178 
THE DICTIONARY OF GARDENING, 
VINEGAR PLANT. When fluids containing sugar 
` in solution are allowed to stand exposed to the atmo- 
. sphere, their composition undergoes considerable chemical 
changes in a short time. The microscopie spores of 
various kinds of Fungi fall into them, germinate, 
and feed upon the sugar, which they break up into 
. simpler combinations. Carbonic Acid gas is given off; 
and a quantity of Alcohol is formed at the expense of 
the sugar. If the fluid is allowed to stand undisturbed 
for some time, the Alcohol also is attacked, and is changed, 
by the addition of Oxygen to it, into Vinegar. These 
: s are accompanied by the formation, on the surface 
of the fluid, of a tough, slimy layer, usually covering the 
examining a portion of the mass, it will be found to form 
layer on layer, separable from one another, the lower 
layers hanging in a floceulent web into the fluid. The 
= microscope shows that the mass is made up chiefly of 
the translucent filaments of a Fungus, consisting of short, 
rod-like cells, end to end, imbedded in a gelatinous sub- 
stance. Some of the cells are swollen at intervals. All 
are very minute; but they are capable of growing and 
reproducing themselves, if broken off the filaments. 
Intermixed with these are various other forms of cells, 
belonging to other kinds of Fungi that grow in the 
fluid, since many kinds of spores usually fall into it, 
"In fact, it is impossible to obtain an unmixed culture 
of such small Fungi, except by the exercise of the utmost 
care. Trustworthy observations and experiments prove 
that the production of Vinegar from Alcohol goes on only 
when this mass of Fungus is present (except when arti- 
ficially effected by chemical agencies); hence the mass 
. is usually known as the Vinegar Plant. Various species 
. of Fungi have been detected in it; but there is reason 
to believe that the species which effects the formation 
of Vinegar is member of the great group of 
Bacteria. It h ceived various names; those most 
commonly used’ pg: Mycoderma Aceti, Pasteur, and Bac- 
terium Aceti, Ku It forms the greater part of the 
Vinegar Plant, and its cells vary greatly in shape, being 
(Bacterium form), or longer rods (Bacillus form), or 
filame its, as described above (Leptothriz form), all united 
by the gelatinous slime into what is often called a Zooglea. 
or at times formin 
separate patches, are the filaments and groups of cells of 
Saccharomyces Mycoderma, a Fungus nearly allied to the 
Yeast of beer. By some botanists this has been regarded 
by continuing the process of oxidati 
M. Aceti is en "sa Aga in the "ee 1 ridi, 
avings of. wood, - cover: i 
d Fungus, are put into solutions MEME sapay 
rue. end = Aleohol, such as beer, cider, sap of fruits 
"ors en y, &c. A temperature of from 'S5deg. to 
e E el found to give the most favourable results, 
h in rapi y and in amount of production of Vinegar. 
other solutions, andit escht @ In very acid wines or 
| hausted the sugars dei for its nourishment, the sur 
fac after a time, wi green, e 
| yellow Moulds (Penicillium eener 1. Sek 
e Ee . These were at one time believed to be developed. 
d m stage of the Vinegar plant itself; but the. 
must E Zeg as growing at the expense of thy 
yw it is weakened by its food being exhausted. 
whole surface, but not extending to a great depth. On 
globular and very minute (Micrococcus), or like short rods. 
A common name for Rhus 
VINEGAR-TREE. 
glabra and R. typhina. 
VINE, GLORY. 
(which see). 
VINE, GRANADILLA. 
A common name for Clianthus 
See Passiflora quad- 
aris. 
VINE, GRAPE-FLOWER. Sce Wistaria. 
VINE, ICE. A name applied to Cissampelos 
Pareira (which see). 
VINE, KANGAROO. See Vitis antarctica. 
VINE LOUSE. See Grape or Vine Louse. 
VINE MAPLE. A name given to Acer circinatum 
` (which see). . 
VINE, MILE. A name sometimes used for Peri- 
ploca greca (which see). 
VINE MOTHS. The larve of several species of Moths 
feed on the leaves, twigs, or young fruit of Vines. Some 
of them are Hawk Moths (see Sphingide), the Elephant 
Hawk Moths (Deilephila Elpenor and D. Porcellus) being 
the commonest. Others belong to the Night Moths (see 
Noctua). Of the latter may be specially noted the 
White-line Dart Moth (Agrotis Tritici), the Large Yellow 
Under-wing Moth (Triphena pronuba), and the Gothic 
Moth (Nenia typica). All three feed on many plants, 
the two first-named being almost omnivorous; and all 
of them destroy the shoots and leaves of Vines, though 
the larve differ a good deal in their habits. Those of 
Agrotis Tritici and of Triphena pronuba hide in the soil 
by day, but at night they gnaw the young shoots near 
the ground; and it is thus difficult to detect them. The 
methods recommended against Surface Caterpillars 
may be employed to lessen their numbers. The larvæ 
of Nenia typica feed, in autumn, on the upper surface 
of the leaves of most kinds of fruit-trees, including 
Vines. The young larve live in companies, packed 
side by side, almost motionless, but eating away the 
surface membrane of the leaves steadily forward, and 
leaving brown, dead patches behind them. When about a 
fortnight old, they drop to the earth, and thereafter feed 
on low plants, till the cold weather of winter makes them 
go under shelter till spring, when they resume their life 
on the low herbage. They are dull brown, with a darker 
line down the back and one on each side, and a series 
of oblique, short, white lines along the lower part of each 
side. It is easy to remove the companies of larve by 
hand-picking, if they are doing injury to the Vines. |, 
Certain of the smaller Moths belonging to the Tortri- 
cina (which see) are extremely destructive in the vine- 
yards of France and Germany; but they are seldom the 
causes of much harm in British vineries, though they 
occur sparingly in England.  (Enectra Pilleriana (called 
also Tortrie Pilleriana) has been the subject of very 
exhaustive investigation, by Audouin and other French 
naturalists, under the name * Pyrale de la Vigne.” Tis 
larvæ live in rolled Vine leaves, and are very hu ul 
on the Continent; but the insect is too rare in England 
to call for a longer notice here. An allied insect (Eupe- 
cilia ambiguella) is almost equally hurtful abroad, as the 
_larvee feed on the flower-buds and on the young grapes 
and envelop the clusters in webs, which prevent the 
"growth of the fruit, and promote its early decay. 
| insect, also, is too rare in England to be dangerous: 
The fore wings reach a little over jin. in span; they ar? 
ochreous, with a greyish streak Mong the basal half of ues 
front margin, and a broad, slanting, dark grey bar abou 
the middle of the wing; the head and thorax are ochreous. 
Lobesia reliquana (also called Tortrix vitisana and Grapho- 
litha botrana) has very similar habits to the last-nam 
species, devouring the flower-buds, and spinning the beer 
of young fruit up-in webs. In bad attacks, as much 
