53 



nature's nursery. The Vitis Vinifera never having had to cope with 

 this natural enemy, and being unprepared by nature to resist it, falls 

 an easy prey to its ravages. 



It must not be thought that the phylloxera and the American vines are 

 indissolubly linked together. Once free from the insect and transported 

 to a clean district they will remain so. Under such circumstances it 

 would be just as impossible for the phylloxera to suddenly appear on 

 them without having been brought from elsewhere as it would for it to 

 suddenly come into existence on a European vine ( Vitis Vinifera). 

 Although it has been conclusively proved that they are to blame for 

 the presence of the pest in Europe (where they were imported in the 

 shape of rooted vines, no precautions having been taken, since the 

 very existence of the pest was then unknown), the American sorts 

 may with perfect safety be introduced into any clean district, provided 

 they are absolutely free from all traces of the insect. Too much 

 caution cannot be observed in their introduction into this colony; 

 only seeds or cuttings from vines which have been growing in a clean 

 district side by side with European vines for some years, without 

 detrimental effect upon the latter, should be tolerated for this purpose. 

 It must be remembered that a single insect might suffice to start an 

 invasion, which it would be most difficult, if not impossible, to check. 

 Many American varieties have been introduced into Victoria; they 

 are at the present moment growing perfectly free from this dreaded 

 insect, and could be reproduced with perfect confidence. 



With few exceptions, this immunity from phylloxera is the only 

 thing to recommend their cultivation, although in some cases, if 

 employed as stocks, they improve the yield of some European sorts 

 grafted on them. They have many faults and are inferior in almost 

 every respect to the European sorts. With the exception of the 

 varieties of Vitis ^Estivalis, their fruit possesses a peculiar taste, 

 reminding of black currants, termed in America " Foxy taste," or 

 they are acrid or otherwise unfit for wine-making purposes. Many 

 of them are but poor bearers, and in addition to this they suffer more 

 than the others from unsuitable descriptions of soil, being liable to 

 chlorosis, and are often very difficult to propagate by cuttings. 



Although we shall describe such American sorts as are of interest 

 in detail, it may be of service to vine-growers to have some simple 

 rule by which they may distinguish between an American sort and a 

 Vitis Vinifera. 



