608 Jownal of Agriculture, Victoria. [15 Oct., 1919. 



produce little or no fruit, the resulting canes are also less vigorous than 

 those from the older, better matured, and more fruitful latent buds. 

 These canes would, nevertheless, provide suitable wood for the following 

 winter's pruning. 



Disbudding or breaking of damaged shoots instead of pruning 

 is often recommended. In many cases tlie ultimate result is identical; 

 it nil depends on the state of development of the frost-damaged shoots. 

 If these .are still fairly tender so that, under slight thumb pressure, they 

 break oft' flush with ihe spur Avhich bears them, disbudding will give 

 results equal to pruning, than which it is quicker and therefore cheaper. 

 If, however, the shoots have reached such a stage of woody develop- 

 ment that breaking off tears the underlying tissues of the spur, damage 

 to the latent eyes may result; in such a case it will be better to employ 



Fig. 1. 



Fragment of old wood and spur of a vine damaged by frost early in October. 

 Drawing made a week after the frost. Observe scorched and blackened tips 

 of young shoots, leaves and buntiies b, also buds which have sprouted 

 since the frost, s, s are normal buds wliich should only have sprouted the 

 following spring, s^ Sj are water shoots. Treatment consists in radical 

 suppression of damaged shoots at A and B and disbudding of all water 

 shoots. 



the secateur, cutting flu<h with the sj^ur so as to leave no eye of the 

 damaged shoot. 



Vines pruned thus often " bleed " profusely, but there is no cause for 

 alarm. The crude sap which is lost is merely soil solution ; it only con- 

 tains about 1^ parts per 1,000 of solid matter, and differs radically from 

 the elaborated sap which makes its appearance later in the season, 

 enriched by the many substances assimilated by, and worked up in, the 

 leaves, which can more aptly be compared to the blood of an animal. 



