neglected tree, I would say, plant the Red Cedar, for it is easily obtained, it -will grow 

 in a poor soil, it is hardy and easily transplanted, it is beautiful, either singly or in 

 groups, or better yet, as a screen or hedge. Haud inexpertus loquor. 



[ (1) We regi'et not that we have no Hollies, or Laurels, or Rhododendrons, for we 

 have all these in abundance, but that it is so difficult to succed with them on our open 

 lawns. It can not nor need be denied that our northern climate is exceedino-ly 

 severe upon all broad-leaved evergreens, and we never expect to see them as under 

 the cloudy sky, equable temperature, and humid atmosphere of Great Britain. — Ed.] 



GRAPE MILDEW. 



BY WM. SAUNDERS, LANDSCAPE GAEDENEE, GEEMANTOWN, PHIL^VDELPHIA, PA. 



Several mouths ago, I observed in the Horticulturist an inquiiy relative to the mildew 

 on Grapes, and as the subject is one of great importance, I had anticipated seeing some 

 light thrown upon it by some of your correspondents. I now refer to the matter again 

 for the double purpose of recording my own ideas on the subject, and to solicit others 

 of more experience to favor us with their views; by this means we may hope to gain 

 information that will enable us to arrive at some definite knowledge in regard to 

 the origin and cause of the malady. To many the inquiry may seem of little moment, 

 since its ravages are so easily arrested, but prevention is said to be better than cure, 

 and as the whole question of cultivating foreign Grapes in the open air rests upon their 

 exemption from this disease, the subject becomes of vast import, and demands our 

 serious attention. 



My own experience in Grape culture leads me to the belief that the true source of 

 this disease has not been fully recognized. It is well known that fungoid attacks are 

 a consequence of disordered organism, and not a cause. The germs of parasite fungi 

 are constantly present in the atmosphere, ready to develop wherever they find a pro- 

 per medium. This medium is found in decomposing organic substances, and such arc 

 seized upon, although decomposition is so incipient as not to be visible to the naked 

 eye. The question then is — what occasions this disorganism in the fruit of the Grape? 

 The answer will show the cause of mildew. Grape cultivators appear to agree on one 

 point, viz : that an unequal distribution of the elejnents of growth predisposes to mil- 

 dew. Hence we find its appearance attributed to stidden fluctuations of the atmos- 

 phere from heat to cold, and the reverse, a humid atmosphere, roots in wet, cold soil, 

 and similar conjectures. In a recent article in a horticultural journal on this subject, 

 the writer attributes its appearance to damp, warm air suddenly brought in contact 

 with the fruit, causing a deposition of dew. I cannot practically conceive the condi- 

 tions necessary for this occuiTence ever taking place in a grapery during the summer 

 months. Mildew is so often associated with dampness, that in the absence of practical 

 observation such a conclusion seems very plausible. I am of opinion that in this case 

 we must refer it to a deficiency rather than an over-supply of atmospheric moisture. 

 LiNDLEY, in his Theory of Horticulture^ remarks that " mildew is often produced by a 

 dry air acting upon a delicate surface of vegetable tissue," and we can readily suppose 



