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Paper short abstract:

This paper studies fertilization as a mechanism to improve Cape colonial vineyards in the wake of phylloxera in the late 19th century. I focus on scientific exchanges occurring within and outside the boundaries of empire, and how the diffusion of such ideas posed harmful impacts at the local level.

Paper long abstract:

In January 1886, the vine disease phylloxera was spotted in a vineyard in the Western Cape. Although the insect had ravaged vineyards globally since the 1860s, its discovery in South Africa initiated greater attention into the ‘science’ within viticulture. Colonial committees made up of Afrikaners, British, and other Europeans were commissioned to survey vineyards, investigate best cultivation practices and ultimately, find a method of eradicating phylloxera. Here, the environmental crisis served as a moment to reconsider the ‘science’ of colonial winegrowing and implement 19th century ideas about agriculture. The use of fertilizer in vineyards was given newfound attention with phylloxera’s introduction, as it was believed that manuring vines would work well in combination with pesticides to limit or even prevent phylloxera’s devastation and conserve the empire’s vineyards. While bone meal had been touted as an effective fertilizer (amongst many other materials), at the Cape Colony, some scientists advocated for the use of human bones from the local prison stations, made up predominately of incarcerated persons of color. This paper dissects the consequences of the mobility of scientific knowledge, in its global iterations and local experiences, while framing the use of human remains as fertilizer as a violent and racialized colonial practice.