The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-12-28
/ CRAVEN srRRET, STRAND. LONDON,
November %, 1874.

TO most important ,nQuSlry--one ZOE
which we have unrivalled advantages. l.
cannot but reflect upon what might be when
lettering through Covent Garden Market, not
five minutes walk from my lodgings. see
pears such as Virginia can produce Dy tae
thousands of bushels offered for sale at the
moderate price Of guinea each; ana they
find buyers at that price-ottener htTers,
who pay so much for the use OF the fruit to
adorn dinner-table for a party. Grapes are
abundant, but they range from eight pence
to fifteen shiinss pound. There are now
a plenty of melons in the market" Queen
Anne's Pocket-Melons," for instance, about
the size OF the smallest cocoanut, which are
sold at from three shillngs to four.and-six-
pence rs cents TO Si.l2s ) and Spanish water
melons, white or pale green. about the size
Of a good canteloupe, are sold at from two to
four shillings In fact, they have no cheap
fruits but oranges and lemons. Even APP
Piles of moderate size and guilty are dearer
than the oranges.
But / am wandering from my purpose,
which is to give our people some facts In
regard to the wine production OF France
that have just been brought out at q meeting
of agriculturaIists held at Montpelier, in
the south OF France, 10 consider the rayases
Of The phylloxeIa, which is estimated to
have caused the loss of some 100000 to
France this year.
The vineyards of France now cover five
million acres, an area equal to one-slXth OF
the State of Virginia, or about that of Pied
mont Virgins, including the Blue Ridge,
II mean the real Piedmont, from the Poto-
mac to the North Carolina line). These
FIVE million acres produce annually nifty
million hectolitreS OF wine, or about
l,100,000,000 gallons, making 40 ave-
rage yield Of 220 gallons to the acre. During
the last sixteen years the average price or
the hec,olitre (about twenty-five gallons) mas
been from fifty-one TO tifty-two francs, about
ten dollars in gold, not including the fancy
wines SO the average annual income
to France, from this industry alone, at
the price OF the COMMON wines only, saying
nothing about the brandy and vinegar, for
the last sixteen years has been over $780,
C00.O00; or yedriy. half the enormous in
demuity paid 10 Germany. 1t is estimated
that over seven millions of people Tor one.
fifth of the population OF the empire was
going 10 say, for its government Is an
anomaly, y are employed in this industry.
nearly SIX times the entire population OF
Virginia. 1t should be borne IN mlnd that
the vineyards of France occupy the billy
lands, the poor slopes and spurs Oh the
mountains-aln.oSt invariably the red lands.
70 bring into bolder relief these facts,
allow me TO present some of the mineral
statistics Of this United Kingdom OF Great
Britain and Ireland for the year 1873, that
have just been published by the officer III
charge OF the reports, that this wise and
able Government requires TO be mace 10 IL
Of production, &c. The coal mined was
bn iron In ~ 1Q9
tons. the fine and fire clay l, 1885, 900 tons,
the salt made 1,7s5,OO0 tons, the copper
mined S0,16S tons, the lead 73,5O0 tons;
these and other minerals were estimated to
be worth about 1854, 100000, or nearly
S150.CO0,0C0 less than the wine crop of
France, after handling over 100000 900 tons
of raw materials and working them into
understandable forms.
The discussion at Montpelier in regard
TO the phyloXela was stimulated by the re-
minder that The disease had essened the pro-
tits of the oignerOus this year to the extent
of from forty to sixty million dollars, and
that since its first appearance in 1864, on the
lest bank of the Garonne, this Yankee" in
WESTON Tor some Of the French say it was
brought from America in vines imported to
Ike the place Of superannuated natiyes) has
been making steady progress eastward until
it has crossed France and penetrated the
vine. bearing valleys of the Alps, and will
prove, says one of the members Of the Pollt-
ical Economy Society of Paris, more costly
than the Prussian invasion. This epidemic
fellows the valleys, but does not pass tie
mCuatap barriers; il does not attack the
vines in sandy soils, but flourishes where the
soil is hard and lean-for so, one must trans
late "compQcteS." In Switzerland II AFFECTS
most seriously the indigenous vines on al
gilaceous soils. So far as known the
pest has not entered Germany or
Italy. The doctors, as usual, when
the patient is not convalescent, do not
agree. Some say the disease is native, and
that the dreaded insect that is always found
on the diseased vine is the cause OF the dis
ease; others that the disease was imported,
and that the insect is an effect-that the
weakened plant is preyed upon because it is
weak and sickIy, as is usual with all para
sites. Experience has shown that insectl-
cides cannot check the disease, while high
feeding with manures has generally been
found to have good effect. The general
opinion OF the Congress was that the insect
causes the disease. The remedies proposed
were many. Insect-killers, it was concluded,
were of little value; ammoniacal manures
were strongly recompended; but all agreed
that some strong measures must be at once
adopted. One member insisted that when
any vineyard became affected it should
be torn up and destroyed, and that
belt Of vineyards in advance of the
diseased ones should be destroyed also
to stop its advance. If the disease is con-
tagious or infectious and imported, this isola-
tion might prove effectual in destroying it,
hrt unt,ll sheis nd
could lilly afford it now. 1t was proposed
by another that the vineyards should be SUB.
merged, and the bugs drowned out ; and
NJ. Louis Faucon stated, in support OF this
method OF treatment, that in 1860 his fifty
acres of vineyard was attacked, and the yield
fell from 20,350 gallons to ITO. He then
tried submersiop, ut iiIst irregular, then for
forty successive days.. 10 1871 the crop rose
to10,120 gallons: in 1872 to 1858, and this
yaarto 25,s50 gallops--a result highly iayora-
bic to the hydropathietreatn OF course
this cure could only be tried where there is
system Of irrigation, and all the vineyards
could only be reached at an enormous out
lay, though the result would seem TO war
rant even that.
The question came up as to what should
be done where the vines have been destroyed,
for such a business cannot be abandoned;
" siailta simtAbus curantsr," says the
homeopaih the tail Of the serpent is good
for its bite" says the proyerb; and as
American vines are accused Of having intro
duced the disease, it is found that other
American vines are absolutely proof against
1t. The vineyard of St. Cemsnt was de-
stroyed. aud American vines grated on the
old roots are doing well. In another, the
French Vines are doing well grated on
American roots. Another vineyard. de-