52 



Zinfandel. Synonym : Zierfahnder Bother. 



An Austrian red variety much cultivated in the United 1 States. 

 The wine made from it is light and agreeable. 



It is a heavy bearer and requires short pruning. It is not, as yet, 

 cultivated in Victoria. 



AMERICAN VINES. 



We saw that the European vines all belong to one species 

 (Vitis Vinifera). The American ones may be resolved into several 

 distinct species, each of which in turn comprises a greater or lesser 

 number of varieties. Many of these, being of no practical interest, 

 need not be described. We shall confine ourselves to such as have 

 been proved to be worth propagating, or which, being frequently met 

 with, deserve mention. 



The chief character of the American vines, and the one which has 

 caused them to come into so much favour in Europe of late years, is 

 the remarkable resistance they oppose to the attacks of the phyl- 

 loxera. With a few exceptions, they can all thrive with this terrible 

 insect living on them. Their roots are, as we have seen, tougher 

 than those of the European vines. The injuries caused by them heal 

 quickly, and are insignificant compared with the destruction of the 

 more succulent roots of European sorts brought about by the bite of 

 the insect destruction which invariably results in the death of the 

 plant after a more or less considerable period of time, usually about 

 three years. 



Not only are the American sorts able to resist, but they are less 

 exposed to the ravages of the phylloxera, which lives chiefly on 

 their leaves, whilst, with European sorts, the roots are the usual 

 habitat of the insect. Even in infested vineyards (planted with 

 European sorts) it is exceedingly uncommon to find insects on the 

 leaves. 



The American vines are not phylloxera-proof, in the sense that the 

 phylloxera is never to be found on them. They are phylloxera- 

 resistant, as the insect can and does live on them without causing 

 any considerable injury. These vines having existed for many 

 centuries with the phylloxera living on them, have, by natural selec- 

 tion, become able to resist their ravages. The phylloxera and the 

 American vines have, so to speak, been Brought up together in 



