THE GRAPE VINE. 1 33 



and eradicated when it does make its appearance. 

 An over-moist, cold, and stagnant atmosphere is the 

 condition under which it generally attacks the vines, 

 and I am not aware that it ever appears when there 

 is a circulation of moderately dry and sufficiently 

 warm air. 



I never had experience of it but once, and that was 

 during a season of dull, damp weather, in a vinery 

 considerably below the surrounding ground-level. The 

 water was coming into the floor of the house at the 

 foundations, and the heating apparatus was not suffi- 

 ciently powerful to keep up the heat properly. The 

 disease first made its appearance over an open cistern 

 of water. I at once had the cistern covered up, and the 

 house kept as dry and warm as possible. On the first 

 fine afternoon I mixed some flower of sulphur in a 

 potful of water, and syringed the whole of the vines 

 with it ; this left the flower of sulphur adhering to the 

 leaves when they dried. At the same time I coated 

 the pipes with sulphur, and aired freely. This resulted 

 in completely arresting the mildew ; and it disappeared 

 without any injury to the fruit, and not a speck of it 

 has appeared on the vines since. There is no doubt 

 about sulphur being a specific for mildew. A good 

 syringing or two brings off all ^the sulphur when the 

 malady is fairly subdued. A damp, cold, stagnant 

 atmosphere should therefore be avoided, otherwise mil- 

 dew is more likely, if it be a wet sunless season, to 

 prove troublesome. 



Rust. — I do not know whether this should come 

 under the category of diseases, as it cannot be said 

 that it attacks the vine as a disease is understood to 

 attack. There are many causes assigned for this dis- 

 figuration of the berries, such as handling them with 



