Los Angeles daily herald., 1875-10-12
A Remedy Discovered.

of Florence were first visited by q
blight that caused serious alarm. 1t
was soon discovered the decay and
death of the vines was due to the raw
ages of a tiny insect that tapped the
sap vessels and drank up the life
blood of the plant. The infection
spread with alarming rapidity, and up
to the present time no less than four
ami a half million acres of vineyards
have been destroyed as effectually as
If they had been swept by fire. The
partial damage done to other vines ad :
ded to this makes the total loss in ex-
cess of the entire grape materials of
California. Florence has under culti-
walton in vineyards s7.0OO,OOO acres,
the average product of which ir ], ,0O0,-
100000 gallons of wine, while the
yield in exceptionally good seasons is
as much as 1,50O,O00,OOO gallons. OF
the wine product something like six
ty-six millions of gallons of the choic-
est vintages find their way to foreign
markets, realizing $60,OO0,OO0, to
which must be added 0,0O0, 900 worth
of brandy. The other four fifths of
the crop is consumed in Florence. The
destruction of so important an indus
try alarmed the nation, and the labors
of the scientific, stimulated by the Of
fers of large rewards, have been di-
rected to the subject. At every meet
ing of the academy of sciences papers
are read showing the results of exper-
iments. Disinfectants and poisons
have been tried extensively. Al
have been effectual in allaying the
depreciation, but none have extirpat-
ed the enemy. The most active poi
sons have also injured and in some in
stances killed both the phylloxera and
the vine, and left the land unfit for
vegetable growth. Tobacco juice is
deadly to the insect but the cost
of the remedy was found too
great. Strange as it may seems the
phylloxera was carried to France from
America in grape cuttings obtained
in Illinois and Missouri. A French
naturalist, M. PLANCHoN, rightly con-
sidering that study Of the insect at
its place of nativity would throw some
light on the subject, resolved to visit
America. In the vineyards of Illinois
and Missouri, microscope in hand, he
commenced his investigation. There
the ply lloxera were found; but extra
ordinary as it seemed they had not ap-
preciably injured the vines. He found
that nature had counteracted the evil
where she had created it. The vine
had not only an enemy but vigorous
defender. Nature had not left it the
prey of the little monsters that swarm
ed around its roots. An insect lion
was there to destroy. The phylloxera
says the London Telegraph rep orting
this achievment of science:
1t Is not the nestliug sparrow he pressed
into his service, but the nesting dca11Ls--a
species of American "plant Representatives,
upon the phulioIerd, hunts IL down, pursues
IL from leaf TO leaf, burrows after ii In the un-
derground lars, where it lies hid in winter,
sucking the sweet juices of the root-Seizes Ii
fastens upon II, sucks its blood as q spider
sucks fly, throws aside the shriveled carcass
and rushes offat once with Unsuitable feroclty
In quest ofa fresh victim. II is the old story
OF Columbus and the egg over again. The
thing Is simple enough. when once we know
the trick. France "a her sorrow imported
the phyitoreTd but did not with Ii at the same
time import the ucn1ts-much as Australia
has imported the thistle but not the gold
finch, the rabbit, but not the stoat and fox.
NJ, Planchon's Joy when the secret first open
ed itself 10 him-when closely atching the
infected Illinois mes, he saw the aca,7ts chas-
ing Its victim nom leaf-can be easily imag-
ined. Here at last was the wished for physi.
cian-the tiny little creature who was TO