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Eugene W. Hilgard

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Considered to be the father of modern soil science in the United States, Dr. Eugene Woldemar Hilgard was born in Germany. He used his knowledge of soil science and applied it to California viticulture. The University of California first hired Dr. Hilgard as a professor of agriculture and botany in 1875. Afterward, he became the Director of Experiment Stations and then served as the Dean of the College of Agriculture.

He published the first scientific report on phylloxera in California in 1876. The phylloxera louse is an insect that is native to eastern North America and feeds on the roots of grapevines. After phylloxera was found in Europe, it devastated 75 percent of the vineyards in France between 1860 and 1874. To combat the problem in California, Dr. Hilgard used the European method of grafting fine wine grape varieties onto disease-resistant American rootstocks.

In 1879, Dr. Hilgard recognized that California’s warmer climate differed from the grape growing regions of Europe. As a result, grapes ripened and reached a proper stage of maturity earlier in California than in Europe. Previously, growers in California had been following the grape picking schedules in Europe. Dr. Hilgard outlined steps to solve the problems of California’s grape and wine industry, such as analyzing the quality of wine based on the differences of regions for where grapes are grown, the importance of climate on grapes, and the effects of different treatments on grape varieties and the length of time for aging. While as the Dean, Dr. Hilgard influenced the 1880 legislation that established the University’s research and instruction in viticulture and enology. Once the program was created, Dr. Hilgard was placed in charge. He was also responsible for starting a bulletin series to keep growers informed of the research being done at the Agricultural Experiment Station in 1884.

Illustrations from Hilgard’s The Phylloxera or Grapevine Louse, and the Remedies for its Ravages, 1880:

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