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First Italian lectures on phylloxera, with rare technical insights on remedies.
Rovasenda, Giuseppe
Sulla Filossera.
Due Conferenze Tenutesi Nel Comizio Agrario Di Torino. Storia - Progressi - Danni - Precauzioni - Mezzi Di Resistenza, Ecc., Ecc., Ecc. Conferenze Tenutesi Nel Comizio Agrario Di Torino Nelle Sere Del 23 Febbraio E 3 Marzo 1879
1879, Torino, Stab. Art-Lett. Torino
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Overview
In-8. Pp. 44, including steel engravings at p. 43, 44 depicting the insects.
Rare first edition of two lectures by Giuseppe, Count of Rovasenda, on the phylloxera crisis, delivered at the Agricultural Assembly of Turin.
The dedication is addressed to the Console of Putignano (himself an author on vine diseases such as downy mildew), suggesting this pamphlet, together with some others in our availability, once belonged to his heirs. A crucial document for understanding Italy’s earliest responses to the arrival of the phylloxera louse.
Inside the book
The text reflects the very moment of phylloxera’s first arrival in Italy. Citing Jules-Émile Planchon as a contemporary authority, Rovasenda traces its detection to a vineyard in Nice (recently annexed to France) after vines from Provence were planted there. He reviews the main remedies under debate (sandy soils, submersion, grafting), while emphasizing promising reports on the use of insecticides. Importantly, he stresses the need for discernment in selecting American rootstocks, noting that varieties such as Concord, Catawba, and Isabella were not equally suitable for replanting.
The lectures also map the spread of phylloxera from France into Italy, region by region. Rovasenda employs the memorable phrase “Nemo dat quod non habet” to argue that Vitis vinifera could never develop resistance on its own.
The work concludes with the “Riunione della Commissione Ampelografica della Provincia di Torino, 27 febbraio 1879,” offering a vivid glimpse into the scientific, agricultural, and communal efforts of vineyard owners and growers at the close of the 19th century.
Condition
Original blue printed wrappers; unbound (as issued). Dedication by the Author on the first leaf: “Al Chiarissimo Sig. Console in attestato di stima, l’autore”. Steel engravings on the final numbered leaf (illustrations curiously numbered 14, 18, though collation is complete; the numbering may continue from other publications on the subject advertised by the publisher on the recto). Perfect condition.
Dimensions (inches): 9 x 6 x 1/4
Why La Fenice likes it
A front-row seat to Italy’s first response to phylloxera, with rare insights into 19th-century remedies like insecticides and grafting. An essential witness to a turning point in European wine history. The Count of Rovasenda calmly lecturs fellow agronomists in waistcoats, battling pests like botanical Sherlocks while the wine world burns... with original wrappers, and a note by the author himself!
About the author
Rovasenda, an agronomist and member of the Comizio Agrario di Torino, presents here two public lectures on the devastating impact of Phylloxera vastatrix, the insect that ravaged European vineyards in the late 19th century. This is a key source for 19th-century Italian viticulture, capturing the scientific, economic, and institutional perspectives of the time.
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