September 5, 2001
Ladies and gentlemen, third district supervisor, Gail Marshall, has the arrogance of Gary Condit and O.J. Simpson!Condit and Simpson hold themselves in such high esteem, they think they can walk on water, I think. Condit, who has in effect snubbed his nose at his constituents, is unfit to hold public office, and so is supervisor Gail Marshall. Ms. Marshall probably wishes she could change water into wine-that way she wouldn't have to deal with the "mad as hell" growers and ranchers up here in north county!
In her tenure she has proved herself to be no friend of agriculture in Santa Barbara County, and she has proved herself to be no friend of the Santa Barbara County wine industry.
With the current redistricting debacle, she may be held in goddess status by her minions and the wackos on the south coast, but to her constituents up here in the north county, she is a quisling. To blithely ignore Lammy Johnstone's petition on removing Isla Vista from third district, with over 5,000 signatures, proves her arrogance in my mind. We who live here in the north county portion of her third district are disenfranchised-our votes simply don't count.
With rumblings of recall going on, now is the time to act, while this travesty is fresh in our minds!
Now, on to better things.
Sharpshooter FAQ (frequently asked questions): A Q&A with grapegrower Kevin Merrill
Q: What is a glassy winged sharpshooter? A: This bug is the "superman" of sharpshooters. Of the different sharpshooters, this bug has the biggest appetite. If a human could drink the water out of a swimming pool in a day, that's how much a glassy winged sharpshooter sucks out of a plant in the same period.
Q: What plants does the glassy winged sharpshooter like? A: It likes almost anything with a green leaf. Besides grapevines, it likes citrus and avocado too.
Q: What is Pierce's Disease and what is the connection between Pierce's Disease and the glassy winged sharpshooter? A: The sharpshooter is a vector of Pierce's Disease much like the mosquito is a vector for malaria. If the sharpshooter feeds on an infected plant, it transmits the disease to healthy plants. Pierce's Disease is a plant virus. When a plant gets the virus, in an attempt to ward it off, the plant plugs off the nutrient flow, and in so doing, kills itself-it shuts its systems down in order to defend itself.
Q: How does the sharpshooter move? A: We don't have all the answers, but we know the bug prefers a climate like Ventura County and a host like citrus. The sharpshooter will not come from, say Ventura to Santa Barbara County, by itself. It will come as a "hitchhiker."
What we have to do is to guard against the movement of the bug through nursery material, like the roses that were recently brought into Los Alamos and sold at Nicky & Gloria's Pizza. The real threat comes from unchecked nursery stock brought into the county that may hold egg masses on the leaves.
Q: Can normal household pesticides kill the sharpshooter? A: No. The pesticide might kill the bug, but it will not kill the eggs. If you have any roses in question, you should call the County Ag Commissioner's Office at (805) 934-6200.
If you have purchased or received roses from Nicky & Gloria's Pizza, those roses will be replaced free-of-charge by the Central Coast Wine Grower's Association. You can reach them at (805) 928-4950.
If there is a moral to this story, Kevin Merrill told me, "This is a real reason to buy things locally to ensure the material is sharpshooter-free. Always buy from a certified nursery."
On to harvest!
Kevin told me the year is looking pretty good with good yields, and with this recent cool weather, the fruit is getting longer hangtime, better character and lower pH's. To a great 2001!
Salud
Bob Senn, a friend of the vine and incorrigible North County advocate, lives in the Los Alamos Valley and writes a monthly wine column for the Santa Maria Times.
