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die back completely. In other cases the plants die back altogether without 

 much previous warning. The presence of the parasite may always be detected 

 by examining the layers immediately below the bark of any affected portion 

 of the plant ; the latter will always show an abnormal brown color. This 

 disease I think I have also noticed occasionally in South Australia, par- 

 ticularly in the case of vines that had been grafted. Beyond replacing 

 weakly and dead plants there does not appear to be much that can be done 

 to check the disease. 



" Brunissure," or the formation of brown discolored patches on the leaves 

 of not only vines but of other plants as well, which was formerly attributed 

 to the action of an internal parasite, M. Ravaz believes to be the result of 

 over-production of fruit by the plants ; the leaves, when this is the case, 

 are apt to be more or less sickly and weak, and as such liable to be burnt 

 up by the rays of the sun. 



When a new grafted vineyard is established, M. Ravaz asserts it to be 

 the usual practice in this district to plant out ungrafted American vines, 

 and to wedge-graft the latter in the succeeding year. Nurserymen, of course, 

 prefer to sell ready grafted plants for the purpose. Whilst in the neighborhood 

 I had occasion to admire several beautifully planted young vineyards in 

 their first leaf. There was hardly a single blank to be noted, and the growth 

 for first season growth was magnificent. 



In the immediate neighborhood of Montpellier are the well-known Richter 

 American Vine Nurseries. From the latter have been drawn many of the 

 American vines now being planted in Victoria. These nurseries are very 

 extensive, putting out between 2,000,000 and 3,000,000 grafted plants yearly. 

 Their general health and appearance was, on the whole, good, although 

 fungus diseases had proved very troublesome this season. The cuttings 

 are bench-grafted, and when grafted average about 12jin. in length the 

 scion is allowed only one eye. These grafted cuttings are planted out as 

 closely as possible together in rows 15in. to 16in. apart ; they are then heavily 

 mounded up, and continue in this condition until the shoots of the scions 

 are about 4in. in length. The mounds are then levelled down, with the result 

 that wherever the union between stock and scion is weak the plants die, 

 whilst the sound unions are hardened by exposure to the weather. Many 

 plants die out in this fashion, and from the action of other causes, with the 

 result that at the end of a season very rarely more than 50 per cent, to 60 per 

 cent, of sound rooted plants are secured. 



Trench ploughing is the usual practice here prior to planting out a new 

 vineyard. I had occasion to see a 10-horse team harnessed two and two 

 on a single-furrow plough at this kind of work. They were turning over a 

 furrow 17in. to 18in. deep. 



It is curious to find the value of soil tillage questioned in a country in which 

 it is usually practised with unusual thoroughness ; such, nevertheless, appears 



