Fungoid and Fnsect; P^is, ' . , r r ^ , ^P3 



in the bark and leaves of the young wood, and if 

 in an aggravated form cause the young growth to 

 wilt and perish. The ravages of the fungus are not 

 confined to the leaves or wood, but attack the young 

 bunches as well, often causing these to perish before 

 the fruit has set; while if the fruit is infested at a 

 later stage, the berries become spotted and are 

 either destroyed or badly injured in consequence. 



Treatment. The only effective way that has up 

 to the present been discovered to combat the attacks 

 of black spots is by swabbing or spraying the vines 

 in winter with a solution made from a mixture of 

 sulphate of iron, sulphuric acid, and water. Mix- 

 tures of various strengths are in use, the proportion 

 favoured by European growers being 35 Ibs. sul- 

 phate of iron, 5 Ibs. sulphuric acid, and 10 gallons 

 of water, while the mixture most popular at Mildura 

 is 10 Ibs. sulphate of iron, 8 to 10 Ibs. sulphuric acid, 

 and 10 gallons of water. 



In mixing, the sulphate of iron is put into a 

 wooden or earthen vessel, the sulphuric acid is 

 poured on and stirred with a stick. The boiling 

 water is then added, and the mixture kept stirred 

 until the iron is dissolved. When the iron is dis- 

 solved the solution is ready for use. Owing to 

 the corrosive action of the acids upon iron, all 

 vessels used for mixing or for conveying the solu- 

 tion through the vineyard should be made from 

 wood, earthenware, or other non-corrosive material. 



The solution is either applied by means of swab- 

 bing or spraying. In swabbing, a "swab" is made 

 from a piece of cloth or canvas which is fastened 

 to the end of a stick, the cloth is inserted into the 

 solution, and the vine is then rubbed over with 

 the swab until all the bark of the stem, arms, rods, 

 and spurs is well wetted. As swabbing is a rather 

 slow and expensive process, spraying against black 



