202 
of their accumulating stocks of red and white wines: of good Rosi. 
Considering, moreover, that the majority of French vineyard owners 
have, during the last 15 years, Spares no trouble and (when they could. 
afford it) no expense in combating the many vine diseases, and, if 
necessary, in replanting the devastated vineyards, and that the sacrifices 
flooding of the markets of France and also foreign countries with 
foreign or artificial imitations of French wines must create considerable 
dissatisfaction amongst both vineyard owners and wine merchants in 
Bordeaux and other prominent wine-producing districts of this country. 
The French Government have, during the past year, in Sensei et, 
been strongly urged by the wine merchants and vine eyard owners of the 
been introduced. 
PHYLLOXERA. 
" M idea ofthe extent of the widespread damage caused by the 
hylloxera since its first appeara mce 17 years ago, in the more or less 
the fact that of the aggregate area of land planted with vines in the 
Gironde in the year 1879, which is officially estimated at 450,000 acres, 
only 81,820 aeres have (ow ving apparently to the silicious nature of the 
soil) entirely escaped the incursion of this noxious parasite. The total 
area of the vineyards which have been more or less serfously infested 
has, up to this date, reached 368,200 acres. Of this large infested area 
104,310 acres haye been uprooted and replanted with American and 
co-American vines which are abie to resist the attacks of the phyl- 
loxera; 49,807 acres of vines are subjected to a continuous preventive 
treatment which Slate the phylloxera from extending its dest structive 
work, and 100,950 acres are, owing to the inability or unwillingness of 
the owners to defray the heavy cost of combating it, left to its mercy, 
and suffer of course seriously in their productiveness. But the remain- 
ing 114,100 acres of vine-growing land infested by the phylloxera since 
1879 are no longer cultivated with vines, and are now either lying waste 
or have been converted into grass land. 
* Thus the aggregate area of vineyards under cultivation in the Gironde 
at the beginning of the year 1896 was only 336,900 acres; figures 
showing a very large diminution compared with those given above for 
2 y moreover also show a small failing-off, namely of 8,375 
red with the figures for 1895, which was due to the fact that 
whilst 12,410 aeres of diseased and unproductive vines were uprooted in 
1895-96, ‘the area of fresh vine plantations reached only 4,035 acres. .. 
T Amongst the 336,900 aeres of vineyards existing in this Department 
at the commencement of last year 104,310 acres consisted (as above 
stated) in fresh plantations g gradually made since the date of the first 
appearance of the phylloxera ; of Advi. fresh plantations 5,212 acres 
were in American direct-producing vines, but by far the larger proportion, 
viz., about 98,000 acres, consisted in American vines grafted with | 
