186 



During the more than twenty years' struggle in France against the 

 species innumerable remedies have been proposed, most of which have 

 proved to be absolutely valueless. A few measures have been devised, 

 how^ever, which, under proper conditions, give fairly satisfactory re- 

 sults. These consist in (1) methods which avoid the necessity of direct 

 treatment, comprising the use of American stocks and planting in 

 sandy soils ; (2) the employment of insecticides (bisulphide of carbon, 

 sulphocarbonate of potassium, and the kerosene emulsion); and (3) 

 submersion. 



It was early found in the history of this Phylloxera that most of the 

 cultivated varieties of American grapevines, as also the wild species, 

 resisted, or were little subject to, the attacks of the root form (radicicola) 

 of the Phylloxera, although the leaf gall form {gallicola), which in point 

 of fact does little if any permanent damage, occurs in greater numbers 

 on many of our wild and cultivated sorts than on the European grape- 

 vines, which are all derived from the single species, Vitis vinifera^ and 

 which are so exceedingly subject to the attacks of the root form. This 

 fact was first noticed in France by M. Laliman, of Bordeaux, and later 

 by Gaston Bazille, of Montpellier, and was independently proved on a 

 more extended scale by my earlier investigations in the United States. 

 The use of American stocks upon which to cultivate the suspectible 

 European varieties has resulted in an enormous trade in certain Ameri- 

 can seeds and cuttings and now supersedes all other methods against 

 the insect. 



It was my privilege and pleasure to spend a week in August, 1889, 

 among the world-renowned Medoc and Sauterne vineyards of the Bor- 

 deaux district in France. Here, by virtue of the rich alluvial soil and 

 the ease with which the chief vineyards can be submerged, the Phyllox- 

 era has made slower headway, and the opposition to the use of American 

 resistant stocks has been greatest. Yet they have finally vanquished 

 prejudice and are, either from necessity or choice, rapidly coming into 

 general use. When I say choice, I mean that even where the French 

 vines yet do well and the Phylloxera is kept in subjection by other means 

 it is found that great vigor of growth and increase in healthfulness and 

 yield of fruit result at once from the use of American stocks. 



Without going into a lengthy discussion of the subject of wild Ameri- 

 can species, those of practical importance to the grape-grower are the 

 following: Vitis cestivalis, V. riparia^ and V. labrusca. 



The varieties derived from V. cestivalis are of value for their fruit as 

 well as for their resistant qualities, and, being easily propagated from 

 cuttings, they are very often used in France as stocks. The most im- 

 portant varieties are Jacquez, Herbemont, Black July, and Cunning- 

 ham. 



The varieties of Vitis riparia, both wild and cultivated, are, on ac- 

 count of their special fitness, almost exclusively employed in France as 

 resistant stocks, for which they easily take first rank. The varieties 



