CHAPTER VIIL 



THE DISEASES OF PLANTS. 



De. Good, the distingiiislied medical wiiter, has 

 remarked, that the morbid affections to -^-hich the 

 vegetable part of the creation is liable, are almost 

 as numerous as those which render decrepid and 

 destroy the animal tribes. It would be difficult, 

 perhaps, whatever system of nosology is followed, 

 to place a finger upon a class of animal physical 

 diseases, of which a parallel example could not be 

 pointed out among plants. The smut, which ravages 

 our com crops ; the mildew, which destroys our 

 peas ; the curl that is annually infecting more 

 destructively our potatoes; the ambur}% or club- 

 root, to which oiu' turnips, and other species of 

 brassica, are liable ; the shanking, or ulceration, 

 which attacks the stalks of our grapes, are only 

 a few of the most commonly observed diseases to 

 which the plants we cultivate are liable. 



Numerous as are the vegetable diseases, and de- 

 structive as they are to the interests of the culti- 

 vator, yet no subject connected with his art has 

 obtained so little attention, and never was even 

 trivial attention followed by benefit less important. 



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