96 
REPORT. 
The attacks of the disease seem to be confined to bearing vines three 
or more years from planting. So far as known, it has occurred, during 
the past season, only in the grape-growing districts of westermNew 
York, and is now present in Niagara, Wayne, Cayuga, Seneca, Steuben, 
and Ontario Counties. While it may be presumed that the same 
trouble exists in the intervening counties, and, perhaps, in other sec¬ 
tions along the Great Lakes, it has not been definitely reported from 
these localities. This year the disease appeared simultaneously in the 
different districts soon after September 1, and in most of them for the 
first time, but in one locality, Ontario, Wayne County, it is reported to 
have appeared for the first time two years ago, when it did considerable 
damage. One vineyard was observed which was previously affected, 
and in this the area diseased this year did not appear to be entirely 
coincident with the portion worst affected two years ago. 
CHARACTERS OF THE DISEASE. 
Small irregular blotches of a dark color appear between the veins, 
these enlarge rapidly, darken to a dull purplish or reddish brown and 
coalesce so as to fill up the space between the veins which remain green 
or yellow. These changes occur so rapidly that the foliage seems to 
change color suddenly. The contrast between the green or light yel¬ 
low veins and dark purplish brown of the intervening tissues gives a 
peculiar streaked appearance to the leaves. In the most serious cases 
they curl up, become dry and brittle, and finally drop from the vine, 
leaving it nearly bare. 
The berries borne upon diseased vines, almost without exception, 
have a fiat, insipid, and often intensely sour taste, due to the fact that 
they are only partially ripened. When the attack is severe the berries 
drop off, and the ground beneath a diseased vine is often seen to be 
covered with half ripe grapes. The berry is found to part from its ped¬ 
icel taking with it the fibers which enter the interior of the pulp and are 
normally withdrawn from it when the berry is pulled off. After the 
crop has been harvested, also, the bunches are found to u shell” badly, 
ruining them for market. 
The roots of diseased vines, when carefully examined, fail to show a 
healthy growth of young feeding rootlets. When the roots of healthy 
and unhealthy vines are compared, although as is to be expected late 
in the season (October 20-125) the fibrils have many of them dropped 
from all vines, the difference in favor of the healthy vines points quite 
plainly to the fact that root absorption has been stopped earlier where 
the disease is present. This early stoppage of the action of the rootlets 
may account for the peculiar coloring of the leaves and failure of the 
canes to mature their wood. 
