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HORTICULTURAL NOTES.

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HORTICULTURAL NOTES. BY G. CIIISHOLM, IIORTICULTURIST, LLANRWST. ROOT DISEASES. It is not uncuimion to una iruit irvCo and other planks gradually i-.SJig; vitality, tme leaver boeommar smad and yellow, and the entire IlroivLh more or less stunted. A stu-tly of sucn plants a.ud tihoir surrcundisigs may xev-eai t'iie iaot that the roots have bean a-owiy kiJJEod, and bite plants beuig ittiiable to get proper iood and water have diod of starvation!, complicated, it ifi true, with other troubles wlix-h necessarily ac- company the destruction, of the roots. The cteaUh of the roots mav have been duo to lack of air in tiie soil, this bei.ng the direct result of tho Si2» and arrangement of the soil grains. Soils ctf this kiild. and tiitev aoe not uncommon, are quickly made wet. and as soon as the water be- tween the grains cxceods a oeirtaun. aur.ouut, circulation of the air is stopped, tile activity ot organisms .uecessarv to the life of tne soil is ciieckcd, the roots a.ro slowly sultI..0-ave,J, and- a ioatg train of other changes fellow, u.tld as a final result the plant daes. Of oouise, it must be understood that the more yellowing of the leaves of tihe ulant. aecomuamed by a dwarlLug of growth, is not always brought on by the conditions deaaiibed. Other surrounding* may produce baaular results, and it is on tnis ac- count that the aues; ions involved are often so pc.i plexmg. In tdie iust described neither fungi iior imeots have played any importajit part, aLthoug^i it is not uncommon to find cer- tain forms present in advancod stages of the diseaae. 'lh.:6: Itowever, are to be looked upCiTi more in the nature of scavengers, as they play no important, uart in the read death of the plant. ■'Chancres brought about by man." We ma.y 'd .,low c?ons '-6r a scoonli iri A,uich changes in the functions are inadvertently brought on by man. and as a result of these changes a fumrus. whidh undor normal condi- tions cGOild not obtain a foothold upon the plaiit, coaxes in and carries destruction a.nd death to the nbnt. It is occasionaly the prac- tice in orchard work and in casos where trees are grown for shade and ornamout to severely prune them. Sometimes this is done to top gratft with other varieties, and sometimes merely to reme-yo what is considered an excessive growth of wood. Frequently the cutting away of large branches throws the functions of the tree entire- ly out of balance. The plant has grown with a. certain relation between the development of its rootj and branches, and if a considerable num- ber cif the later aire .removod a dill-, DortHm of the roots, if left, must eventually die, for She t-OD of the tree wiR not be able to sup- nort them in health. In the various destructive -■h<iricoa whioii take nlaoe at such a time, the whole tree mav become involved. The partly decaying roots bring about changes in the food supply, a.nd this in causes an impcrfect de- velopment of all tihe tissues above ground. the leaves, branches, and trunk becoming more or less weakened, and consequemtly leas able to re- sist the attacks of outside organisms. Under 3uoli co,njit' Ic' long the tree often attacl?ed by a funaUs which slowlv kills the. living IF-OO of the trunk and Jararer bnanclies. Event ualy the trunk may be entirely gi.dled by tins organism, and the tree will in conseauence die. 'ar As lop, func.)fis normally tho fungus is unable to g'am a foot- hold, although perhans present at all times. Were it .net £ or the action of the fungus the tree vf u d doubtleas have evemtually adapted it- self '<> the ohangou conditions, and with proper care would have recovered. FUNGOUS DISEASES. Now turning our attention to &,I example where the fungus itself takes the aggressive jart from the staa-t, wo may cite, the case otf tne well-know.n potato blight, or downy mildew, which in 1)3,5t years has been the oauaie of a loss off thousands of pounds in this and other countries. Potato fi lds which, throughout the season have been green and vigorous, when at- t,acked by this sudderLl, tu?rl brown i In J'Ltlv -x,iid &nd A-it-hin a few days the Plant,3 rott,,n, foul-?,n-ieEi,n., i-nosli. An examination of t'le- faiiaafe of the diseased plants eoon after they commence to ttirn biown reveals little to the eve. lIeN and there tufts of a whitish, downy growth may be seen scattered over the surface of the leaves, but without the -cl it i,3 to niake ti?IIZ ()Ut Cl t'il'OM, tlliat I)r,xti:iht into us, how -ever. it is seen that tii,, downy. frosli-like growth consists of a. miniature forest of delicate, whitish, threads, branched, a,ud rebranched like the limbs of a. tree. Upon the. ends of tho delicate branches minute ogg-shaped, colourless bodies are seen, a.nd they break off easily if slightly touched. By proper manipula- tion of th ()rkl-) i.tti.e t,r,(,C-o microlle, it will be s,,eii that the I like L,-rowtbs send tii?c?ir deli<??fo thrmjs down into the tissues off the leaf, and that where- ever they oome iin contact with the tissues they rob them of their nourieihment, and use it in building UD their own. structures. Tiie AM-all, egg-shaped bodies de&cnbed are for the purpose otf reproduction, fulfilling the same office as tbo -eed of ?ioher I:t-un or dew or slight ourrenta of air cau,??e bodie,- I io break f 'oln tiheir -dol 'mto Supports. Many are lc?-,t or destroyed, but mainv others reach healthy po- tato Leaves, they cv.rmin.atf> and produce the same kind of delicate threads as those from whioh they originated. Ln this way tho disease iis T&I)idly a few 4ay.4 1>.21tlg .noceg- 'sa alc,Dc L ive czop 0, rL saeiv for each ?pmductive bocL?e?,; to deVelOD, a?nd as mill,,K)ns are !)rodticed on ewh lold it wili he &en that tlic, f?ingi,c) inay? tLn,d?,-r T),ror)er conditions, be quici??ly t,ed, unless oh?ecked L) 'a, .Y 'Ollie s?Dec' I)ml)aration For instance, in manv coaos it has been fou.nd practicable to prevent serious injury to crops by the application of these preparations known as fungicides. The efficacy of these fungicides in particular cases, and their effects cin the plant and on main himself, mtist all be considered. Then too. there are important questions in mech?Lnic.i lliat deiiiand attontion; fo,- imran- a, filnzici-de may Ix, c-h,ID arld offeot* d y-e't unl<-os it c.n be &Di)liled in filve' an eld wark all economical wa-l' it will I"ve to be diso?tyd--Idn All this work involves the art cf spraying planta, which has been developed practically wkhin the past f3w vears. but which has now reached a point whore it is iegarded 10 be 18 necessary as pruning or the cultivation and fertilisation of t he soil

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