THE DEADLY PHYLLOXERA 337 



organs. Meanwhile the root-phylloxeras multiply exceed- 

 ingly, and those on the leaves are still feeding and multi- 

 plying. From one foundress mother as many as twenty- 

 five millions are produced in six months. At last in the 

 autumn the root-parasites produce a winged generation of 

 virgin-mothers, which come up from the ground and fly 

 away to other vines, upon which they produce males and 

 females. These females each lay a fertilised egg on the 

 bark of the previously healthy vine, and so the infection 

 is spread. The root-infesting forms continue to multiply, 

 and in warm climates there is no cessation of this process 

 even in winter. 



This parasite the Phylloxera vastatrix was intro- 

 duced with some American species of grape-vine 

 brought over as experimental samples from Colorado 

 about 1864. In its native country it does comparatively 

 little harm, for the roots of the American species of vine 

 are, though attacked by it, not seriously injured. They 

 have the property of throwing out new rootlets when 

 those already existing are punctured and injured by the 

 phylloxera, and so are not killed by the attack, as is the 

 European grape-vine. 



The introduction of this deadly parasite to Europe 

 was a mere chance, due to ignorance and stupid want of 

 supervision of importations on the part of the Government, 

 such as is common in this country, though less so in 

 France and Germany part of the blind mixing-up of the 

 nicely adjusted products of all parts of the earth which 

 civilised man is always bringing about with disastrous 

 and terrifying results. In twenty years France lost 400 

 million pounds in consequence; three million acres of 

 vineyards were destroyed. Other countries Germany, 

 Italy, and the Cape also suffered. All sorts of remedies 

 were suggested and tried, such as the application of 

 poisons to the roots and the sinking of the vineyards 



