6 SPICES 



CHAP. 



or dark, of the normal plant. It makes but little 

 growth, and is liable to attacks of insects and fungi. 



It is, in the first place, of the greatest importance to 

 select a suitable soil. Sandy spots, except in the case 

 of cinnamon, water-logged soils, and soils formed almost 

 exclusively of vegetable debris, or impregnated with 

 salts, should be avoided. It is possible in most of these 

 cases to improve the soils, but the cost may be too great 

 to be worth while. In prospecting for a good site for 

 the estate, the ground should be dug to a depth of at 

 least two feet, in order to form an idea of the subsoil, 

 which is often different from the surface layers. 



DISEASES 



The diseases from which plants suffer are due to 

 insects or fungi. Bacteria, which play the chief part in 

 diseases of animals, seem seldom to be the cause of 

 disease among plants. 



The known diseases of each plant are described in 

 each chapter dealing with the species. The careful 

 watching for disease is one of the most important duties 

 of the planter. No attack, however mild, should be over- 

 looked as unimportant. In an outbreak a disease often 

 begins very slowly, a plant here or there dies, and no 

 notice is taken of this. More are attacked, and usually 

 the disease appears in patches about the estate. Too 

 often it is not until a considerable number of plants 

 are dead or dying that the planter takes any steps to 

 stop it. Sometimes the disease assumes a virulent 

 nature, spreading rapidly from each centre of infection, 

 and before the planter has time to fairly combat it, 

 the estate may be ruined. In any case, when it has 

 once reached the virulent stage the expenses of checking 

 it will be great, while earlier action when the disease 

 first showed itself would have cost but a trivial sum. 



A yellowing of the leaves of a plant is usually a 

 sign that it is in an unhealthy state. It may be due to 

 starvation from destruction of a portion of the roots, or 



