328 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. [November i, 1889. 
graperies are known to be in some parts infested, 
he further recommends that the Certificate should 
declare that the plants concerned have either been 
grown in the open air, or in green-houses or hot- 
houses not occupied by vines, and in both cases that 
cultivation took place away from the immediate 
neighbourhood of any vine. M. Plauchon, in connection 
with this latter proposal, explained to me that he 
recognised a distinct risk in importing rooted plants 
in soil which had been taken up in the immediate 
vicinity of vines, in countries where the Phylloxera 
prevails ; as, in the operation of removing such plants, 
some rootlets of the vine harbouring the insect might 
be detached with the earth, and could well maintain 
by the juices still in them a company of the Phyl- 
loxera for longer than the time of an ordinary voyage. 
It will be noticed that Professor Planchon does 
not express any opinion on the point which I sub- 
mitted respecting the possibility of the insect's surviving 
a voyage through the high temperature of the 
tropics in the absence of its only food, the vine. 
He writes to me to say that he refrained from 
noticing this, because he is not yet fully satisfied 
as to the length of time during which the Phylloxera 
can exist without nourishment. Dr. Oornu, however, 
stated so unreservedly. (Third Report to the Oape 
Government, paragr. IV), that "the insects, when 
removed in a living state, without vine roots, will 
die at the end of five days," — that I have been 
accustomed to consider this limited period of with- 
standing starvation as an ascertained fact concern- 
ing the Phylloxera. If the period be of uncertain 
duration (and it is well known that some insects and 
other of the lower animals have maintained their 
vitality for months, and even years, without food), 
undoubtedly the opportunities of the Phylloxera's 
dissemination by chance means of transport must be 
very numerous ; and we might almost despair of 
escaping its invasion, even at this distance from its 
seats of development. It must, however, be re- 
membered that the case of an insect specially 
secluded to test its power of sustaining want of 
food, is widely different from that of one exposed 
to every vicissitude of ordinary out-door existence. 
And it is well worth remarking that the freedom 
of this Colony from invasion, notwithstanding its 
great and increasing traffic with Europe, distinctly 
militates against the belief that the Phylloxera pos- 
sesses special fasting powers which would facilitate 
its dispersal over the globe. In fact, when one con- 
siders that up to November, 1876, there was no 
restriction on the introduction of vines themselves, 
while from as far back as 1863, the vineyards of 
France and the grape-houses in England had been 
infested, it certainly does appear that the dreaded 
insect is not so easy of ocean transport as some writers 
would have us believe, or surely it would have arrived 
in Table Bay during those thirteen years when its very 
food-plant was permitted free importation. 
At the same time, I am entirely in favour of 
reasonable precautionary measures, and I think that 
those which Professor Planchon recommends are fully 
sufficient. The total exclusion of all vines should be 
maintained ; the admission of all other plants from 
countries where Phylloxera of the vine does not exist 
should be allowed ; and the admission of plants other 
than vines from phylloxerized regions (North America, 
Europe, and possibly Victoria, in Australia *) should 
be conditional on satisfactory certification that they 
have not been grown in the immediate vicinity of vines. 
* I recently had occasion, as one of a Committee 
of Council of the Entomological Society of London, 
to report for the Secretary of State for the Colo- 
nies on the evidence forwarded from Victoria re- 
garding the supposed existence of Phylloxera in that 
Colony. No speoimens of rootlets or of insects ac- 
companied the documents, and the Committee was 
unanimous in the opinion that the presence of 
Phylloxera in Victoria was far from being established. 
| But in 1880-81 the vines in Geelong district were 
being destroyed in consequence of the undoubted 
existence on them of the pest.— Ed. 
I would most strongly urge upoo the Government 
the propriety and expediency of relaxing the un- 
necessary stringency of the existing regulations in the 
direction, and, if practicable, to the extent which 
I hive indicated. The attempt to enforce rigorously 
the sweeping provisions of the Proclamation issued 
has landed us in the absurdity of not only confis- 
cating valuable and beautiful plauts from regions 
where the vine aud its attendant Phylloxera do not 
exist, but even so zing such substances of vegetable 
origin as dried moss aud peat ! It is certaiulv highly 
desirable that the Colony should lose no time in 
clearing its name and reputation for good sense from 
all further association with transactions so unquestion- 
ably foolish as these. 
In this Report, I have not touched upon the 
Mildew and Anthracnose, which have of late been 
introduced from America, and done much damage to 
the vines in Fiance, because, although they were 
discussed during the Congress, both are vegetable 
parasites, and have of course no relation whatever to 
the Phylloxera. But I may mention thit both Pro- 
fessors Millardet and Planchon, who have given much 
attention to these assailants, described them as occa- 
sioning very serious loss ; M. Millardet even seeming 
inclined to prognosticate that their ravages mi^-ht ere 
long prove as disastrous as those of Phylloxera itself. 
In conclusim, I desire to express my recog- 
nition of the honour which the Government conferred 
upon me in appointing me its representative at the 
Bordeaux Congress. I need not say th't I went as 
a learner only, having happilv no experience of 
Phylloxera at the Cape to contribute to the melan- 
choly records laid before the Assembly. But it was 
satisfactory to be able to assure numerous inquirers 
that there was no Phylloxera in the Colony, not- 
withstanding that the receipt of that assurance ap- 
peared in almost every instance at once to divest S^uth 
Africa of any interest whatever to the inquirer. In 
fact there was but one absorbing subject in every- 
body's mind — the Phylloxera, ana the EhyUoxera My* 
How and to what extent have you suffered from 
it ? What remedies did you employ ? What were the 
results? These three questions covered the whole 
ground, and any personal expeiience answering them 
was listened to with eager interest. 
I was not, however, at all s3iry to be, by 
force of circumstances, a little removed lrom parti- 
cipation in the actual bustle and restless activities 
of the Congress. Having no pet remedy to advocate, 
no pet aversion to condemn, no accusations to pre- 
fer against my neighbours, the Conseil-Gene>al of 
the Department, the Agricultural and Horticultural 
Societies, or the Government ; possessing, moreover, 
no desire to discomfit any adversary amid the plaudits 
of the assembly ; I was all the more free to observe 
and to listen, and the better able to collect all the 
valuable information available. I have endeavoured 
in this communication to give that information in 
as condensed and succinct a form as possible, feeling 
it to be quite unnecessary (in the fortunate absence 
of the Phylloxera) to enter into minutice which can 
readily be ascertained by reference to the numerous 
excellent publications on the subject. I have ap- 
plied to the President for a copy of the Compte 
Rendu of the Congress, the preparation of which 
for the press was to commeoce in October last ; and, 
pending its arrival, I beg to forward, for your in- 
formation, several (10) publications which I procured 
at Bordeaux. The more important of the latter are 
the following, viz : — 
" Grande Culture de la Vigne Americaine en France." 
By the Duchess of Fitz-James. 1881. 
"Notes sur les Vignes Americaines, etc." By A. 
Millardet. 
"Le Phylloxera." By P. Mouilleferf, 1875. 
" Nouvelles Instructions Tbeoriques et Pratiques pour 
I' Application du Sulfo-carbonate de Potassium aux 
Vignes Phylloxerees." By P. Monillefert. 1881. 
" De la Reconstitution et du Greff age des Vignes." 
By Madame Ponsot. 1880. 
