32 
^'WvvuPTO.W, 
ORCHRRD J P&ND 
February, 1890. 
Conducted bt Prof. F. Lamson Scribner, 
Botanist. Experiment Station. Knoxville. Teen 
The mysterious Disease of the Vine in 
California. 
In 1887 we were in the Santa Anna Valley, 
California, and had good opportunity to 
note the characters and effects of the 
‘•mysterious” disease which was destroying 
the grape vines in that part of the state. 
It was then estimated by vineyardists that 
the loss arising from the disease would 
amount to over a million of dollars, and 
judging from the many devastated vineya rds 
we saw, this estimate did not seem exag- 
gerated. Throughout the valley there was 
not a vineyard which was not more or less 
affected. Many large vineyards of the 
Mission grape which yielded a full crop in 
1885, have not a vine left alive in them; 
others were so far gone that the owners were 
digging them up with a view to planting 
some other fruit. The wine grapes were 
the first to go and the disease was begining 
to seriously affect the Muscats — some vine- 
yards of this variety located south of the 
Santa Anna River, had already succumbed 
to the malady. 
We examined diseased vines in many 
vineyards at Orange, Anaheim, Santa Ann a 
and Tustin. The effects of the disease were 
manifested alike in both old and young 
vines in all kinds cf soil, under all systems 
of culture, and in vineyards both irrigated 
and not irrigated. The only difference ob- 
served was that some varieties were more 
effected than others. The Mission grape 
suffered first and most severely, and gener- 
ally speaking, black grapes were more af- 
fected than the white varieties,. 
By many the disease was first attributed 
to attacks of the Downy Mildew (a disease 
unknown in fact in that part of the State) 
and some went so far as to make applica- 
tions of the Bordeaux mixture and eau ce- 
leste, having the treatment of this disease 
in mind. A few claimed that the vines im- 
proved under this treatment. We failed to 
detect any difference between those treat- 
ed and untreated. The disease was 
thought by some to be due to unfavorable 
climatic influences or to an impoverish- 
ment of the soil. The "climatic” theory is 
rendered improbable by the fact that the 
disease is quite generally distributed over 
the State, having been known to exist in a 
mild form in some localites for many years, 
but more especially by its manner of de- 
velopment in a given vineyard. Here we 
see that some varieties are more affected 
than others, and of those attacked most j 
severely we may see a half a dozen vines to- 
gether badly diseased or even quite dead | 
while those all around may be but slightly 
affected — showing the disease only by a 
discoloration of a few of their leaves. 
During our brief stay at Orange we care- 
fully examined many vines in all stages of 
the disease, but with the means at our com- 
mand we were unable to discover any clue 
to the cause. All manifested the same 
characters and in all we found the ultimate 
root fibres dead, even in cases where there 
was yet a vigorous top-growth. In the 
more advanced cases the larger roots were 
often dead and frequently rotten towards 
their extremities. A microscopical examin- 
ation showed the occasional presence of 
fungus mycelium in the cells of these roots, 
but it was impossible to tell whether this 
fungus had any causal relation or not to the 
disease. It was seen under conditions that 
led us to think that it was simply a saprap- 
hyte accompanying the disease, having 
nothing to do with its cause. 
We have recently learned indirectly, that 
investigations now in progress indicate that 
this “mysterious” disease is caused by the 
attacks of bacteria in the tops of the vines. 
It may be that this is the cause, it is not 
impossible; but to assert it is one thing, to 
demonstrate it by convincing proof is quite 
another, requiring the most careful labor 
and research, The matter is now in the 1 
hands of the Chief of the Section of Vege- 
table Pathology of the Department of Agri- 
culture and together with that other “mys- 
terious” disease — Peach Yellows — will be 
pushed to definite conclusions. 
more About tliat California Vine Dis- 
ease. 
An esteemed correspondent living in that 
part of California where this vine disease 
has been most destructive has sent us the 
following interesting account of it. 
“Enclosed you will find the best history 
I can give of our vine disease. Having no 
memoranda of my observations I am oblig- 
ed to depend on memory for the facts. I 
omitted saying anything about the dis- 
tribution of the disease or the losses arising 
from it. The former is so difficult to get 
reliable information upon that I have con- 
cluded to hazard no statement where I had 
not facts to substantiate it. The loss from 
the disease is also a difficult matter to ob- 
tain, as very few have other than memory 
to depend upon. I can give my own cor- 
rectly, but to set myself up as a financial 
target for the purchasing figures to shoot 
at, alone, exceeds my courage. 
The di sease was first observed here in the 
spring of 1866. At the time of starting of 
vines that spring it was noticed that in 
many vineyards there were some vines 
which failed to start, and upon examina- 
tion it was found they were dead. Others 
started and made a feeble growth of a foot 
or two and then died. I had heard nothing 
of vines being diseased previous to that 
time, and my first knowledge that there 
was anything the matter was what I ob- 
served in my vineyard. By inquiry I found 
that others had observed the same thing in 
their v ; nevards. No one, so far as I know, ap- 
prehended anything serious. It was thought 
to be caused by some local influence; some 
attributing it to one cause, and some to 
another. 
In my vineyard I observed it in the south 
east comer, on soil as high, dry, and strong 
as in any part of the vineyard. At that 
time it seemed to have attacked only a 
single vine in a place, and not to exceed 
twenty or twenty -five, in the whole vine- 
yard of nine acres. I think at that time it 
showed itself exclusively in the south-east 
corner, on an area not exceeding one acre 
in extent; with this exception, that a few 
“old Mission” vines were scattered through 
the vineyard, and every one of themshowed 
the marks of disease, and I think every one 
of them died during the summer or fall. 
The vines generally started, made then- 
usual growth, and set a fair amount of 
fruit. The whole vineyard — with the few 
above noted exceptions — appeared to be in 
its usual condition, until about the middle 
or last of July, at which time I noticed the 
leaves on a good many vines were turning 
a yellowish brown, in stripes, and that the 
grapes on such vines were net more than 
half their usual size. This appearance was 
quite general in the locality where the scat- 
tering vines had died in the spring, and also 
extended along the east side of the vine- 
yard nearly half its length. The leaves on 
these vines nearly all dried up and fell off 
before grape picking time — Sept. 20th. The 
grapes on such vines were worthless for 
raisins, as they had developed no sugar and 
all dried up after sufficient exposure to the 
sun, on the drying beds. 
It was ascertained during the summer 
that the vineyards — mostly Mission grapes 
— at Anaheim, in this county, were badly 
affected with some unknown disease in 
consequence of which there would be but a 
small crop of that variety of grapes. I 
further learned that the disease had been 
observed there the previous year (1885) and 
that the vines showing the disease in 1885 
were dead, or nearly so, in 1886. 
The only examination and published re- 
port of the disease so far as I know was 
made by Prof. Morse of the State Univer- 
sity, in 1886. He did not discover the cause 
of the disease but attributed it to some cli- 
matic influence that would probably be 
only temporary in its effect. 
CHARACTERS OF THE DISEASE. 
The disease first shows itself in the spring, 
by the failure of the buds to start growth 
at the proper time. There is a lack of sap 
to start the buds, on the canes, that other- 
wise look healthy. If the canes or spurs 
are cut off, they are green but entirely des- 
titute of sap. Such vines often start after 
awhile, but make a feeble, sickly growth, 
generally fail to set fruit, and the leaves 
soon begin to look pale, then brown around 
the edge, then yellowish brown stripes on 
the thin tissues, between the ribs or nerves 
of the leaf. This discoloration extends till 
the whole leaf turnes brown, the growth 
ceases and the vine is numbered with the 
dead. When but slightly affected in the 
spring, the vines make a fair growth, set 
