35 



to date. The establishment of a collection in each vine-growing 

 centre is desirable, and could be established at very small expense. 

 The difficulty of detecting phylloxera in a vineyard on 

 American roots is a fact which must not be lost sight of. In 

 such a vineyard the diseased appearance of phylloxeric patches — 

 one of the signs which greatly facilitates the detection of the 

 insect — is absent. The resistant vines may have numbers of 

 insects on their roots without suffering in any way, and yet 

 constitute a source of infection to other vineyards in the neigh- 

 bourhood. 



In order to obviate this difficulty, I beg to suggest that it be 

 made compulsory in all American plantations, that at least every 

 tenth row consist of European vines on their own robts. Any 

 phylloxera in the vineyard would at once attack these, and 

 their presence would be very readily ascertained. 



The necessity of adopting some means of preventing the rapid 

 spread of phylloxera, in order to give time for the American 

 reconstitution is evident. Careful supervision should be exer- 

 cised over the circulation of rooted vines, cuttings, Ac, from 

 diseased districts, in order to prevent the infection spreading from 

 district to district. 



The best means of preventing the infection spreading from 

 vineyard to vineyard in the same district, is no doubt the ex- 

 tinction system which has given such excellent results in Switzer- 

 land. The chief difficultifes lie in the fact that in all countries 

 where it has been adopted, it has been found necessary to impose 

 a tax on vineyards, termed in Switzerland a compulsory assurance 

 in order to provide funds to meet necessary expenses in the way 

 of compensation to owners and payment of inspectors. The 

 difficulty of obtaining competent inspectors is another point we 

 must consider. But I am leaving the subject of my paper. 



Before concluding, I wish to warn the growers of the colony 

 against placing too much faith in the extinction system, and 

 looking upon it as definite means of combating phylloxera. Even 

 in Switzerland where the system has given the best results, owing 

 to the cold climate and slow spread of phylloxera, they now 

 propose to abandon it for American vines in the districts where 

 phylloxera is most plentiful, and they look upon the date as not 

 far distant when the extinction system will no longer be enforced 

 in any part of Switzerland. In Victoria we have, on one hand, 

 the scattered situation of our vineyards, which will tend to. pre- 

 vent the rapid spread of the insect, and, on the other hand, the 

 fact that the warmth of the climate tends in the opposite direction 

 or to favour its rapid dissemination. 



The only true safety for the vine-growers of Victoria, as for 

 those of every other country, lies in the adoption of the American 

 vine. 



C 2 



