198 



Commercial Gardening 



advised by the makers. Before starting the house, grease-band the rods 

 near the ground, putting the grease on grease-proof paper tied tightly 

 round the rods; run a line of grease right round the plate and across the 

 doors, and put some round every standard and plate tie, so that no weevil 

 can get up to the leaves. See that no leaves touch the -wall as they grow, 

 and trap with leaves on the border. The writer has cleared the pest com- 

 pletely by these means. 



Shanking 1 is indicated by a black ring forming round the strigs of the 



berries or the stems of 

 part, or the whole, of 

 a bunch, and the berry 

 or berries beyond 

 shrivel and remain 

 sour and uncoloured. 

 Possibly caused by 

 overcropping, sour bor- 

 ders, and unhealthy 

 root conditions of some 

 sort. Perhaps the best 

 remedy is to prick up 

 the soil with an old fork, 

 and dress with basic slag 

 or slaked lime and avoid 

 heavy watering. Fail- 

 ing this the roots should 

 be lifted, and the bor- 

 ders should be remade. 



[w. M. B.] 



Scalding". This is 

 brought about by irregu- 

 larities in the tempera- 

 ture, and causes the 

 berries to assume a 

 AH nat. size, shrivelled or scalded 

 appearance, as shown in 

 the -woodcut (fig. 390). 



The temperature should not be allowed to sink too low during the night, 

 and the pipes should be kept warm enough for the purpose. In the 

 morning, ventilation should be given when the sun is powerful, to keep 

 the atmosphere in a buoyant state, and to prevent it from becoming too 

 hot and stuffy. As scalding generally takes place during the stoning 

 period, that is the time to take precautions against the evil. Some kinds, 

 notably Lady Downes' Seedling, are more liable to attack than others. 



Mealy Bug's (Dactylopius citri and D. longispinus). Two Mealy Bugs 

 attack the Vine. They can at once be told by longispinus having long 

 lateral and tail processes, whilst citri has short ones. They live in any 



Fig. 390. Scalded Grapes 



A, Bunch of Lady Downes (reduced); a, scalded side. 



B, Partly scalded berry; 6, scalded portion. 



C, Shrivelled berry, after scalding. 



D, Partly scalded berry; c, shrunken patch; d, seeds. 



E, Sound berry at time of scalding. 



F, Perfectly finished berry. 



