The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1890-06-03
FaTAL TO THE FINES.
a Peculiar Blight Upon the Vineyards 81
Southern California

| Southern California.
There is something wrong in the VINEYARDS
Of southern California For four seasons the
grape growers have met with heavy losses. A
disease sudden In It's coming, swift in its
| working, and fatal in its results has attack cd
the vines. 1t has not been the phylloxera or
any other thing that Niticulturlsts are acaualnt-
! oil with. III were. the wine mon would not be
as uneasy ms they are to-day. 1t ia something
! as mysterious as It is disastrous. State OK
/ perts and investigators from the Department
OF Agriculture. and even Pasteur have studied
| and examined the leaves. tho bunches the
| soil, confident OF ilDding some new microbe or
| other strange cause of tho death OF the vines,
| but they have all failed utterly to discover any
| explanation. Old vineyard mon, wine growers
! from France and Germany now interested in
the California business. say that such n state
oil affairs as exists In southern California has
never been known by Thorn before either there
or In any other wine country.
The trouble prevails in the San Rernardino
| valley This Is a fertile region running from
the coast some sixty miles UP toward the foot
hills OF the mountains Los Angeles Is its best
known town. Hitherto the district has pro-
duced some Of the best grapes grown in the
state. Vines covered every acre. and the yield
has been enormous. From time to time somo
slight affection OF the fruit made portions OF
losses of that kind which growers expect oven
In Germany and France and Spain. Until four
seasons ago the prospects OF southern Califor-
MIA. in fact OF tho whole State. were so good
that owners OF land felt happy bout tho future
OF American wine. Since then they have gradu-
ally lost their confidence. AMI now those in the
lower part OF the State are giving UP their
grapes and turning to the development of
oranges, olives, and her fruits.
Charles Stern. a pioneer in this city in the
California wine trade has been In California
several times within the last four years. and
has seen the ravages committed by the
mysterious something upon the grapes. 1T
has always happened in July" he said. land
1t has always been curious to watch. The
grapes are rich green color one afternoon.
and the next morning they are a sckly yellow.
Then they shrive up and die. The change all
comes within twenty four or forty eight hours.
First the vines near the seacoast we're
blighted. then those further inland and 30 on
gradually to the upper end OF the valley. At
first the growers saw nothing In the mis-
fortune to threaten severe disaster and there
was no great fuss made about It,
But each year the case has become
worse and worse. Little or nothing
has been published about it in California for
plain reasons. but there's no use denying the
existence OF these conditions any longer. 1t
isn't anything which affects the value of the
land. for other things may be grown in the soil
II We are compelled finally to believe that
grapes can no longer be cultivated in the lower
part OF the state. The annoying thing is that
we cant tell where the trouble l. going to stop.
The San joaquin valley is north of the Los
Angeles region. and there arc rumors that
that extensive territory is affected. The grow
ers there deny the stories. however. and we
cannot tell what tho truth Is for another sea-
son or 3d."
Mr.. Stern says that the owners OF the vine
yards first tried to settle among themselves
the nature OF tho blight. They could not COM
prehend 1t, though. nor could the exports who
were aiterward called. Specimens OF the
grapes before and after the visitation OF the
plague were sent to Pasteur. but he did not
solve the problem. The Californians then con
clud"d that there was something hurtful in
tho breeze blown in from the ocean. They
basod this upon the fact that the destruction
first occurred near the coast and advanced |
regularly from the seashore But Mr. Stern
says that this wind from tho ocean has blown /,
upon the valley constantly for years and years,
and he doesn't see why that alone coul cause |
trouble to-day and not have done so long be- |
fore. With phyllOXera you may uproot and |
replant with vines that are proof against phyl- !
loAera. Nothing has been discovered to pre-
vent this trouble or make u vine good after it
has been attacked.
when was there last summer" said Mr..
Stern, 1T was estimated that the Nadeau Vine
yard of 1900 acres would yield $500 tons. All
that 1t has yielded Is 2.70O tons The prospects
are SO bad now that they don't know whether
hey will try to raise grapes FOR the next season
Gen. Stoneman promised from his vines 400
tons. All that he was able 10 give us WAS 76
tons. vineyard ut Downey promised 600
Ions. All we got was 100 tons So it has been
10 many other cases that have come under my
personal notice. Vineyards that four years ago
gave from GO to $40 tons OF GraueS have not
given n bunch for two years. The only thing
10 do that | know OF is to let matters move
along Just as they are Perhaps it may pay to
ct the land lie Idle for few years and then
plant. 1t would not pay to replRnt now. ludg-
ng from the experience OF L. J. Rose, "A grower
IN tho San Gabriel district. He had 10 acres
hat were tho pride of the district There is not
\ vine left there. He planted a new vineyard.
aud it Is now hall gone"
waste NO WATER.