22 A TREATISE ON THE 



as follows : Mix sulphur with water to the consistency of 

 paint, and take a brush, made from shreds of Russian matting, 

 which is soft, and leaves more of the mixture on the vine than 

 one of bristles ; with the wash paint the whole of the wood, 

 footstalks of the leaves, and the stem of the upper part of the 

 bunch, all of which can be done by a careful person, without 

 doing any injury to the fruit. At the same time wash the 

 interior walls of the house with hot lime, mixed with an equal 

 quantity of sulphur : keep the house for a few days rather 

 close. The effect produced on the vines from this treatment 

 was evident in a few hours ; the mildew was completely 

 checked, nay, cured, and the result was as fine a sample of 

 beautifully-coloured and well-swelled fruit as could be wished 

 for. The wood was also in excellent condition, and the 

 foliage perfect to the last. As a further proof of the efficacy 

 of this plan in making a perfect cure, I will instance a house 

 of grapes, some in bloom, and others as large as peas, in the 

 first week of November, 1850. These were attacked in the 

 same manner with mildew, and treated precisely as the others, 

 and with the same successful result. My opinion is that, in 

 applying the sulphur to the wood as recommended, the strength 

 of that powerful agent is imbibed into the pores, and it 

 consequently acts on the whole plant to which it is applied, 

 and enables it to repel the evil effects of the outward air. The 

 washing of the walls also, in a great measure, purifies the 

 internal atmosphere. It will at once be acknowledged how 

 infinitely preferable this method of applying the sulphur is to 

 the way in which, in many cases, I have seen it used, where 

 the bunches were entirely covered with it, not only giving the 

 fruit an unsightly appearance, but in reality making it unfit 

 for table. 



