194 THE SMALL COUNTRY PLACE 



not sweeter. It contains more sugar than the fruit from 

 ungirdled vines, but this is not apparent to the taste, as 

 the acid is more soluble than the sugar. The part of the 

 vine girdled must be cut entirely away before the next 

 year, as it would make a very slow growth, if any, and 

 we must therefore grow sufficient new vine back of the 

 girdled part to supply canes for the next season's growth. 



Insects and Fungous Pests. 



There are many insects which attack the grape, the 

 most troublesome, perhaps, being the "rose bug." This 

 pest comes out of the ground about the time the vine 

 blossoms and feeds upon the blossom clusters. It 

 works in pairs, a single one of which will often destroy 

 several clusters of blossoms in a few hours. In large 

 vineyards they only work on the borders, as they come 

 in from the grass-fields adjoining, while the centres are 

 uninjured. The only remedy for this pest is to take a 

 shallow pail or pan, and put in a little water with about a 

 half inch of kerosene oil on top. Hold this under the 

 cluster of insects, touch them, and they fall into the oil, 

 from which they never escape. As these insects are 

 coming from the ground from day to day for about two 

 weeks, picking must be done two or three times at inter- 

 vals of two days or until the petals have fallen from 

 the grape flowers, after which the pests do not seem to 

 care for them and no further picking is needed. Closer 

 attention need be given to vines in the garden, as the 

 insects come from all sides and where there are but a few 

 vines a covering of mosquito netting would be the most 

 effective and satisfactory. 



The grape-leaf hopper is a troublesome pest. It is 

 much like the leaf hopper that attacks rose leaves in the 

 early summer, causing them to look white and, if the 

 attack is long continued, to turn brown and drop off, 



