15 



continue by cutting out all the inner berries, next all the small 

 berries, and then the side berries The expert hand will cut these 

 off two or three or more at a time, not singly, as the hesitating, 

 unpractised hand will do. The time that is occupied in thinning 

 grapes is very great, but it must be given to the operation if good 

 grapes are desired. 



" With large bunches it is frequently desirable to tie the shoulders 

 up, and so spread the bunch out, or loop them up to the trellis with 

 S-shapen pieces of thin wire of the requisite length. Care must 

 be taken not to make the bunches too thin ; loose spreading bunches 

 are objectionable and easily damaged. They should be so thinned 

 that when ripe and cut the bunch or cluster may remain firm and 

 compact, whilst every berry has been allowed to develop itself 

 freely to its full size. 



"Very expert hands may be able to thin a bunch properly atone 

 operation, but, as a general rule, they require to be gone over twice 

 before the stoning period, and once after, during what is termed 

 the ' second swelling,' in order to remove all small berries, and 

 otherwise regulate the bunches. 



" In the great grape-growing establishments the greater part of 

 this work is performed by women and young persons who are 

 nimble with their fingers." 



DISEASES OF THE VINE. 

 Diseases of the Vine may be conveniently classed into :— 



(i) Those directly traceable to the action of parasitic fungi. 



(2) Those directly traceable to the action of injurious insects. 



(3) Those for which neither fungi nor insects offer a sufficient 



explanation. 

 The second class of diseases we propose on this occasion to 

 pass over. 



FUNGUS DISEASES. 



Anthracnose. 

 (Sphaceloma Ampelinum, De Bary.) 



Description — This is a fungus which attacks all parts of the 

 Grape Vine, but most commonly the berries. The name, anthrac- 

 nose, means coal-disease, the disease is so called from the dark 

 colouration of the affected parts. 



When it first attacks the berries, circular brown spots are 

 noticed, with a somewhat sunken surface, gradually enlarging in 

 size. If there are several spots on the berry, they grow into one 

 another, forming a large patch with an irregular line. As the 

 disease progresses the skin of the centre spot may form a scab of 

 a lighter colour — grayish and sometimes with a band of vermilion 

 colour outside the centre. 



