The Phylloxera in France

Abstract

THE new vine-disease, due to the Phylloxera vastatrix Planchon, has already caused much damage to the French vineyards and wine-production. From the taxes arising from that national industry France derives a considerable part of her revenue; and this subject has consequently occasioned innumerable publications and investigations. Of the latter some have been empirical and without result; others, which were conducted scientifically, have alone been of any use. It was moreover absolutely necessary to have an unswerving confidence in exact observations, in order to persevere in making experiments which are often disturbed and rendered apparently self-contradictory by the secondary and ever-varying conditions of cultivation. These experiments have at last been crowned with success, and now there are decidedly good grounds for hope. For the last two years the public have shown a steadily increasing confidence in scientific methods.