PARASITIC FUNGI AND MOULDS. 39 



The young stalks assume a sickly appearance, and 

 often wither off, together with the leaves and fruit. 



When the fungus fastens on the fibro-vascular 

 bundles of the leaves before their complete develop- 

 ment, the leaves shrivel and curl up, and perform their 

 functions imperfectly ; when it attacks the petiole or 

 peduncle of the bunch of grapes, it dries up, and the 

 destruction of all the parts in dependence on it soon 

 follow. It is this fungus which, under the name of 

 rot, now devastates the American vineyards. 



Sulphur is by no means so efficacious in this case 

 as it is with oidium, but the following treatment is 

 prescribed by Fortes : 



1. The prunings of the vine and other remains 

 of the preceding years should be destroyed, 2. The 

 suckers and young shoots should be dusted, in the 

 second fortnight of April, with slaked lime which has 

 been finely powdered, and this operation should be 

 repeated once a fortnight up to the end of June. 

 3. Sulphur should be applied at the usual times, 

 especially if there is any oidium. 4. The vines 

 should be drained and irrigated as often as possible. 

 5. In all cases in which the fungus can be detected, 

 powdered lime should be applied at the interval of 

 some days, alternately with the same substance mixed 

 with flowers of sulphur. 



Aubernage, called by the Italians the Slack disease, 

 must not be confounded with Anthracnosis. Accord- 

 ing to recent researches, aubernage is not produced 



