14:2 



THE CAN"ADrAN nORTrCCLTUTRtST. 



boards under each melon to keep them 

 from being infested with worms or from 

 decaying if the ground is wet after rain. 

 For late melons a few seeds could be 

 sown in the centre of each sash instead of 

 [)lants transplanted from another frame. 



The best land for melons is a sandy 

 loam, but any well eni-iched and drained 

 will grow melons. 



By this system of cultivation nutmeg 

 melons have been grown to weigh from 

 fifteen to twenty-five pounds and keep 

 their fine flavour al.so. K. Brodie. 



BLACK KNOT— A FUXGOID 

 EPIDEMIC. 



"With reference to Mr. Webster's 

 article on his A'iews on Black Knot 

 which appeared in the Horticulturist 

 for April, I would beg to slate from 

 observation and a slight knowledge of 

 entomology, that he is wi-ong in stating 

 that an insect is the direct cause of 

 Black Knot in either the plum or 

 cherry trees alluded to. The insect he 

 alludes to is a fungus fly which deposits 

 its eggs in the knot, which is yet in a 

 green or downy state, not yet hardened, 

 or it may possibly be a curculio, this be- 

 ing eftected in the early part of summer. 



On examining some knots I have 

 found no grub in them, these evidently 

 have not been observed by the insects, 

 consequently they must not have been 

 the direct cause. The fungus fly is not 

 so numerous here as in Europe, mush- 

 rooms being more plentiful there, and 

 form a special article for the perpetua- 

 tion and pro]iagation of their species. 



Lichens on fruit trees or old fences 

 are fungoids. The resinous \)inQ knot 

 is a fungus, the punk in a diseased 

 maple tree, the " birkba," as boys call 

 it in the north of Scotland, is the decay- 

 ing birch tree used by the boys as a 

 substitute for blotting paper, is also a 

 fungus, and so on, ad infinitum ; but 

 this is enough for illustrations in so far 

 as trees are concerned. 



Herbaceous plants are also affected 

 by fungus, e.g., ergot in rye, rust and 

 smut in wheat, also smut in Indian 

 corn, and the rot in jiotatoes. 



I may as an horticulturist (fungus 

 being only a low form connected with 

 the vegetable kingdom, but an im- 

 portant one) say all epidemics affecting 

 the animal kingdom are of fungoid 

 origin. Smallpox is nothing more or 

 less than a crop of mushrooms of a low 

 type upon the human body, which 

 usually take some nine days before they 

 are ready to throw off their ^iores or 

 seeds — then look out. 



The cholei'a, black plague (which 

 almost depopulated the cities of Athens 

 and London), yellow fever, and all 

 forms of fever and ague, scarlatina, 

 measles, whooping cough, hereditary 

 pulmonary consumption, and others of 

 an ejiidemical character, if minvitely ex- 

 amined, can be traced to fungoid origin. 



Fungoids perform an important part 

 in the economy of nature. Every 

 thing not in a healthy condition, in 

 order to perpetiiate the races, either 

 animal or vegetable, must succumb to 

 their influence ; they are the agents to 

 hasten decay, in order that the elements 

 may go to the sustenance or formation 

 of other organic substances. 



I have observed an insect allied to 

 the fungus fly — the dragon fly, which 

 boys usually dub the devil's darning 

 needle. His business is to keep in 

 check the spread of the silk worm, 

 tomato grub, and all other caterpillars 

 of a similar type, otherwise Ave would 

 have recourse to artificial means to 

 guard against their ravages. 



The fungoid theory, still having re- 

 ference to the vegetable kingdom, of 

 epidemics is not generally understood 

 even by u number of bur medical prac- 

 titioners, and inventors of ]jatent medi- 

 cines not having a thorough, or may be 

 only a superficial, knowledge of botany. 

 They usually treat as to eftects, not 



