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running off or settling down, causes easily of itself, as it stagnates, a 
growth of fungous mycelia, and the roots of the vine have accordingly 
to suffer from it in the way described. For overcoming such condi¬ 
tions we shall have to bring into use various methods adapted in each 
case to the local conditions, e. g .: drainage, thorough loosening and 
aerating of the soil, earth mixture by carting on sand, contingently also 
the addition of gypsum. 
But in the greater number of cases man himself is the guilty party— 
the keeping clean of the soil being only too often grossly neglected. 
Upon the surface, indeed, the industrious and methodical vineyardist 
does not fall'into error so easily, since several times a year the entire 
vineyard will be cut over ( behauen ) and carefully weeded by hand or. 
by the plow. But this alone does not long suffice; the deeper portions 
of the soil must also be carefully cleaned, and this unfortunately is almost 
everywhere slighted, probably entirely neglected. If the branches and 
twigs lying in the open air form a most favorable soil for those tender, 
white, fungous threads, how much more must the same objects further 
their growth when buried deep in the earth where the air supply is so 
much more scanty. All wood fragments occurring in the soil figure as 
the most important spawn ground of such mycelia—and such fragments 
are never absent from the vineyard. 
In the removal of old or dead vines, in intrenching ( vergruben ), etc., 
numerous root fragments always remain in the earth; in grubbing and 
hoeing (behauen and haclcen) such are easily cut off; in pulling out vine 
palings in autumn numerous pointed ends are broken off and remain in 
the soil; enough wood fragments are accidentally introduced into the 
vineyard with the stable manure ; dead twigs fall from the fruit trees 
frequently planted in the vineyard, or prunings occasionally remain; 
or pieces of roots are easily cut off* in working the soil; or wood may be 
introduced in various other accidental ways. But we also bring many 
sorts of wood into the vineyard directly, especially where the objection¬ 
able custom prevails of burying deciduous and coniferous brushwood 
for the loosening and improvement of the soil. The described mycelia 
develop most luxuriantly upon all these various wood fragments—in¬ 
deed, frequently enough such fragments are entirely covered with the 
mycelia, even before the wood is buried, and their migration to the 
roots of the vine and the infection of the latter is only a question of 
time. 
But the causes of the root mould here described give at the same time 
a correct indication for the satisfactory treatment and banishment of 
this destructive disease. We have already spoken of a gradual im¬ 
provement of the soil and drainage, but in addition the most punctil¬ 
ious preservation of the vineyard soil from all wood is the most certain 
means of protecting it from the root-mould. Again, it must be insisted 
on strongly that in pruning the vines the workman shall carefully 
gather and remove all the separated shoots, so that nothing whatever 
