87 



DISEASE. 



The Canker, or Rot, is the only disease afflicting this 

 flower that we are acquainted with. This is really 

 an ulceration, or moist gangrene, seated in the root. 

 The first symptom of the disorder having attacked a 

 plant is its loss of verdure, and its assuming a yel- 

 lowish sickly appearance. Soon after it decays on 

 one side, and becomes crooked, or else, the main root 

 of the plant rapidly decays quite through, and the 

 head drops off; in fact, the juices of the plant are 

 vitiated at the time the foliage begins to appear 

 sickly, so that no time must be lost in fresh potting 

 it into proper soil, and removing it to a cool shaded 

 situation : this is the only likely method to recover 

 the infected plant ; but it is certainly more advisable 

 to prevent the occurrence of so dangerous a malady, 

 by fresh potting the plants in the spring, than to 

 run any risk by deferring the operation till autumn, 

 or postponing it to the second year. {MaddocJcs 

 Florist's Direct. 103.) 



Some florists have thought the disease epidemic 

 and contagious, because, when it does appear, it 

 usually attacks many plants in the same collection. 

 This, however, is no such proof, but merely evinces 

 that the whole have been rendered liable to the dis- 

 ease by being all equally mismanaged. 



