The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-09-12
CAUSE OF VINE DISEASE,
Views of the VitiCulturiSt OF
Experimental Station at
Berkeley.
PARASITES DO THE DAMAGE
Wetmore's Theory That Alkali
Causes the Anaheim Disease
Discussed.

The California vine disease has caused
such widespread ruin in the vineyards OF
the State, having devastated $4,000 acres
since its first appearance, that anything
bearing upon 1t is OF the greatest practical
interest to vine-growers as well as scien-
lists. The latter are especially interested
in it, as 1t has thus far baff1ed the best OF
them in Europe as well as in America.
Hence it was that the synopsis Of the re-
port of the special agent. Newton B..
Pierce, of the Department of Agriculture
at Washington, which was telegraphed to
The CALL recently, has caused the live
lest interest and anticipation on all sides.
OF such importance is the question that
the chief executive officer of the VIII
cultural Commission gave the public his
explanation of the whole trouble.
On being shown the article by Mr.. Wet
more, attributing all the trouble to what
he calls ''aIkali poisoning, Professor Hill
gard laughed and said: II have no time
to waste in answering such absurd theo-
ries. Go to Mr.. Hayne, who is the viii
culturist, and he Will explode the theory,
which is only important from the harm
it may do if let alone" Mr.. Hayne said:
So far as 1 understand the Wetmore the
DRY the "Anaheim disease" is due solely
TO alkali This is absurd. Why, in 1884,
when this disease was first investigated, the
elkah theory was exploded by all VINO serl-
ously studied the trouble. The special report
of F. ". Morse of the university, published in
1886, eXplodeS this theory.
What is said about the possibility of alkal
having risen to the surface in 1884 is true
enough Only the fact remains that the alkal1
did not come to the top. This Is clearly shown
from the analyses made at the time and subse-
quently. So you see that this part OF the story
falls to the ground.
What is said about the rotting of the roots
OF some vines al Livermore that were in can
undrained basin" is ridiculous, for alkaH never
rots the roots in this way; butwhen it comes to
the top corrodes the bark at the root crown and
does not affect the roots at all. This Totttng of
the roots OF vines in water-logged soil has no
bearing on the case whatever.
In order 10 appreciate the wild guess work
that must have been resorted to in framing
this theory, let me say that in certain vine
yards in Fresno, Tulare and Kern counties,
where the vines have been Killed from the
effects of alkah or the ''rise of alkali' TO the
surface ito which the savant executive officer
attributes the Anaheim diseased, the symptoms
manifested by the vines were totally different
from those shown by vines killed by the
Anahelm trouble. Moreover, we have shown
by actual analyses OF the soils in question that
at certain vineyards at Tulare, Fresno and
elsewhere, where the vines have been doing
splendidly for many years, there is ten times
the amount of alkah in the soil than at Ana
helm or Pomona, where the Anaheim disease
kills the vines. II then alkal1 really were the
cause of the Anaheim disease, why has it never
manifested itself in soils that contain from the
same amount OF alkali TO ten times or more
the amount as where the vines perish?
! have heard a great many explanations as
to the cause of the Anaheim disease, but l do
not think l ever heard one SO absurd as this
one.
Thus far no one knows the cause OF the
Anaheim disease, and some OF the best Vege-
table pathologists of the world have worked
it. The consensus of opinion, however,
seems to be that it is due to a parasite. Pro-
lessor Pierre Viala of the Institut Agronom-
ique at Paris, who has furnished the world
with the most valuable work on vine diseases
ever published, has studied the disease here in
California and attributes it to a parasite
closely related to the disease known in Europe
as the ''Brunlssure, due to q parasite known
TO scientists as the ''Plasmodiophora Wits"
Messrs. Viala and Sauvageau agree in attrib-
uting the California disease to the "Plasmo-
diophora California; which differs slightly
from the Pl. Wits. Whether this be correct
or not we cannot say as yet. Certain it is that,
TO any one with the slightest knowledge of
vegetable pathology, the Anahef1n disease is
due TO parasites and not to poisonous effects of
alkaii. Why, alkal, deprived OF the carbonate
of soda and chloride OF soda, is largely in this
State as good plantfood many commercial
fertilizers; but even with these two salts the
effect on the vine is totally different from the
the effects of the Anahelm disease.