last sitting, which took place this year, the committee decided 

 that submersion, sulphide of carbon, and sulpho carbonate of potas- 

 sium should again be recommended for the year 1884, and admitted 

 that it would be well to use American vines as " graft bearers," partic- 

 ularly the Riparia, Solon, York, Madeira, and Jacquez. It finally de- 

 cided that the prize of 300,000 francs should once more be reserved, as 

 none of the remedies so far invented were of a sufficiently effective 

 character to justify its being granted. 



As I have already remarked, there are but very few places in this 

 region which can dispose of a sufficient supply of water to make the 

 submersion system available. 



The appliance of sulphide of carbon is costly, and although it has 

 proved au efficient preventive, it does not appear to possess marked 

 curative efficiency. In consequence, the planting^ of American vines 

 has met in this part of the country with general favor, and it is ex- 

 pected that in a few yeal-s hence all the vineyards that have been 

 destroyed will be renovated by means of American plants. 



Most satisfactory results have been obtained wherever the experiment 

 was made. M. Eeynaud, our consular agent at Toulon, informs me that 

 he planted several acres of his property with Eiparia and Jacquez vines 

 on which he grafted the French varieties previously grown on the same 

 soil. After three years, he reaped 3,360 liters per hectare (a result some- 

 what superior to the average) of a wine that was in all respects the 

 same as was formerly produced by the original French plants. His 

 plantation does not suffer in the least from phylloxera, but requires 

 more cultivating and fertilizing than the French vines. 



Mildew. — It was not until last year that mildew caused noticeable 

 damage in the vineyards of France. No means have yet been found 

 out to counteract the disease. In fact very little is known so far about 

 it and the conditions under which it propagates. It has been noticed 

 that vines planted near the seashore were more liable to it, and the 

 prevalent opinion is that mildew is caused by a persistence of moderate 

 moisture in the atmosphere, which is of very rare occurrence in this cli- 

 mate, except in the month of September. As the crops have already 

 come to maturity by that time, and the disease seems to attack the 

 leaves only, no great anxiety is felt here concerning it. 



Wine-making. — The making of wine is, in the southern region of 

 France, carried on in the most simple method. A dry, sunny day is 

 selected, when practicable, for the picking of the grapes, which must be 

 ended before sunset. All the grapes are placed, just as picked from 

 the vine, in immense wooden or masonry vats of from four to six thou- 

 sand liters' capacity, and trampled under the feet of a number of men 



