DISEASES OF THE VINE. ] 575 



Vines affected with this disease continue to bear fruit 

 more or less for several years, but the production is ir- 

 regular, the bunches are much shanked, and the grower 

 at last is struck with the pecular appearance of the 

 foliage, and by the fact that the same vine always pro- 

 duces long, shanky bunches, with few grapes. The 

 diseased condition known as perforation of the leaves is 

 probably only a variation of roncet, in which the leaves 

 instead of being very acutely toothed and irregular, be- 

 came perforated or torn up irregularly over the whole 

 surface, or are reduced almost only to the nerves with' 

 hardly any blade. There is no known remedy for this 

 disease, but affected plants at least in the early stages, 

 are often cured by grafting them with scions taken from 

 a healthy plant. 



Shanking. (It. = co/atura) . The bunch assumes an 

 elongated and leggy form, with few berries, and often 

 the berries are malformed, or are not of the same shape, 

 size and colour, as in the typical healthy variety. 

 Sometimes shanking is so far advanced that very few 

 berries are left, and occasionally none at all, so that the 

 bunch dries up altogether. This diseased condition may 

 affect the bunch before the blooming of the flowers, so 

 that these drop off unexpanded, or at the blooming 

 period, but more often when the berries are setting or 

 when they are about the size of a pin's head, although 

 the disease may continue long afterwards, almost until 

 the berries begin to show colour. This disease is fre- 

 quently due to attacks of vine blight, and to early attacks 

 of vine mildew, but ma) be due also to roncet and in the 

 absence of these diseases it is ascribed to excessive 

 vigour of the plant growing in moist or badly ventilated 

 localities. This plethoric condition of the plant may be 

 corrected by frequent trimmings, at the same time 

 exposing the bunches to the full action of the sun until 

 they are well formed and the berries have reached the 



