VITICULTURE. 



129 



continue spraying till they are as large as peas, at which time the Ji.soaso 

 ought to be got under. But if the spot still shows, the Ireutmont must 

 be changed, and Eau Celeste substituted. 



If caterpillars are troublesome, the addition of Paris gn-cu at iIk- 

 rate of a toaspoonful of the powder to every 22 gallons of the ]^>rdeaux 

 mixture will destroy them at once. The above-mentioned treatment, 

 if persisted in, will be found effectual with black spot^ Oidium, and 

 caterpillars^ and sulphuring except during floAveriug is not recpiired. 



We now come to the most dreaded of all plagues, the ])hyiloxera. 

 In this the writer had recent experience, and an o]')])(ji-tu]iity of 

 observing, all of which leads to the belief that vigorous action in 

 inspection and treatment will eradicate it in a short time. 



In this connection there are two important facts. First, as an insect 

 the phylloxei-a is easily killed ; its vitality is nothing comj^ared with 

 peach or apple aphides. Secondly, it is transmitted in the course 

 of nature only in the winged stage. Of course the insect in its 

 under-ground stage may be carried, but this can only be by either 

 wilful or gross negligence ; therefore, practically we have to take 

 measures to destroy it before it has time to reach the winged stage. 

 This can only be done by careful and repeated inspections, and when 

 found, destroy at once by application of specific in such quantity as to 

 kill the vine itself. A few hours after such an application all mature 

 insects die, and the eggs, if they hatch, find nothing but dead roots. 

 Vitality will remain in the stock, and, after a time, if not removed, 

 fresh shoots and roots will sprout. It is therefore necessary to dig 

 out the stocks and burn them. After destroying all infected vines, 

 and a belt of apparently sound ones round them, a preventive dose 

 of specific should be administered to all the vines left. Tlie remedy 

 lies in constant and vigorous inspection and prompt destruction 

 wherever the disease is found. Enough money has been spent in 

 trenching- out vineyards in this Colony to have maintained inspectors 

 sufficient to deal with all the vineyards in Australia. It is only through 

 want of knowledge of the habits of the insect and of the necessary 

 preventive treatment that it has been allowed to get such a hold that 

 no other course than trenching out remained. 



Present State of the lVi)ie Industry. 



Having shown that New South Wales possesses extraordinary 

 advantages in both soil and climate, the question arises, Wliy is not 

 the wine industry in a more prosperous state ? 



The answer is that our wine-growers have heretofore taken no steps 

 to counteract the effect of variation of season, and to produce from 

 year to year a wine that does not vary with soil, climate, and season — 

 one that will always have the same strength, character, and quality. 



In New South Wales there may be at the present time some one 

 hundred brands of wine in the market, and with few exceptions they 

 all vary from year to year to such an extent that the ordinary customer 

 fails to identify the wine, and thinks he has been imposed upou. 

 Now, this is hard upou the wine-grower who has done his best, and 

 Las produced a good, honest article, but unfortunately irregular in 

 character. 



