The herald., 1896-08-29
Mr.. HAYNES Inconnetence

hif. hafnt tHcoitncteNce
We are indebted to the California Fruit
Grower for the following report of the
grape growers meeting at San Jose:
"A considerable number Of persons in
terested in viticulture in this county as
sembled on Saturday to listen to the ad-
dress by Mr.. A. L. Hayne, instructor in
viticulture at the University of Califor-
mia, on the best mode of combating the
ravages of the phylloxera lately dscov-
cred in so many Of the vineyards west
of this city. Mr.. Haync laid before the
meeting table, printed in large char
actcrs, showing how long a vineyard
must be kept submerged by water to
drown out the insects; the period vary
Ing, according to the permeability OF the
soil, from fifty-tive to 105 consecutive
days. The water, too, must be at least
three feet deep al over tn surface OF the
vineyard to do the required good. The
necessary daily supply TO compensate
for loss by seepage and evaporation
was also given with great accuracy AS
the vineyards represented are on the
foothills from 150 TO 200 feet above water
level, this mode of ejecting an unWel-
come guest did not appear to the audi
ence very promising.
Mr. Hayne then spoke of gas lime as
an antidote or remedy, but before going
far with this branch of the subject he in
quired whether lime was used in the
purliication of gas in San Jose. A per-
son in the audience responded in some
what sepulchral voice No gas lime in
San jose which ended that chapter.
The speakers next method was to
light the pest with blsulphide of carbon,
and this was the method he recommend
ed. The mode of application was to in
troduce the liquid bsulphide into the
soil foot or so below the surface by
means of an injector, which he de-
scribed, where it would vaporize and its
fumes. spreading outward and down
ward. would kill the roots of the vines
and many of the infesting insects. after
which the infected places could be
planted with resistant stocks already
rooted and grated, Or with rooted re-
Sistant cuttings for future grating. lie
here paid his respects to Prof. Hus-
mann, who. as he said lately in the Ru-,
raj Press advocated letting the vines
die natural death. and then replant-
ing the whole vineyard at once so as to
have uniform growth. This policy the
lecturer ridicued as eXtraVagant and
wasteful, although if any one present
felt that he could afford to wait till
his whole vineyard was destroyed and
then replant 1t all at once, there was no
objection to his trying the experiment.
He thought himself the preferable way
was to treat the infested parts with
carbon bisulphide. and after this had
done its work by killing the vines and
numerous insects. to dig up and burn
the dead vines To dig them up before
killing them would probably bring liv-
ing insects to the surface and scatter
them over the neighboring soil. To an
inquiry as to the quantity of bisulphide
necessary for the treatment proposed
he replied that eight ounces per square
yard would. he thought, be sufficient
Some one then demanded the number of
square yards in an acre, and II was pres
entity pointed out that the treatment
proposed would call for 2420 pounds of
bisuphlde per acre, which lat cents per
pound. would cost $193 per acre for ma
terials, independent of the expense of
application. Here the discussion among
the audience became so animated that
the lecture was for some time interrupt
ed. until the chairman called to order
and requested the gentlemen present to
withhold comment until they had first
exhausted all the information the lec-
turer could furnish, after which they
could discuss the questions of economy
among themselves while their visitors
returned home on the train
Order having been secured, the lee
turer proceeded to discuss resistant
stocks and replanting. He presented a
long list of vines with a statement Of
their relative powers of resistance to
phylloXera adjusted to a scale of 20
as maximum. This he said, was
compiled from the experience of France.
Italy, Germany, etc. OF the riparia
which had been most largely propa-
gated Tor resistants. he stated there
were 150 varieties, some of which were
better, some worse and many worth
less; but to an inquiry for the names
or the really resistant varieties of the
riparia he regretted that the boy who
had packed his illustrations for the lee
ture had left that list out and put in
these lists of vines of inferior resistance
Without his list he could not give the
names, but he agreed to furnish them
Tor publication to the secretary AS to
grating and replanting after the stocks
mad been selected, he advocated roofing
the cuttings in the nursery, and al the
end of the first or second year taking
them up, grating them on the bench,
ehu returning them to the nursery rows
Tor another year before planting out.
He preferred this method, using stocks
apout the size of his little finger, rather
than field grating, where much time
was iost IN moving from one stock to
another. This opinion elected dissent
from practical men present, and mors
discussion arose, after which Mr.. Hayne
retlreo from the platform and was sue
t, teeuso py Mr.. Woodworth, who lee
tured on the phylloxera from an ento.
mological point of view"
That this address of Mr. Havno
clearly proves his Incompetence and his
Unaplhty to advise practical men we
tnlnk tnere Is no question. His lack
is painful Eor
instance, he says that the s,,hmors;o,,
ior phyiloxera must be carried for S
TO ioo consecutive days. Valery Mayet,
an acknowledged authority, places If
ut 25 to 40 days. fees IL
Mr.. Hayne says that the water must
be at least three feet deep all over tbe
vineyard. Mr.. Mayet places it t abont
twenty-five centimeters or one-fourth
OF meter, or about ten inches.
Finally, after discovering that sub-
mersion is generally impracticable in
the Santa Clara valley vineyards. the
vines being located on hillsides. Mr.
Hayne proposed the extinction treat
ment. That is to say, he recommended
that all the vines in an infested spot be
killed by bisulphide of carbon at a cost ,
OF $193 per acre, before they were rooted
up and new vines planted
Could anything be more absurd? How
many vineyardists are there in the state
whose vines are attacked by phylloxera
who can afford to spend the modest sum
of 1888 per acre for destroying vines be-
fore replanting with resistant vines?
The fantastic idiocy Of this proposition