Januaiy iS, 190S 



HORTICULTURE 



63 



The Paeony Disease 



1 liave noticed a number of writings lately in various 

 farm and trade papers harmonious with the article in a 

 recent issue of Horticulture anent the new paeony dis- 

 ease, and quite a number of growers and customers have 

 written me regarding it. We have had only a few 

 plants to show this "disease" that really is only a symp- 

 tom, a symptom more of carelessness or thoughtless- 

 ness than a real disease. Our land progresses from a 

 very light to a very heavy loamy clay, from a gravel or 

 sand subsoil to soapy stiff clay, hence we are very cer- 

 tain that soil has nothing to do with the disease. 



Where found this symptom was on a few plants tliat 

 we imjx)rted from France; details, as in our own case 

 each had manured quite heavily after planting or had 

 given each plant a heavy mulching leaving the manure 

 to rot over the crowns. Usually after a wet spell they 

 show a white spawn around the stems at about 

 the surface line, in a few days the plants show 

 a delicate sulphury color of stem and leafage, 

 a few days later they blight black to the 

 roots and the roots often show a brown rot. This 

 usually is the beginning of the end; however, if the 

 plant is lifted and planted into a soil where there is 

 little veg-etable matter it may be revived but the dead 

 matter should be cut off and limed lightly before 

 planting. 



There is quite a different result with some varieties 

 apparently from the same mistreatment. The plants 

 only partially blight, largely Just the tips of the leaves, 

 the rootage in about the same proportions. The 

 microbes get through the bases of the season's growth, 

 nearly eating them apart from the old plant ; this 

 causes a dense growth, quite dwarfed, the leaves as they 

 mature becoming a much lighter color than plants not 

 affected. Usually one would think the plants are badly 

 mixed but usually they revive but rarely bloom for 

 several years after it is noticed. 



A number of writers have written articles regarding 

 the latter symptom, calling it pjeony rosette, stating , 

 that plants so affected are worthless and should be dug 

 and thrown away. My observations were such that I 

 let the latter plants stand, removing the soil around 

 the plant as much as possible, then putting soil back 

 that has very little manure in it. It is a very good 

 idea to distribute a good application of slacked lime 

 about the plant, hoeing it in as close to the stems as 

 possible; this kills the disturbing agencies and the 

 plants revive, Paeonies that are in low ground or low 

 places where water is allowed to cover the plants for 

 any length of time show these same symptoms but it 

 is generally fatal. 



We use manure direct from the stable or well rotted 

 — whichever we have — distributing it over the plantage 

 about November to January but usually draw the soil to 

 the plants with shovel plow before manuring. I think 

 many pteonies are overmanured hence the indifferent 

 results. Since we noticed the bad results with manure 

 when applied to young plants we usually try to get a 

 crop of corn or potatoes previous to planting with pae- 

 onies. This finds the soil in very fine condition, few 

 insects and bacteria. We give no manure before the 

 following fall, and then after the ground is frozen. 



I think most of the parties who have had trouble 

 with paeonies have received them from growers growing 

 them for long periods in one place or that have them 

 growing in very well enriched soil. • Where pjeonies are 



given good cultivation manuring is not essential to extra 

 good results. 



I have no fears regarding pasony diseases. Wc- have 

 five acres very closely planted ; have stock from at 

 least twenty-five growers but the loss of plants has 

 been practically nil. Officinalis Eosea Superba is the 

 only sort we have had trouble with but this seems gen- 

 eral and evidently is a constitutional disease. 



C. Betschek. 



Fertilizing While Watering 



In order to apply to a given area a certain weight 

 of soluble plant food in the course of the usual water- 

 ing, both the amount of water then used on that area 

 and also its fertilizing value per gallon must be known, 

 or a corresponding figure. . If one filling of a tank 

 would please '"'go even" on certain benches or conven- 

 ient areas it would be simple to put the amount desire^l 

 for that area in that tank and not bother about the 

 strength as long as the watering was sufiicient. In 

 this case the amount put in the tank would be the 

 amount that would reach the area. But this nice 

 "coming out even" happens more often in the arith- 

 metic than elsewhere and as identical conditions of 

 watering are rare it will nearly always be necessary to 

 know both the strength of food at the tank end and also 

 the gallons applied to the soil to calculate what amount 

 of food reaches the area at last. Similar remarks 

 would apply to the use of Kinney pump, and such 

 devices. Just what is a proper amount is "another 

 story" at this time. 



It is to be remarked here that it. is very hard to 

 over-emphasize the fact that a fertilizer should be ap- 

 plied wealdy if possible, but often. To be applied of- 

 ten it must be weak or more than is necessary will be 

 carried to the soil and either be wasted or worse. As 

 a rule manure-water is such a weak liquid. It is cer- 

 tain -that plant roots can grab what they want from an 

 infinitely weak solution. 



The accompanying table is an attempt to put part 

 of this watering problem into figures. The peculiar 

 way the values in the last column run is due to the 

 employment of whole figures in the first. 



One gal. applied 

 to 



1 sq. ft 



2 .< 



S 

 9 

 10 

 12 

 14 

 17 

 20 

 26 

 51 

 Pi; 



1000 sq. ft. would 

 get 



1000 gallons 



.500 " 



333 •• 



250 •■ 



200 •• 



166 ■■ 



143 •■ 



12.5 ■• 



Ill ■• 



100 •' 



83 •■ 



71 •■ 



60 •• 



52 " 



40 ■■ 



20 " 



Water would be 

 1.6 Inches deep 



.27 

 .23 

 .20 

 .18 

 .16 

 .13 

 .11 

 .10 

 .08 

 .07 

 .03 



A depth of water one fifth of an inch is not un- 

 common but the range varies so in practice that no one 

 figure could be said to be "it." A whole raft of books 

 cdiild be written on this one subject. . 



^. 



