RAVAGES OF THE PHYLLOXERA

Thames Star, Volume IX, Issue 3034, 5 November 1878, Page 1

RAVAGES OF THE PHYLLOXERA

The Paris correspondent of the Pall Mall Gazette says:—The discovery of a protection against the phylloxera has ! several times been announced; bnt that I terrible. insect still continues its ravages, setting at naught the decisions of depart* mental commissions and acts of Parliament The news from Cognac is most serious*. 1 Four cantons hare been invaded by phylloxera —Cognac, Jarnac, Segonias, and 1 Chateauneuf— and in the sixteen com- ( munes which furnish the grand champagne ; the vines only yield a tenth of what they used to do. In the Commune of Chateau Bernard, which formerly produced 10,000 barrels of' wine, there. is not a Tine un- : damaged. Fortunately the Charentes, I which are also brandy producing depart* ments, and. which gire us armagnac, ! and stili free. Bad news also reaches us from Nice and the Antibes, where the ! phylloxera has also appeared, and is being met, wi<h what success is not known here, with a preparation of sulphur. Similar tidings come from the Indre, which is in the centre of France; and what is worso still, from Burgundy. There the Phylloxera has made its appearance among the vineyard of the Haute Bourgoyne, at Mersault, so celebrated for its white Tines. The insect has even dared to venture into the experiment gardens of Dijon, thus braving science in its capital. In the Heraultthe phylloxera continues to spread, regardless of all opposition. In the Department of Vienne the insect has also made its appearance, that is to say at a point which is not connected with any other infested district. The progress made by the phylloxera is such that the extent of the viueyards in France is only a little larger than it was.:before free trade opened up the English market. This; is shown by the following I statistics. Let the reader bear in mind that a hectare is equal to 2\ acres, - and a hectolitre to 22£ imperial gallons. Before free tirade was inaugurated the vine only occupied 1,972,000 hectares,, but afterwards its cultivation spread through the Roussillon, Lower Provence, Danphinyj Guienne, &c, and in 1867 it occupied 2,314,876 hectares. The phylloxera it is calculated, haß devastated some 300,000 hectares, and so there only remain 2,000,000 in which the Tine still flourishes. In 1865 the vineyards yielded close upon 70,000,000 hectolitres of wine, and in 1869 oTer 71,000,000. Now only about 40,000,000 can be counted upon; although guch was the extraordinary yield in 1875 of the departments ,not attacked by the phylloxera that the enormous figure of 82,000,000 was attained. In the stricken districts the produce has been declining since 1869. In that year the Herault Yielded over 16,000,000 hectorhtes, now it only yields 6,000,000,. l The Gard used to supply us with 2,000,000 hectorktes, now it now it only furnishes 200,000, and in seTen other departments there is a similar falling off in the yield. lam not aware , that the statistics for lastyear have as yet been published, but they no doubt show a steady diminution of hectorlites.