Los Angeles daily herald., 1889-02-11
THE VINE DISEASE.
G. mArande of Pomona Claims He
Has a Cure.

Has n Cure.
For two or three weeks there have
been vague reports in the newspapers in
Southern and Central California that
Grat. Mirande, of this place. has at last
discovered a remedy for the unknown
disease of grape vines that has already
killed hundreds of acres of the most
luxuriant vineyards in this region and is
still spreading at an alarming rate. The
skill OF many of the best viticulturists
throughout California and of other States
has been baffled in an attempt to dis
cover the exact nature of the vine dis
ease, and especially to learn some
method for curing the diseased vines.
The malady has been constantly spread
ing all over the more southern counties
in the State, until in many localities
there now remain but very few healthy
raisin or wine vineyards, and reports
come from the Central California coun-
ties, where thousands of tons of raisins
are annually raised, that the disease is
now making serious inroads on the vine
yards there.
For several years the grape and raisin-
growers have tried to find cure for the
vine disease, and now we believe it has
been found by Mr.. Mirande, o. Pomona.
A representative of the Progress had a
long talk with Mr.. Mirande the other
day concerning his cure. He has for
several years been one of the most sue
cessful growers of wine grapes in this
locality, and has annually made very
large profits on his product. He was
born in France, and his family being old
and extensive vinyeardists there, he has
had thorough practical knowledge of
grape culture from his early youth.
Mr.. Mirande says that for some time
he thought the vine disease in Southern
California was a species of the famous
Oidium, that years ago ruined vineyards
throughout France and Italy. A careful
study of the diseased vines, and corres-
pondence with his brother, who has
made grape-growing his life work in
France, has convinced him that the
peculiar disease here is species of NAL
Nero, which has been a bane to French
vineyardists for over fifteen years. The
blackness of the diseased vines and the
sudden drying.up Of the sap in them is
identical with that of the Italian NAL
Nero. Mr.. Mirande further learned from
France that the vines there are cured by
spraying them with preparation of blue
stone or blue vitriol, Stacked lime and
water. The French have used this prep
aration for several years, and have met
with grand success with it. Over year
ago Mr.. Mirande began experiments
with the preparation, and he is delighted
with the result thus far. The first prepa-
ration for the spraying was composed in
this way: two pounds of blue vitriol, dis
solved in a bucket of hot water, three
pounds Of quick lime, and the whole
stirred in fifty gallons of water. This
quantity was used TO spray about one
and one-half acres OF the diseased vines,
when the buds were dormant. The
had splendid effect, and the
vines very quickly began to put
out new shoots and to show unu-
sual life. A few months later, when the
leaves had come out we'll upon the vines,
and there was no danger of harming them
by the wash, Mr.. Mirande repeated the
spraying process, and again the vines
BY new growth. He sprayed
them once more last fall, and the result
was as good as before. The sprayed
vines are now in better condition than at
any time in two years.
During the next few weeks Mr.. Mi
rande will undertake the spraying pro.
cess once more, and will keep it up regu-
larly through this year. He will make
the preparation for spraying at this sea-
son of the year much stronger than that
used heretofore. He advises anyone
who may conclude to use this prepara-
ton Of blue stone, lime and water to
exercise great care that the vines are not
sprayed when the buds are bursting
forth, or when the leaves are young or
tender, for the vitriol in the preparation
would, if too strong, kill them.
Several grape growers in different parts
of this and Son Berrardino county have
visited Mr.. Mirande's vineyard in Po-
mona recently, and have been shown the
vines upon which the spraying prepara-
tion has been used. In each instance
the vineyardists have been more than
pleased with what they have seen, and
they all believe that at last cure has
been found for the unknown and alarm
ing disease. MIR. Mirande, himself. is 80
confident of the salvation of his vines
that he will plant more this season.
Pomona Progress.