57 



In this connection there appears to be one form of disease which has been 

 responsible for a good many blanks in grafted vineyards. This disease 

 goes by the local name of " court noue." Its nature and cause appear 

 more or less obscure. The shoots of the diseased vines show abnormally 

 short internodes and general weakness of growth. Very frequently the shoots 

 instead of being cylindrical in outline are more or less flattened ; nor are 

 slight variegations of the leaves at all uncommon. At vintage time, when 

 the foliage of normal plants begins to droop and assume yellowish tints, 

 plants affected by court nou6 always carry leaves of a bright green color, 

 and this abnormal color appears to persist right up to the approach of cold 

 weather. It follows that their wood is never properly matured, and the 



View from a Country House in the Neighborhood of MontpeUier. 



correspondingly weak plants gradually die out, or at all events prove alto- 

 gether unprofitable at vintage time. I have occasionally noticed similar 

 features on South Australian vines, particularly in the case of Grenache. 

 M. Ravaz is inclined to attribute the disease to physiological troubles, resulting 

 from the influence of low temperature on relatively weak plants. 



Another disease which appears to be frequently responsible for the appear- 

 ance of blank spaces in grafted vineyards, is what is known as " apoplexy," 

 as distinct fiom " folletage." The latter disease, as is well known, is usually 

 attributed to sudden change in weather conditions, whilst, according to 

 M. Ravaz, " apoplexy " is caused by an internal parasitic fungus (Polyporus), 

 which penetrates the internal economy of the plant through the pruning 

 scars, and by giving rise to a sort of dry rot gradually undermines it. At 

 first the plant may show signs of weakness on one or more of its limbs only ; 

 the latter carry poor, sickly growth, and eventually one or more. limbs may 

 H 



