DISEASES OF THE VINE. 463 



The vine mildew will rarely put in an appearance if the atmosphere 

 of the house is kept right, and free ventilation is indulged in. Locali- 

 ties, however, make a great difference to the attacks of this disease; 

 low, damp, ill -ventilated places, badly drained and surrounded by 

 trees and stagnant water, are much more liable to the attacks of 

 mildew than those gardens which lie high and dry. Free ven- 

 tilation and the copious use of sulphur are the great and sure reme- 

 dies, but they must be used at the first appearance of the disease, 

 and continued until it is quite destroyed. If taken in time, we have 

 always found steaming twice or thrice with sulphur vapour, as pre- 

 scribed for the destruction of red spider, to be a certain remedy. If the 

 fungus is destroyed, the specks upon the leaves will turn quite black. 



Then again we have what is called the rust in grapes a disease 

 which attacks the fruit, and may invariably, we thinik, be put down as 

 the result of bad management. It shows itself as a brown spot upon 

 the delicate skin of the grape. Frequently it is induced by careless 

 handling with a heated and sweaty hand, and many times we have 

 known it to originate through a man rubbing his head and hair against 

 the bunches of young grapes. More generally, however, it originates 

 in careless ventilation. Air is given in April or May when there is a 

 keen cutting north-east wind, which, rushing through the young 

 bunches, chills the tender skin and stops the growth ; then rust is the 

 consequence, and most ugly bunches it induces. The preventives 

 for we need not speak of remedies are these : Never touch a bunch 

 with the hand or hair, but in thinning or regulating use a small clean 

 stick ; or if you must touch, take a single berry between the finger 

 and thumb, and afterwards cut that berry away. Secondly, ventilate 

 cautiously in cold windy weather, and use the precautions which we 

 have previously recommended, especially perforated zinc, to break the 

 force of cold wind. 



Sometimes upon young and vigorous vines small warts may be seen, 

 both upon the upper and under side of the foliage. These are gene- 

 rally induced by a vapour -loaded and close atmosphere ; and the 

 remedy, as for most of the ills the vine is heir to, is a healthy atmo- 

 sphere, which implies proper ventilation. 



And now we come to that trouble of troubles, " shanking." Volumes 

 have been written upon this disease, but its frequent cause may be 

 written down in two words bad management ; its cure the reverse. 

 We are quite willing to admit the truth of much that has been written 

 respecting sour, ill-drained borders, and the want of activity in the 

 roots ; but, at the same time, we know that grapes shank sometimes in 

 well-drained and properly-prepared borders, and then what is the 

 cause? An acquaintance of ours had to manage a garden where 

 several early vineries had borders inside as well as outside the houses, 

 and the grapes which they had produced for years previously had been 

 nearly half shanked. The vines were fine old fellows, with many 

 branches, and had been formed upon the close-pruning system. The 

 gardener took charge in April, at which time the crops in three early 

 houses would not number a bunch to each vine. He conceived the 



