DISEASES. 233 



leaving it doubtful whether or not they would ever 

 recover. All along the coasts of the shires of Banff, 

 Moray, and Aberdeen the larch was twice during that 

 season, in exposed places, quite defoliated. This was not 

 the effect altogether of the sea air, as larches ten miles 

 inland had also suffered, though not to such a degree. 



It is maintained by some that nearly all the diseases 

 of larch are engendered in the nursery, either by 

 crowding the plants in the nursery beds or stimulating 

 their early growth by strong manures. All nursery- 

 grown plants, however, are by no means crowded, 

 neither are they all forced by manure, although the 

 first planted larches in this country, being grown in 

 the London nurseries, were probably so treated. In 

 selecting the plants for small plantations, choice is 

 generally made of trees which have stood open and 

 clear of each other in the nursery ; but it has been 

 often shown that the best-grown specimens fall a prey 

 to disease as well as those less favoured ; and even self- 

 sown plants, though standing as single specimens, and 

 grown free from all artificial manures, fall a prey to 

 disease along with those otherwise raised and planted 

 amongrst them. 



The result of sowing diseased seed appears to me 

 either to be no plant produced at all, or a small and 

 weakly one. In the latter case, time and attention 

 may restore it to strength and \'igour, which, if once 

 attained by natural and proper means, there appears 

 no good reason why it should afterwards relapse into 

 a state of degeneracy and disease. 



