84 
ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCTETT. 
started into growth early in April and grew most luxuriantly 
during the summer and ripened their wood and crop thoroughly 
during the autumn, so that T gained several prizes with the grapes 
cut from them, including a first for Muscats at the Royal Horti- 
cultural Society of Ireland's show. 
After extirpating the pest out of the late vineries I was sorry 
to see it make its appearance in two early vineries in May 1869, 
where I have no doubt it had been introduced with some pot- 
vines brought from the late vineries in 1868 before I was aware 
of their being infected. I had now no doubt that I could prevent 
their increasing to any serious extent, and that I certainly could 
get rid of them during the winter, when the vines were at rest ; 
but being still anxious to find out if there was a possibility of 
getting rid of the pest without disturbing the roots, I watered one 
of the vine-borders with a solution of water, salt, nitre, and spirits 
of turpentine (12 oz. salt, 2 oz. nitre, 2 oz. turpentine to one 
gallon of water) twice a week for ten weeks, and, on examining the 
roots, I found it effectually prevented the insects increasing, and 
killed all with which it came in contact ; but still I could not feci 
sure of its thoroughly eradicating them from all the holes and 
crannies of the roots and borders ; so during the following winter 
I had the vines thoroughly cleaned and treated the same way iu 
every respect as I had done those in the late vineries, and with 
equally good results, as they grew most luxuriantly during the 
summer of 1870, ripening their wood well and maturing perfectly 
a light crop of first-rate grapes, with which I gained several first- 
class prizes at the Dublin Autumn Show. All the vines started 
well and healthily in the present year, and have gone on satisfac- 
torily ; and there has not been an insect {Phylloxera vastatrix) 
seen about Powerscourt since I exterminated the last of them in 
December 1869. "When I left Powerscourt in June last the 
vines were in robust health and bearing fine crops of excellent 
grapes ; and I have no doubt they will continue to do so with 
ordinary fair management for years. 
From the foregoing it wdll be seen that the only effectual plan 
of getting rid of the "pest" without destroying the vines is, 
when the vines are at rest, pruning the young wood close in and 
clearing the stems of all loose bark and excrescences that w^ould 
harbour insects, lifting and cutting away all infected roots, dress- 
ing those loft in the same manner as the stems by removing 
everything likely to harbour insects (carefully carrying .away and 
