DISEASES OF VINES 97 



in this manner. " Shanking " may be accounted for in 

 this way : The vines, being in an unsatisfactory state 

 at the roots, consequent upon bad drainage and 

 unsuitable compost for the vines to establish their 

 roots, therefore, at the critical moment the supply of 

 sap passing between root and branch gives out i.e. 

 is inadequate to the demands of expanding leaves and 

 developing bunches and consequently the stems, some- 

 times half way up the bunch from the point, become 

 discoloured and shrivelled. If such vines are heavily 

 cropped, of course it makes matters worse. In short, 

 strong, healthy vines, with a network of hungry roots 

 pushing into congenial sustaining soil, and judiciously 

 cropped and cared for, will not shank in the bunches. 



IVasps and Flies are very troublesome when the grapes 

 are ripe. These may be caught in narrow-necked bottles 

 or glasses specially made for the purpose, nearly filled 

 with sweetened beer or treacle, and suspended among 

 the vines. A good old-fashioned, most effective and 

 simple means of saving all kinds of fruit, from the 

 grape to the gooseberry, from the ravages of wasps 

 and flies, is to place one or more pairs of ordinary hand- 

 glasses, close to the positions to be protected, on three 

 bricks, with some damaged fruit underneath as a bait. 

 Make a small hole in the top of the cover, and then 

 place another hand-glass (frame and cover) over the 

 first, setting it on a little moss to insure its fitting 

 well on the lower one. The insects, being attracted by 

 the ripe, damaged fruit placed therein, enter through 

 the openings afforded by the bricks, and in due time 

 pass through the hole in the top of the inner glass 

 into the outer one, in which, being air-tight, they 

 perish. 



OF THE 



G ( UNIVERSITY ) 



