242 MANUAL OF MODERN VITICULTURE. 



It is unusual for wire-worms to attack such plants as the 

 vine, but the explanation is quickly found. The land in 

 which these Rupestris St. George cuttings were planted had 

 been in grass and hay for several years before, and the roots 

 of grasses being a favorite food for wire-worms they had 

 increased to large numbers. In the spring of the year in 

 which the vines were attacked the land was so thoroughly 

 and carefully cultivated that not a weed was left for the 

 many wire-worms still left in the ground. For this reason 

 they were obliged to attack the only living vegetable 

 substance present. Vines injured as badly as that in the 

 figure died, but the rest were saved by simply digging round 

 each vine and destroying the wire-worms which were con- 

 gregated near each vine at about the same distance from the 

 surface. 



The effect of neglecting to cut the roots which are sent out 

 by the scions is shown in Fig. 182. In the vines shown 

 there the union was good and the top vigorous, but owing 

 to the fact that the roots of the scion were allowed to grow 

 the stock failed to develop. The descending food, which is 

 necessary to the growth of the roots, entered the roots of the 

 scion more easily than it could traverse the irregular and 

 abnormal tissue of the union. Thus there was left a Virii- 

 fera on its own roots with the resistant stock starved and 

 killed. 



COMPAEATIVE EXPERIMENTS IN ROOTING CUTTINGS OF 



RESISTANT STOCKS. 



Rupestris du Lot. 580 cuttings were planted out in 

 the nursery on 18th April, 1 899. Most of those cuttings were 

 the thin tips which could not be grafted on account of their 

 small diameter. No attention beyond the ploughing and 

 cultivation given to the vineyard was given them during the 

 growing period, except that they received one irrigation and 

 one hoeing in June. The roots were nine months old when ' 

 taken from the nursery. The average length of growth of 

 the shoot was 2 feet, usually several were formed on a single 

 plant. The root system was well developed, and from four 

 to six main roots could be counted in most cases on one vine. 

 All the roots were long, strong, and tough, and grew to a 

 depth of 3 to 5 feet ; 480 cuttings had made good rooted 

 vines, that is 83 per cent, of the cuttings planted. 



Kiparia Gloire de Montpellier. 40 cuttings were planted 

 and received the same care as the cuttings of the Rupestris- 



