564 



DISEASE IN THE SYCAMORE. 



vegetable kingdom ; and, though we by no 

 means place the Sycamore in the first rank 

 of forest denizens, yet we can not bnt la- 

 ment the sad condition in which it now ap- 

 pears, in most parts of the Atlantic States. 



A disease, even now but little understood, 

 which made its appearance in the south 

 some eight or ten years ago, has gradually 

 advanced northward, until it has reached, 

 as we noticed last season, a point as far 

 north as Canada, and as far west as Buffalo, 

 and perhaps farther. 



Its symptoms are, first, a blight and de- 

 cay of the smaller twigs and branches ; 

 then a gradual scantiness of foliage ; after- 

 wards a mortality of the larger limbs, com- 

 mencing at the extremities ; which very 

 frequently results — especially in dry soil, in 

 the death of the whole iree. The ravages 

 of this disease, from the general sprinkling 

 of the S3'camore in our woods, and espe- 

 cially by the side of streams of water, has 

 given a blighted and mutilated aspect to 

 the sylvan features of the landscape in 

 many parts of the country. And about 

 Philadelphia and Boston, where, fifty years 

 ago, this tree was quite a favorite in lawns 

 and court yards, we observe with pain a 

 show of sorry and diseased branches, in the 

 place of the rich canopy of foliage which 

 former!}'- waved over fine old trunks. 



There have been a good many specula- 

 tions about this disease, and at last the pub- 

 lic, we are sorry to see, seem to have made 

 up their minds to abandon, the tree to its 

 fate. We regret- this, and must beg leave 

 . to say a few words more in favor of the 

 time tio'nored Sycamore in the day of its 

 misfortunes. 



As there are insects to be found in the 

 young diseased shoots, it was at first be- 

 lieved, by many, that the Sycamore malady 

 was caused by insect ravages. Along" with 



others, we shared in this opinon for some 

 time, until Dr. Harris, of Cambridge, Mass., 

 to whose labors in exposing the character 

 and habits of the insects injurious to vege- 

 tation, all American cultivators owe so much, 

 convinced us that the insects found in the 

 Sycamore tree Avere those whose habits 

 were well known, and that they were inca- 

 pable of producing the disease in question. 



It is the opinion of Dr. Harris, that the 

 Sycamore disease is a malady caused by 

 some unusual atmospheric state, whicli af- 

 fects deleteriously the foliage and young 

 shoots; an opinion which, upon farther ex- 

 amination and observation, we are inclined 

 to adopt. The best authorities in Europe at 

 the present moment agree, if they agree at 

 all in the matter, that the Potato disease is 

 owing to some state of the atmosphere 

 productive of like disastrous effects to 

 that plant. In both cases, the disease has 

 appeared first in one part of the coun- 

 try, and has slowly extended itself to all 

 other parts. In both, the system of the tree 

 or plant seems enfeebled, and almost en- 

 tirely destroyed by a blight, which may be 

 traced to an original disturbance in the 

 healthy action of the foliage. 



Whatever may be the final conclusion 

 regarding the Sycamore disease, one thing 

 we know by experiment to be certain, viz: 

 it is not without a remedy. And we there- 

 fore beg those of our readers, who may 

 have fine old specimens of Sycamores, 

 which are just attacked, or not yet wholly 

 destroyed, to repeat our experiment, in or- 

 der to save the lives of their trees. 



The plan we allude to, is that of heading 

 in, or shortening, very severel}', as early as 

 possible in Jure, the extremities of all the 

 lower limbs; say, if possible, one-fourth of 

 the extent of the branches, if small, or one- 

 eighth, if large trees. This forces the tree 



