The California Vine Disease

This is a leather-bound copy of "The California Vine Disease - A Preliminary Report of Investigations" by Newton B. Pierce. 1892; Government Printing Office; Washington, D.C. Bulletin No. 2 issued by the U.S. Department of Agriculture - Division of Vegetable Pathology. The book features 25 illustrated plates (seven of which are in color), a large fold-out chart titled "Effect of Shade on Diseased Vines - Showing the Shade Effects in the Vineyard of Col. J.A. Scarritt at Orange," and a Chart of Anaheim and Vicinity - Showing Many of the Old Vineyards Where Disease was First Noted. There is an Index at the back. Nicely bound in full leather with gilt and four raised bands on the spine.

In the early 1880's "Anaheim disease" decimated 30,000 acres of vines near Anaheim and Pomona. Newton B. Pierce, a special agent of the U.S. Secretary of Agriculture, responded to this event as the first professional plant pathologist in California. He skillfully eliminated explanations other than disease, but was not able to identify the causative agent. In the late 1880's, the disease damaged vineyards in Napa County, followed by severe outbreaks in Southern California in the 1930's and 1940's. This "Preliminary Report" documents Pierce's initial findings. The vine disease is now referred to as "Pierce's disease" after him.

Condition:
The bulletin has been nicely and professionally re-bound in full leather by "Crahan." The leather has peeled a bit at the top of the spine, the top-left corner of the front cover, and near the top-left corner of the back cover. Some shelf wear to the leather along the perimeter of the boards. Tight binding with no cracks and no loose pages. Both covers are firmly attached. The original front cover is present - it has some light staining, a piece missing at the top-right corner, handwriting in pen at the top-left corner, and an old name written in ink. Light dampstaining along the top edge of the color plates at the back. Some pages are still attached along the top edge; some of the separated pages have tears at the outer edge. Old name written in pen at the top of page 13. Tanning along the perimeter of the front end papers. There is a 3" strip along the inner edge of the rear pastedown where the top paper layer has Peeled. Overall the book is in Good condition.