264 BORTHWICK—FROST CANKER OF 
middle of April may have been the primary cause, but there is 
little doubt something more serious is at work now.” I have 
seen since these plantations, and can vouch for my correspon- 
dent’s statement that at least two-thirds of the plants are 
infected ; I should say more, in fact, in the plantations shown to 
me I was unable to find a single perfectly healthy specimen. 
In the month following (November) I received from another 
estate, this time in Argyllshire, a consignment of Menzies spruce 
similarly affected. My correspondent here also gives a similar 
account. He says :—“ There is apparently a fungus, but possibly 
the trees are predisposed to attack by frost. I have planted 
this tree rather extensively, as it grows fast here, often three or 
more feet in a season. This disease has been noticed for the 
last two or three years, but only on a very small scale. This 
year, however, thousands of trees are affected in all situations 
and varieties of soil, though it is worst in the hollows and least 
in airy situations. In nearly all cases the second year’s wood is 
affected, and all above that dies off. The lower part of the tree 
remains vigorous and fresh looking, and quickly throws a new 
leader or leaders. This year we had a severe frost, 10 to 15 
degrees, on two nights in May.” 
Since then still another inquiry, accompanied with specimens 
showing identical symptoms, has come in to me from Perthshire. 
Evidently there has been widespread damage to the Menzies 
spruce. In all cases the young trees after a period of very promis- 
ing growth suddenly collapsed. The first sympton of attack is 
apparently a striking change in the colour of the foliage, which 
loses its dark green and becomes pale yellow. Next, the leader 
loses its leaves and usually turns dark red in colour, and its side 
buds, or branches, are arrested in their growth. The needles 
are usually retained on the older parts, and if the tree is not 
killed outright an attempt to replace the leader by a side branch 
is made. Figure 1, Plate li, shows this condition of affairs. 
The end of the leader was, however, cut off for convenience in 
transport before the specimen was sent to me. The tip was, how- 
ever, in the same state as the basal portion, The stem in many 
cases was found to be cankered. The first indication of this is 
a slight flattening at one or two points accompanied by an out- 
flow of thin bluish-white resin which makes conspicuous the 
cankered spots. Later the bark splits, exposing the wood, and 
an attempt is made by the tree to cover these exposed areas by 
