Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-04-19
THE VINE DISEASE.
An Interesting Report of the Late
Experiments.

following report Will Iho DuPoA NieoAo,
regard to the vine disease
GENTLEMEN-I have the honor of sub
mittipg herewith, a report of Mr.. Ethel
.bert Dowlen on the result of our investi
cation into the grapevine disease, and o
the remedies used to check it. While
our work and conclusions may not have
reached the stage of mathematical Ger
tainty, they are 30 very close to tha
stage az to leave no doubt, in my mind
that we have solved the cause of the
trouble, and also discovered at least one
remedy that will remove it. Further
study and experiments may enable us tc
find other remedies as efficacious as the
one referred to in this report. To this
end we will direct much of our future
work and study, and will report from
time to time any new discoveries oi
value that we may make. In practically
applying this powder to my own and the
San Gabriel Wine Company's vineyards,
1 have used this ordinary sulphur bellows,
familiar to all. / find that six pounds OF
the powder, used with care, will cover
about one acre Of vines planted seven feet
apart each way, and that a laborer can
powder perfectly about three acres daily,
nor should he attempt to do more. A
disclose the facts that the powder has
penetrated and filled up all the small in
dentations and crevices of the spurs and
stalk, likewise the spaces between the
dry skins and the bark proper, and
apparently into the cuticle itself. think
when the disease has badly invaded a
vineyard, there should be two appiica-
tions yearly, possibly three, to achieve
the greatest result. One application
should be made before the vines are cut,
one soon afterwards, and the third about
the middle of May, and, if after this
time, ordinary mildew should set in, this
powder may be used in place of the or
dinary sulphur. This course should be
pursued from year to year, until every
epore of the fungus is destroyed. The
penetrating quality Of the powder is due.
primarily, to its extreme fineness, and to
the force of the bellows. With all due
respect to the very able scientists in
Europe and America who are advising
the application, in liquid form, of we'll
known fungicides, when needed, my
own experience forces me to entirely dis
agree with them, and to strong
Iy urge the powder in place
of liquid fungicides. I assert that
no liquid, however carefully applied, will
penetrate where fine dust under the inn
pulse of blast of air or ordinary wind
will easily go. Every housekeeper
knows, to her sorrow, that while ordin-
ary window fittings will successfully
keep out rain, even in driving storm,
the dust will enter into rooms and cover
everything over through apertures.
Water faucets slightly out of repair will
permit the air to escape when the water
from which it derives its force can not.
Besides this, it is much easier and more
economical to apply powder than a
liquid to vines, it matters not what
means are used; and finally, and more
important than all, in the form of powder
the fungicides are more lasting in their
effects. AS your Honorable Board rem
dered me assistance in this investigation,
/ have thoughtit right and proper that
the report should go to you at the same
time it was forwarded to the State Board
of Viticulture Commissioners. l have
the honor, gentlemen, of subscribing
myself, very respectfully yours.
J. DE BARTH SHORE.
ETHELBERT DewLEN's REPORT.
Mr.. Ethelbert Dowlen makes his re-
port to Mr.. Short, introducing it by say
ing, "In view of the fact that disease has
appeared on the vines, though only to
small extent, it would be well to again
call the attention of vineyardists to the
necessity of taking measures to arrest the
growth of the spores, which are still be-
ing produced in large quantities on the
back of spurs and main stems, these
spores having been found to be plentiful
on the newly diseased leaves"
The report is as follows: During the
past week sharp lookout has been kept
amongst the vines for the first signs of
the disease on the young canes. Up to
the present, only a comparatively small
amount of disease has appeared in the
vineyard under notice. This satisfactory
state of things is probably due to the
fact that just as the vines were starting,
they were freely dressed with new mix
ture in the form of powder, which under
certain conditions, evidently has the
power of stopping the development of
fungus epores. Some of the diseased
leaves have been submitted to examina-
tion, and in each instance they
have proved to be well supplied
with fungus spores, many of which have,
begun to germinate, it being an easy
matter not only to distinguish the spores
but also to detect the threads OF my
celium, even amongst the thick coating
of hairs with which the new leaves are
supplied. The spores are undoubtedly
the same as those found on the main
stems of the vines, there being at the
present time considerable quantity of
such spores present on the spurs. Here
q it may be we'll to recapitulate what has
been done since the beginning of the
present investigation. AT the COM
mencement it was an open question as
to whether the trouble was due to (a) alb
normal climatic conditions, (b) to some
actual disease of the tissues of the vine,
or (c) to some parasite, either animal or
vegetable. The information collected
has answered these questions more or
less completely. 1t is evident now that
the climatic conditions are not the cause,
neither is there any evidence to support
the theory OF disease, whilst with respect
to the parasite theory, there has not
been found any trace whatever OF animal
parasites. There is thus only the vege-
table parasite left, and there is but little
roomto doubt put that vegetable parasite
in the shape of microscopic fungus is
at the bottom of the present trouble. All
through this investigation one particular
fungus has been met with, especially on
diseased vines. The more the vines are
diseased the greater is the amount OF
fungus present, whilst on sound and
haalthv vines there ia very little or none.