566°" 
THE ‘GARDENERS’ 
CHRONICLE. 
[Ava: 92,5: 
out another Vine. These Vines were cut down last 
autumn, so that the whole growth above mentioned is 
of this year.—C. A. A. Lloyd, Whittington, Oswestry, 
August 15. 
Planting on Steeps.—The following method, although 
an exception to the general rule, answers perfectly on 
precipices where no other mode can be adopted. With 
young Oaks, especially if tap rooted, it answers well. I 
have planted steeps composed of blue clay and marl, 
with an iron instrument 4 ft, in length and sharp at the 
point, in the following manner :—A hole is made with 
the instrument, and the young tree is thrust into it; 
the hole is then closed up again, or at least the soil is 
ihrust close up to the root, by inserting the instrument 
once or twice in the ground an inch or two from the 
first made hole, and the work is finished. I have fre- 
quently found Oaks 18 ins. long to have roots 2 ft. in 
length, all of which have been inserted without having 
been cut, The steeps above alluded to, where at one 
time not a vestige of herbage could be seen, are now 
clad with fine young Oaks, as well as underwood, amply 
testifying the excellence of the method for clothing 
naked high lands. I may mention that some of the 
precipices lie in the North Riding of Yorkshire, near 
Cotherstone, a humble little village on the banks of the 
Tees, where immense quantities of Oaks have been 
felled within the last half century, some of the trees 
fording a ton and upwards of bark.— A. D. A. 
Felling Larch Timber.—I frequently meet with per- 
sons of different opinions as to the best time for thin- 
ning Larch Fir plantations, with regard to the dura- 
bility of the timber which is used for rafters and other 
purposes. Some contend that those felled in winter 
are the best, as the sap is not up, and that the turpen- 
tine remains as much in the tree in winter as in sum- 
mer, and that as the sap rises it only brings the tur- 
pentine into action. Others contend that the turpen- 
tine rises and falls with the sap, and that it is best to 
eut them in summer to have the turpentine in the wood. 
All agree that it is desirable to have the turpentine in 
the tree when felled. Will you kindly oblige me with 
your opinion on this subject?—J. E. Somerset.—[We 
would rather elieit the experience of some of our 
foresting friends.] 
Soot no Preventive of Potato Disease.—In the begin- 
ning of March, 1845, I planted Ash-leaved Kidneys, 
and an early sort commonly called No-blowers, the 
former in my garden, the latter about half a mile from 
my house ; both sorts of Potatoes at each place came 
up and thrived well for several months, and promised 
fairly for a luxuriant crop. In the beginning of May 
following I had my chimneys swept, and by chance I 
strewed the whole of the soot over the Potatoes in the 
garden, thinking it would serve as an additional manure, 
but was agreeably surprised that it not only acted 
as. a manure, but the haulm and foliage retained 
its former appearance, and the Potatoes when 
taken up were not diseased, while the others 
on which no soot had been shaken were more or less 
affected. I planted the same ground in the garden with 
Potatoes this year, entertaining the idea that the action 
of the soot would prove a preventive to the pest this 
season also; but to my disappointment the stalks and 
foliage showed symptoms of disease almost as early as 
those in the adjoining gardens ; but I believe that if I 
had procured soot and managed them according to m 
last year’s treatment, I should have been again suecess- 
ful in saving my crop.— John G. Pinney, Kilmington, 
near Axminster, Devon. 
Potatoes on Peat Soil.—In this neighbourhood the 
tongs ; and beyond the part that seemed so burnt, there 
was & part of the under side of the leaf that appeared 
whiter than the rest, as if it were covered with more 
numerous and whiter hairs. The disease does not seem 
to be confined to any kind of Potato, those that escaped 
last year being as much affected as others. Nor has 
the bringing of seed from an unaffected district been 
any preservation, for I know several instances where this 
has been done without effect. A neighbouring farmer 
brought his seed from Fraserburgh, in Aberdeenshire, 
where the disease was never known. His field was the 
earliest planted in the country, and it was the first to 
give way; and it is now so far gone, that the smell that 
comes from it is very offensive. Another neighbour 
planted some of the same cargo in a piece of new land 
where Potatoes were never grown before, which were 
long the best in the country, but they also are diseased; 
so that the infection does not come from a tainted soil. 
I saw that my own Potatoes were giving way so fast, 
that I found it advisable to take some of them up for 
the early market. I have thus had an opportunity of 
examining the Shaws to a great extent, which I did 
very carefully ; and I have found that wherever the 
leaves are affected some part of the root (I mean the 
root that draws the nourishment from the earth, not the 
Potato itself) is diseased. Generally it is the lowest 
tier, or whole of roots that is so, and often the upper 
parts are fresh. This is the case where the disease ap- 
pears only in spots on the leaves ; but where the whole 
stem is affected, the whole root is diseased. 
may also mention another fact, which, though not 
strictly connected with the Potato disease, may 
serve, in some degree, to explain it. Shortly after 
the rain that fell on the 3d and 4th ult., the leaves began 
to be affegted in the same way with the Potatoes; 
thatis to say, they became spotted on the leaves, which 
gradually turned black altogether. As soon as 
noticed the spotting on mine, I examined the roots of 
the affected stalks, and found them always diseased in 
some degrée or other ; and when the whole stalk be- 
came black I found the whole root diseased. I have 
een led from these observations to reflect on the advice 
that has been given us to cut down the shaws as soon 
as the Potatoes appear diseased. I confess that I did 
not at first think that this measure would do any good, 
and have not practised it. But I now begin to regret 
that I had not recourse to it at first. I think that the 
disease in the lower tier of roots may be earried through 
the whole plant when the shaw is not eut. After it is 
cut, the upper part of the root, where it is fresh, will 
naturally push on a new growth, and into this new 
growth the disease cannot enter from the infected part 
of the root, as the circulation from it has been cut off; 
and it is only the fresh roots that will carry on the cir- 
culation of the new growth.— Zpistatós. [Rain cannot 
be the cause; for the Potatoes were perishing all last 
winter and spring in forcing-houses, and the disease was 
certainly begun in 1844, which was extremely dry and 
warm. 
Potato Sprouting nol caused by Rain.—MHaving read 
in your Paper of the 1st of August that half-grown Po- 
tatoes were sprouting from every eye, I had some of my 
own dug up, and found it to be the case. The foliage 
appeared most luxuriant, and we were congratulating 
ourselves that we should escape the visitation of 1845. 
The kinds which with me were showing this early ex- 
citability were a red Kidney, ripe usually in October, 
some Champions, and a white sort, name unknown, ripe 
in other years in September. In the above sorts this 
liarity was universal, for I had last week my whole 
Potato disease has appeared this year in pure peat or 
moss land as well as in every other deseription of soil. 
Last year I had Potatoes free from disease in moss land, 
while they failed in a dry gravelly loam, trenched 18 
inches deep ; this year my Potatoes in moss are already 
blackened, although planted with healthy sets grown in 
moss land, and although I took the additional precau- 
lion of powdering them with lime and setting them 
apart from the manure, The failure is universal in all 
kinds of soil, and seems to come on at a certain Stage 
of growth of the plant, for each luxuriant field in sue- 
cession as it reaches that stage blackens and decays. 
The accounts from the neighbouring islands are most 
distressing, and I fear that the ensuing winter will be 
one of great privation ; for the poorer classes depend 
much (as in Ireland) on their Potato crops for subsist- 
ence. We have had a great deal of moist close wea- 
ther of late. The fall of rain in July by my rain-guage 
was 7°89 inches, and in June 6.81 inches, being 14.70 
inches for the two months. The fall of rain for the two 
corresponding months of 1845 was 7:28 inches, and of 
€ 845 inches.— James Forsyth, Dunach, Argyle- 
shire. 
Moisture the cause of the Potato Disease.—As the 
disease seems, in some way or other, connected with 
the quantity of rain that has fallen for two months 
10} inches having fallen in the course of one month), 
may mention that there was an unusually heavy fall 
on the 3d and 4th of July, by which the land was’ ren- 
dered quite unworkable. On the 10th and 11th a still 
heavier fall took place, by which many fields were 
flooded, and all were completely soaked ; so that, to use 
| Sparrow." For two weeks farther 
showers fell occasionally, but the Potatoes showed no 
symptoms of disease till the 23d and 24th, when, in tlie 
course of two days, almost the whole district was 
affected. In most cases the disease showed itself on the 
leaves, which were covered with nümerous black spots, 
just as if they had been taken hold of with a pair of hot 
P 
crop taken up. That this early sprouting of the eye 
of the Potato did not proceed from the recent rains is 
evident, because in this place we had no rain beyond a 
few slight showers during the whole month of July, nor 
until the 5th of August, when there fell 1.25 inch, and 
it was on the morning of the 6th August that I had 
my Potatoes examined. In many cases when lifted 
they presented a perfect mass of newly-formed fibres, so 
that it was with difficulty the tubers were extricated. 
The circumstance, however, to which I wish more par- 
ticularly to direct your attention is this :—That in the 
early kinds, the foliage of which is dead, there is not 
the least disposition to throw out shoots, equally with 
the later sorts. I have had all dug up, and have found 
this to be the case. I mention this fact, which 
authenticate with my name and address.—Charles W. 
= 
the amount of about 1 sack, 
nunciations of yourself and others) had them planted, by way of 
experiment, in ground which had been broken up from pasture 
the year before (i.e. spring, 1845), and had borne 
a crop of 
adly diseased Potatoes! s 
sorts), the Barbadoes are the worst, and the Jerseys, picked 
| from so badly diseased a lot, and sone in ground from which. 
a badly diséased crop had just been raised (for they were 
planted in December or January), have proved of all decidedly 
the most exempt,—to present appearance entirely exempt from. 
disease! I may further remark, that these Jatter are quitefree . 
observable in the Pota- . 
toes of this season. For the above facts I can vouch from per- ` 
from that tendency to reproduction so 
sona! 
an he Potatoes which 
are the subject of this comparison haye all been raised.— 
Thos. C. Curties, Linton Vicarage, Herefordshire. I have 
now an additional fact from which, m inference 
sets from diseased Potatoes yield a diseased produce. 2, That 
sets from apparently sound tubers yield the same, 3, That 
Potatoes brought from districts where no disease was apparent, 
and those brought from distant countries, as South America, 
afford no security. y Personal experience has informed 
me that small tubers from seeds sown i i 
alarge scale, until the results of further experiment be known, 
attention should be given to early 
Pea, of e of whicl s aken from 
the same ground in one year, with the help of a little 
manure, and sowing in drills. 
more necessary, as the mortality among cattle is becomin; 
very serious. Let not fish be overlooked, and farinaceous foo 
alone considered. Our seas teem with food; and could the 
be reduced ; and the punishment justly inflicted 
poor-law on the northern region might be rendered lighter.— 
G. S. Mackenzie. 
Foreign Correspondence. 
Paris Horticultural Show, August 1846.—Some 
years ago, the Council of the Societé Royale d’Horti- 
culture, in order to ascertain the most favourable 
period for their exhibitions, determined that on each 
succeeding year the Show should be holden in rotation ; 
following this arrangement, it has now taken place in 
August, a month of all others (even in ordinary aa aa 
the least adapted for the beauties of floriculture, an 
this year particularly unfayourable, from the excessive 
heat and drought which for the last two or three months 
has been almost unprecedented even in Paris, scarcely 
a drop of rain having fallen for the last 10 weeks; 
Roses, Dahlias, and other flowers, have been at times 
literally scorched to powder ; and the ravages of the 
thrips and red spider all but universal ; under such 
unfavourable cireumstances it was not possible to expect 
anything very splendid from the Exhibition which was 
advertised for the 6th, 7th, 8th, and 9th of August at 
the Orangery of the Luxembourg, nevertheless it has 
passed off in a much more creditable manner than was 
expected ; the exhibitors certainly were not so nume- 
rous as in former years, but the plants were in general 
of a better description, and the mass of rubbish which 
heretofore has disgraced some of the shows was absent. 
Gold Medals by the Duchesse d'Orleans and the 
Princesse Adelaide, and 16 Silver Medals, and the like 
number in bronze, by the Society. Among Specimen 
plants the Dichorizandra ovata of M. Ryfkogel claims 
the first place ; it was large, well grown, in fine flower, 
and every way worthy of the first prize ; another, but 
not so handsome, was from MM. Cels. In the orna- 
mental pottery of M. Follet were two magnificent 
masses of Cattleya crispa aud Stanhopea tigrina, with 
from 20 to 30 flowers each. MM. Cels had also a 
fine plant of Cattleya crispa, but little inferior. M. Pélé 
sent an immense plant of Phlox Marianne covered with 
handsome heads of pretty lilac and white flowers; 
A Lisianthus Russellianus from M. Thibaut, was, per- 
haps, the best ever seen here. He also showed Lilium 
lancifolium rubrum in good style. M. Souchet had à 
fine grown specimen of Veronica speciosa, but unfortu- 
nately the flowers had been injured. In the collection 
of M. Deshayes were compact well flowered plants 0! 
Erica Irbyana, tricolor Leeana, and jasminiflora alba. 
M. Poiteau sent the pretty Calanthe veratrifolia, In 
fruit, there were some magnificent specimens, particu- 
larly the Melons of M. Crochot and M. Gros, known 
under the names of Cantiloupe à chair verte et à chair 
blanche, and which weighed from 12 to 18 lbs. each. 
M. Stinville sent fine Aubergines and Tomates, and 
M. Jamin the Plums Reine Claude and Reine Victoria; 
really fit to set before a Queen. Neither Grapes nor 
Peaches were worthy of France, and not a single Pine- 
Apple was exhibited. The Gold Medal of the Duchess- 
of Orleans was awarded to M. Jaquin Ainé for à 
miscellaneous collection of 50 or more plants in bloom. 
In this group were stove, greenhouse, and Loss plants: 
which, however showy as a whole, would hardly bear. 
individual inspeetion. The Gold Medal of the Princess; 
