12 



About the month of November, in Victoria, the all-important 

 function of flowering takes place ; the vine has then increased con- 

 siderably in size both above and below ground. The flower bud 

 gradually swells till the moment of bursting, when the corolla is 

 forced off in a single piece or capsule, and the different parts of the 

 flower are set at liberty. The pollen of the anthers is deposited on 

 the pistil, and finds its way to the ovules, which, being fecundated, 

 will ultimately become the seeds ; the ovary in which they are 

 contained swelling up to form the fruit. The exact moment when 

 this fecundation takes place is not clearly known. Some authors 

 consider that it is just before the capsule is thrown off, and while 

 the anthers are in contact with the pistil, whilst the majority admit 

 that it takes place immediately after the fall of the capsule. It is quite 

 possible that under different circumstances both views may be correct. 



If the ovules are not fecundated, the flower withers and falls off, 

 giving rise to no fruit, or in plain words the fruit does not set. 



The seedless Sultana grape seems at first sight to be an exception 

 to this rule ; but the experiment of Mr. Knight, of Sandhurst, in his 

 evidence before the Royal Commission on Vegetable Products, proves 

 that this is not so the ovules are perfectly fecundated, but the seeds 

 are subsequently absorbed into the pulp of the fruit. The non- setting 

 of the grapes, or " coulure " as it is termed in French, is due to several 

 causes. The washing off of the pollen by rain at the time when 

 fecundation should take place is one of them, but in far the greater 

 number of cases it is due to a malformation of the flower. 



We have already seen several cases in which it is, so to speak, in- 

 herited from parent vines, in which case the faulty vines should 

 be destroyed ; but it often happens that it is not the fault of the plant 

 but of the season. Under the influence of prolonged wet weather, even 

 a considerable time before the blossoming, there may be an ; excessive 

 amount of sap in the plant, rendering it weak and flabby, although 

 in appearance perfectly normal. The stamens then become short 

 and watery, and are incapable of fecundating the pistil, which itself 

 may be sterile. This is amply proved to be the case by the fact that 

 anything which tends to diminish the quantity of sap in the vine also 

 diminishes the non-setting of such varieties as may be subject to this 

 defect. The excessive moisture may also promote this by facilitating 

 the growth of fungus parasites on the delicate reproductive organs, 

 with fatal results to the crop of fruit. 



