THE GRAPE VINE. 125 



the vinery, extending to the middle of it, called a halt, 

 and those at the opposite end bounded on their way, 

 running out their bunches as might have been ex- 

 pected. The affected half " spindled away " like 

 straws, and the bunches never ran out properly. The 

 roots were of course instantly examined, and all the 

 most fibry and active parts of them were found in a 

 peculiar half-dead-looking condition. Not even then 

 suspecting Phylloxera as a cause, the occurrence was a 

 puzzle, and some application was suspected, though I 

 knew of nothing but pure river- water and a little soap 

 that had been used in washing the wood-work and 

 glass. Notches or incisions were then cut in the boles 

 of the vines, above the surface of the soil, and a little 

 fresh loam put round them. There they soon emitted 

 strong bunches of roots ; and they made a tremendous 

 struggle for life, and sent their leaders to the top of 

 a long rafter, but woefully weak compared to those at 

 the other end of the house, and the bunches were like 

 black currants comparatively. 



As time went on, galls were discovered on the 

 under sides of the leaves at the affected end of the 

 vinery, and this soon revealed the foe that had been 

 carrying on its work of destruction in ambush at the 

 roots, and on which it was found in myriads. The 

 invader spread towards the other end of the house as 

 steadily and regularly as a fire would progress ; and 

 each vine it attacked on its onward march drooped, 

 and shed its leaves suddenly and prematurely. Before 

 it got to the extreme end of the vinery, the vines 

 there had brought to maturity a fine crop of large 

 bunches, and were showing no signs of distress ; but 

 and this will give some idea of the rapidity with 

 which the work of destruction is effected in a month 



