28 



third grown. It is some 4^ inches in length and about Jth to f',;ths 

 of an inch in diameter of body, the tail, which slightly tapers, form- 

 ing half its length. The head is spear-shaped and well calculated for 

 burrowing purposes. At times it has the movement of a snake, which 

 possibly accounts for its name of Vipere, which is used for it by 

 natives of the Colony. It is a very curious little animal and evidently 

 stands intermediate between snakes and lizards clearly showing by the 

 disuse of its legs, a process of evolution which will probably result in 

 their eventual disappearance. 



595.-GRAPE CULTURE IN NAPARIMA. 



Mr. W. Alfred Herbert has sent us the following : — 



It may interest you and also the readers of your widely circulated 

 Bulletin to hear something of a grape cutting concerning which, on 

 the 13th October, 1902, in reply to my letter of enquiry, you thus 

 candidly wrote in reply to my question, whether a vine would bear if 

 taken from another plant before the original had produced fruit. 

 '■ With regard to the question you ask. I can only say that it is our 

 '•of the absurd and ignorant conceptions which are met with among 

 '■ those inconversant with plant life. 1 have raised hundreds of grape 

 '■ vines from vines which have never borne a fruit. There is no prin- 

 '• ciple in vegetable life to prevent a plant bearing fruit because its 

 •• forefathers were not in a position to do so. In some cases, however. 

 " vines are known not to possess the male and female organs in the 

 ■• one plant, and then it would bear no fruit unless pollen was obtained 

 " elsewhere." Upon the receipt of the above encouraging information 

 my determination to try my hand at grape culture because I was 

 persuaded that the "•absurd and ignorant conceptions" I had pre- 

 viously been treated to. were erroneous and that my efforts would be 

 abortive no longer. I set about planting my young vine which had 

 for sometime been growing in a pitch oil tin. in its permanent posi- 

 tion. It was then 8 feet in height. The soil had been specially 

 prepared on the principle that it should not be too compact or porous, 

 rather loose, being more rich than sterile. It was kept well moist 

 with a nourishing fluid corresponding somewhat with the chemical 

 composition of the vine and its fruit. It is to this preparation of the 

 soil, its care and attention that 1 must attribute the success which 

 almost immediately followed upon transplanting the vine into Mother 

 Earth. In the month of February, L90M, when the vine was but six 

 months old. it had already covered an overhead area of 154 square feet, 

 and one fine morning the bursting of fruit buds was observed. The 

 blossoms '"held" ami a few weeks later we had the pleasure of reaping 

 two bunches of purple grapes. As the branches grew older, the vine 

 continued to spread rapidly, so much so that 1 found it necessary to 

 erect a substantial arbour .'!4 feet by 14 feet to accommodate it. .My 

 partner in Life, seeing thai the available trellis had nearly all 

 been covered, suggested to me to give the vine a light pruning. 

 I was somewhat sceptical ol the results of indicting wounds on 

 so young a vine that had not yet attained the age of a single 

 summer : however, after persistenl urging, 1 applied the pruning 

 knife moderately. The effect was. indeed, marvellous. Some weeks 

 after, side shoots from the principal brunches made their appearance in 



