lo May, 1911.] The Wine Industry in Southern France. 351 



invariably an important constitutent in all recent French manure formulae. 

 Latterly, much more attention has been devoted to phosphoric acid than 

 previously. Though it is removed from the soil in very much smaller 

 quantities than either of the other elements, it appears to have a far 

 greater importance than these small removals would lead one to anticipate. 

 Phosphoric acid gives tone to vegetation generally, and has a most happy 

 influence on the blossoming of the vine, the critical stage at which mis- 

 haps are frequent) v encountered, with disastrous results to the following 

 vintage. 



Phosphoric acid also appears to have an important influence on the 

 quality of the wine. It is removed in greater quantity (in the wine) from 

 high class vineyards. It is now generally recognised in France that, 

 whereas nitrogen and potash must be returned at the same rate as thev 

 are removed by crop, prunings, &c., phosphoric acid can be profitably 

 added in greater quantities. The two former substances appear to be 

 readily absorbed by the vine, the latter only with difficulty ; at least 

 such is the ingenious explanation of Coste- Floret, one of the strongest 

 advocates of heavy phosphatic manuring. 



Basic slag (Thomas Phosphate) is generally preferred to superphos- 

 phate in all e.xcept limy soils, a point of interest to us. seeing that so many 

 of our soils are pcxjr in lime. 



The importance now attached to phosphoric acid in France is of interest 

 tc Australians, our soils being poorer in that element than French soils. 



No element can really be looked upon as a " dominant" one so far 

 as manuring is concerned ; the deficiency of any single one will limit the 

 usefulness of the others just as a slow ship would retard the speed of a 

 whole fleet of which it formed part. 



Importance of Organic Matter. 



Organic forms of nitrogen are held in high esteem, especially for soils 

 in which the natural humic contents are low. The thorough tillage of 

 the ground, previously described {Journal, vol. IX., p. 201) must in- 

 evitably lead to considerable annual loss of humus during the warm dry 

 summers usually experienced. 



Climatic conditions are not favourable to green manuring, without 

 undue interference with usual cultural operations, hence this means of 

 replenishing the depleted humic contents of the .soil is but little practised. 



Farmyard manure and other organic fertilizers are thus the only sources 

 of it available. The supply of the former not being equal to require- 

 ments the latter are in great demand. The most varied substances are in 

 use. Desiccated blood and animal refuse; artificial guano, chieflv made 

 from fish; woollen rags; horn turnings and debris (preferably roasted), 

 &c. Vegetable substances of various kinds are also largely used, among 

 which may be enumerated the following: — Oil Cake; Seaweed, plentiful 

 on the Mediterranean coast and which contains (fresh) up to .55 per cent, 

 of nitrogen; Reeds {Arundo fhragmites) .43 per cent, nitrogen; 

 Branches of scrubby plants which grow on waste njcky land, such as Box, 

 Cistus, &:c. These are roughly chaffed before being ploughed in. 

 Chaffed Box has a high value; it Cf)ntains 1.17 per cent, nitrogen as well 

 as much phosphoric acirl and potash. 



Marc (pre.s.sed grape skins) contains, on an average, 1.7 1 \)vx crnt 

 nitrogen anrl .5 per cent, potash ; it is al.so userl as vine manure, though 

 rather more generally as fodder, its value as such being considerable. 



