Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1917-07-28
Rare Grapevine PestFOund for
First Time in Berkeley County

! A grape pest found in America. but
which has caused great havoc among
the vineyards in Europe, where it
! was introduced in the shipment of
products, known to entomologists un-
j der the general name Of Grapevine
Phylloxera, has been. found for the
4 first time in Berkeley county. accord
ing 10 Theodore F. Imbach, special
agricultural agent for the b. & O..
+ The specimens were brought to his
! office by Mr. James H. Peer, OF
Swgrtz street, this city who found
/ on his wine grapes the peculiar vel
low spine-like formations, and was
I seeking information as the name and
character OF the destructive agent.
Mr. lmbach has supplied the follow
J ing detailed account of the grape
pest:
| THE GRAPEVINE PHYLLOXERA.
(PhyIioxera Vastatrix Planch.)
This insect has always existed on
our wild vines. yet it was not until
/ it had been introduced abroad and
began to ravage the vineyards OF the
Old World that particular attention
was drawn to it. as a vine pest or
that anything definite was known of
its habits 1t appeats in two de-
structiye forms on the vine, the one
/ forming little irregular spherical
gals projecting from the underside
of the leaves and the other subsist-
/ ing on the roots and causing ana
1 Joyous engagements or swellings
The leaf form is the noticeable one
and is very common ON our wild and
cultivated vines. The root form is
rarely seen, but is the cause OF the
real injury done by this insect to
the vine. and while hidden and usual
! ly unreeognized, its work is SO dis
astrous to varieties especially liable
( to attack that death in few years
is almost sure to result. 1T first
produces engagements or little gals
on the ro0tlets. As it extends to the
larger roots these become swollen and
broken and finally the outer portion
decomposes and rots, and the roots
ultimately die With the multiple
cation of the root lice and their ex-
tension to all parts of the root sys-
ten, the vine stops growing, the
leaves become siekly and yellowish,
and in the last stages the phylloxera
disappears altogether from dhe de-
composed and rotting roots, and the
cause of death is obscure to one not
familiar with the insect. Many cases
OF death aserlbed to drought, over
bearing, winterkilling etc, are I'M
doubtedly due to the presence Of the
root louise
The abundance Of gals on the
leaves is not an indication of the
presence OF the root louise in any
numbers, but, in fact, the reverse Of
this is usually true; while on the
other hand the destructive abundance
Of the lice on the roots is often, if
not usually, accompanied by little, if
any appearance OF the leaf form This
is particularly noticeable with the
European grapes which are very sus-
ceptible to phylloxera and rapidly
succumb to it, yet rarely show leaf
gals American grapes on the con
trary, are generally very resistant to
the root form, and yet are especial
ly subject to the leaf gall insect. Ger
tain varieties. as the Clinton, which
are most resistant to the former, are
especially subject to the latter.
DISTRIBUTION.
The phylloxera was carried to
France about 1859, OH rooted Ameri-
can vines. and has since spread
through the principal vine districts
of southern Europe, extending also
into Algeria and through southern
Russil into the adjoining countries
of Asia 1t has also been carried
TO New Zealand and South Africa.
In this country it was at first known
only in the region east of the Rocky
Mountains but was soon after found
in California, where however. it is
confined practically to the vine dis
triets OF the Napa and sonoma val
legs.
LIFE HISTORY AND HABITS.
The life cycle Of the phIloxera
is a complicated one 1t occurs IN
four forms in the following order:
The leaf-gall form (gallicola, the
root or destructive form (radicicola),
the winged or colonizing form, and
the sexual form. The leaf-gall insect