232 
December, 1889. 
£ 
ORCHARD 
Conducted bt Prof. F. Lamson Scribner, 
Botanist, Experiment Station, Knoxi ille, Tenn. 
Biacb-rot Replies to Orcliard A: Garden 
Circular. 
The replies to the “Circular Relative to 
Crape-rot" have been more numerous than 
was anticipated, and they contain a good 
deal of valuable information relative not 
only to the Black-rot, but to general viticul- 
ture. Returns were received from 28 States 
and Territories, also from Canada, covering 
the whole length and breadth of our coun- 
try, from Massachusetts to California and 
from Canada to Florida and Texas. We 
have not space to present in full the reports 
of our correspondents nor even to give en- 
tire the more valuable items of information 
generously furnished. The selections made, 
published in this issue, are such as we be- 
lieve to be of general interest and trust that 
our readers will find them so. 
W e gather from the returns that Black- 
rct is most severe in the Middle- Atlantic 
States and that in the region near the coast— 
particularly New Jersey, Delaware, Mary- 
land and Virginia — the season lias been so 
unusually and continuously wet that grapes 
rotted in spite of intelligent efforts to pre- 
vent the disease with the sulphate of copper 
compounds. However, there were excep- 
tions to this general failure of good results 
as will be seen by the report of Mr. Anthony 
of Smyrna. Delaware. 
In the most northern grape districts the 
crop this year was inferior in quantity ow- 
ing to a period of cold wet weather during 
the blooming season. In some sections of 
Western New York and Northern Ohio 
there was a considerable loss from Brown- 
rot ( caused by the Mildew fungus), but 
those who made early and reasonably fre- 
quent applications of Eau celeste saved their 
grapes entirely from this disease. Vine- 
yards along side those treated, which re- 
ceived no applications suffered a loss of from 
10 to 75 per cent. 
Quite a number living within the range 
of Black-rot report that the disease has not 
attacked their grapes. We can account for 
this immunity in some cases by the fact 
that the vineyards in question are just com- 
ing into bearing. The first and sometimes 
the second and third crops escape infection 
even when the disease is known to exist in 
the neighborhood. In other cases we will 
not attempt to assign a reason. 
The means employed to prevent Black-rot 
have been applications of the Bordeaux 
mixture, Eau celeste simple solution of sul- 
phate of copper and enclosing the clusters 
in paper sacks. The last method has proved 
perfectly satisfactory when the sacks have 
been put on as soon as the bloom has fallen. 
When delayed until the berries were % to 
grown the results have often been unsatis- 
factory. This system is applicable only in 
very small vineyards. The use of the Bor- 
deaux mixture has usually been attended 
with excellent results. The exceptions have 
been where the applications were too long de- 
layed, and in those sections where the rains 
were so frequent and the season generally 
so very wet as to destroy the effect or value 
of the compound. In the hands of some 
good results appear to have attended the 
employment of the simple solution of sul- 
phate of copper, but othershave, by its use, 
injured their vines considerably, the young 
leaves and tender shoots being destroyed by 
the first application. Eau celeste when ap- 
plied too freely has also burned the young 
foliage to some extent. 
No one appears to have tried the solution 
of ammoniacal carbonate of copper. We 
regret this as we would have been glad to 
have learned if it proved with others as val- 
uable a remedy or preventive of rot as it 
had with us. It is cheaper and much more 
easily prepared and applied than the Bor- 
deaux mixture and will therefore be quite 
an improvement over the latter as a remedy 
for Black-rot if it should prove as efficient. 
Another season’s experiments may enable 
us to determine this. 
Extracts from Replies to tlie Circular. 
Mr. M. J. Hopkins, of Dallas. Arkansas, 
reports that in a bearing vineyard of eight 
acres, over half the crop was destroyed 
by what he judged to be brown rot. The 
disease appeared June 10, and increased 
until July 1, when the grapes commenced 
to ripen. Concords rotted worst, Hart- 
fords next. Delawares suffered about the' 
same as Hartfords, while Norton’s Virginia 
was free from disease. Many of the berries 
which were diseased had evidently been in- 
jured by insects. No applications were 
made, but the laterals beyond the bunches 
were removed and the vines thinned so as to 
admit to the grapes a free circulation of air. 
Black-rot appeared on the foliage of my 
vines April 28, and four weeks later I found 
rot on the berries of Niagara, Brighton and 
Berckmans. A week later on several other 
varieties; none on Norton, Delaware or 
Montifiore. The most severe attack was 
during the last days of June. The season was 
most favorable for the development of rot 
— very wet with heavy thunder showers, 
heavy dews and great ranges of tempera- 
ture. I used the Bordeaux mixture — 2 
pounds lime, 2 pounds sulphate of copper 
to 22 gals, of water — making five applica- 
tions, viz : April 22, May 6 and 21, June 9 
and 28. The result was very satisfactory, 
the loss on all varieties did not exceed 1 per 
cent. 
In February I washed some vines of Ver- 
gennes and Brighton, also Wylie’s hybrids 
with a 50 per cent, solution of copperas 
with the best results, for in former years I 
hardly got any ripe grapes from these 
varieties ; they turned out pretty well this 
year. In all the vineyards of my neigh- 
bors who made no treatments the loss from 
rot amounted to 50 or 75 per cent. My 
vineyard was treated in 1887 and 1888, and 
for three years past I have removed and 
burned all diseased berries as well as the 
trimmings. I hold that the solution I used 
is strong enough to combat the disease as 
two of my neighbors who used the same 
formula had similar good results — their 
vineyards were badly damaged by rot last 
year. I am inclined to say that with this 
preparation I do not fear the Black-rot any 
more, even with the most tender varieties, 
but I would recommend washing all vines 
before they bud with the sulphate of iron 
(copperas) solution. — John Hertlein, 
Spieler ville, Logan Co., Arkansas. 
Mr. Marvin Ladd, of Uncasville, Conn., 
reports that with him Brighton rotted 
worse than the Concord or Hartford Pro- 
lific. Of a number of varieties cultivated 
the Worden did the best. Season con- 
tinuously wet. 
Mr. W. T. Massey, of Smyrna, Dela- 
ware, reports that the season was exces- 
sively wet, rain after rain during May, 
June, July and the early part of August, 
and the vine diseases — anthracnose, black- 
rot, brown-rot and bitter-rot — were all pre- 
sent. Rose bugs were thick during the 
first two weeks of June and destroyed the 
bunches to such an extent that there were 
not enough grapes left to justify spraying. 
Bordeaux mixture (6 lbs. sulphate of cop- 
per, 6 lbs. lime to 22 gallons of water) to 
which London purple was added, at the 
rate of 6 oz. to 50 gallons of the mixture, 
as a specific against the rose bugs, was ap- 
plied to part of the vines twice and to the 
rest three times, viz: May 21, June 1 and 
June 20. The mixture had no effect on the 
bugs, and as to preventing the rot the 
applications were apparently without re- 
sult. Between the rose bugs and rot “the 
grape crop for 1889 was a total failure.” 
Mr. Massey says: “One vineyard I know 
had no rose bugs ; the vines were washed 
■arly in the spring with sulphate of iron 
solution, and as soon as the foliage started 
the Bordeaux mixture was used often and 
plentifully. Result : one-half a crop. This 
vineyard was also sprayed twice in 1888.” 
Mr. L. E. Anthony, of Smyrna, Dela- 
ware, states that his grapes commenced to 
rot about June 3, with a second period of 
attack July 12. The season was very wet. 
He sprayed his vines with the Bordeaux 
mixture (6 lbs. sul. cop., 6 lbs. lime, 22 gals, 
water) five times — May 21, June 3 and 24, 
July 3 and 15. “The result was good con- 
sidering the very wet season,' 1 sometimes 
the mixture would be washed off before he 
got through spraying. Mr. Anthony goes 
onto say, “Last year I had 240 lbs. of grapes ; 
this year I had 3,100 lbs. I have 1,400 vines, 
— Moore’s Early, Martha and Agawam. 
Martha rotted worse than the others named. 
A row of Moore’s Early (19 vines') which I 
did not spray had 27 lbs. of grapes ; the 
