390 Culture and Presewation of New Potatoes for Wmter. 



not the ungenial soil, as is generally supposed, which is the sole 

 cause of canker, but I think the Stromatosphae^'ia multiceps Gree?i 

 is the principal cause of that disease. I trust the enclosed shoots 

 of pear tree, which are of one and two years' growth, in addition 

 to those sent before, will enable you to trace it from the be- 

 ginning to the end, that is, until it has from its first growth 

 underneath the cuticle destroyed the whole of the layers of the 

 bark, and, consequently, the branch. How, or by what means, 

 it gets underneath the cuticle, I cannot pretend to say; but I 

 think it possible, and even probable, that the sporidia may 

 enter the pores of the epidermis. But I wish it to be under- 

 stood, that, when I say it is the fungus which is the cause of 

 canker in the pear tree, I do not mean to assert that it is the 

 cause of every species of canker ; for I believe there are other 

 species of fungus that cause other species of canker. For 

 instance, there is a kind of canker very prevalent amongst apple 

 trees that has the same effect on them as the Stromatosphse'ria 

 multiceps has on the pear tree ; that is, their branches die towards 

 their extremities, more particularly the young shoots. The 

 above-named fungus seems to thrive much better on some 

 varieties of pear tree than on others, amongst which are the 

 Windsor, the jargonelle, the summer and autumn bergamot, 

 and swan's egg. I have seen a tree that had been grafted with 

 two kinds of pears, and one of them was the autumn bergamot, 

 which has suffered very much from canker or fungus grow- 

 ing upon it ; the other kind is not hurt half so much : but, 

 wherever it appears, it soon spreads itself on almost every variety 

 of pear tree, should the season prove favourable to its growth; 

 and the last season appears to have been one of this kind. The 

 circumstances in which I am placed at present will not admit of 

 my using any means that may suggest themselves for its de- 

 struction ; but, were I to give my opinion as to the best means 

 of destroying it, 1 should say, use the knife very freely, and then 

 give a good washing with caustic lime water, at the same time 

 cleansing the tree of all loose and decayed bark ; I should then 

 apply a liquid composition, and, perhaps, that of Forsyth would 

 be as good as any. 



I hope that these remarks may induce some of your abler 

 correspondents to investigate the subject further than I have done. 



Shipston on Stour, April 10. IS^O. 



Art. X. Some Account of a Method of growing and preso-ving Netv 

 Potatoes for a Winter Swpply. By Amaziah Saul. 



I AM not aware that the following method of growing new 

 potatoes for a winter supply has been published in the Gardenet's 



