PRACTICAL PAPERS—VINE CULTURE, ETC. 321 
fine health of their peasantry, as well as their habitual gayety 
and habitual temperance. (The habitual use of whiskey has 
quite a another effect). An American gentleman, for many 
years a resident of France, and for a time a professor in one of 
the universities, affirms that the greatest longevity is among 
those people who take red wine three times a day and abstain 
from both tea and coffee. When Americans consult French 
physicians, three times in four, they are ordered to drink red 
wine as a habitual beverage; and one of the commonest daily 
events among the Americans residing in Paris is the cure of 
an obstinate dyspepsia by the same simple remedy, even in 
the unhealthful air of that city. 
The German vineyards have hitherto escaped any very seri¬ 
ous ravages from the “ vine disease.” It is met as often as it 
appears, and successfully combatted with sulphur. Three ap¬ 
plications are made, the first as soon as the berries have grown 
to be as large as the head of a pin. Early in the day, and 
before the dew is dried off, the flour is sprinkled on the lower 
surface of the leaves, where the moisture causes it to attach. 
The instrument used is a tube of tin, perforated with numer¬ 
ous small holes at the lower end, and with a tassel of woolen 
yarn attached to that end. At Rheims we were shown a large 
vine, trained to a wall, one-half of which had been treated as 
above in the spring of the year before and the other half neg¬ 
lected. The latter had, as a consequence, lost all its fruit, and 
we visited the place and saw it the following season. It 
showed yellow and falling leaves in July, and very little fruit, 
while the other portion was perfectly healthy, and was loaded 
with a good crop of fruit. This experiment was made by a 
French gentleman, who had recently returned from a long so¬ 
journ in America, and visited that country for the purpose of 
satisfying himself if the sulphur be really a preventive or 
not against the vine disease, of which he had heard so many 
doubts expressed while in America. 
Ag. Tr,—21. 
