October 20. 1888.] 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



441 



fruit. However rich the soil may have been originally 

 each crop takes away a definite quantity of the food 

 required by the tree, until in time insufficient 

 remains ; then the tree fails, not through age, but 

 through inanition. The same gardeners who leave 

 their fruit trees unfed would think it most unreason- 

 able to expect them to grow their crops of vegetables 

 without manure. 



The fourth paragraph is, " or the variety ie very 

 old or very delicate." This raises the much-vexed 

 question whether a seminal plant has a finite life, 

 or one which can be prolonged indefinitely by propa- 

 gation. Experience seems to prove that individual 

 life has a limit, though there is evidence that many 

 seminal plants have a very prolonged existence ; 

 however, the limits of this paper do not allow the 

 present discussion of the question. It may be suffi- 

 cient to say that observation does not lead me to 

 believe that the age or delicacy of a variety renders 

 it more like to canker when the soil contains what it 

 requires. 



The fifth paragraph suggests " that the soil is not 

 sufficiently drained.'' Canker, according to my ob- 

 servation, occurs equally on well-drained as on ill- 

 drained soils ; it is not a question of condition of 

 roots. My own garden formerly contained several 

 trees rapidly succumbing to canker, which, when 

 grafted with other varieties, at once put on healthy 

 growth, made fine heads, and have since for many 

 years been perfectly free from the disease. Each 

 variety requires its own appropriate food ; Straw- 

 berries afford a very good illlustration of this. I 

 have among my friends the reputation of growing 

 this fruit to perfection, yet I had the greatest diffi- 

 culty in finding varieties which would do fairly in my 

 soil, and after trial of many more than a hundred, 

 have so far discovered only about half-a-dozen which 

 are moderately successful. British Queen refused to 

 fruit ; Dr. Hogg bore fairly as an annual, but did 

 not survive to the second season — in fact all the 

 Queen race and many other kinds only do more or 

 less ill. Such being the case, it is not unreasonable 

 to believe that some varieties of fruit trees find in 

 some soils what they require, while others do not, 

 and in consequence become subject to canker. 



The sixth paragraph is, " or it (the soil) may be 

 too poor.'' I quite agree with this, as I believe a 

 deficiency in the soil of the necessary food of the 

 tree is the cause of canker. 



Seventhly, "The wood may be weak, and is not 

 well ripened, when a sudden frost, especially after 

 rain, ruptures the vessels, and this forms the chief 

 cause of canker." Unripe wood, which is, however, 

 often the result of imperfect nutrition, is productive 

 of much mischief of a temporary nature; but as 

 canker attacks well matured wood, I cannot believe 

 it to be in any case its cause, although when the 

 real cause is at work it may appear on such wood. 



In the eighth paragraph the author repeats him- 

 self. "Any direct injury, however, to the bark of a 

 tree, as from friction of one branch upon another, 

 the pressure of a clothes' line tied from tree to tree, 

 or injury from a ladder in fruit gathering, may all 

 cause it, even in healthy trees." This calls for no 

 further reply than that given to the first paragraph. 



Finally, the author states that " Canker commences 

 with an enlargement of the vessels of the bark, more 

 apparent, by the way, in Apple than in Pear trees, 

 and continues to increase until, in the course of a 

 year or two, the alburnum dies, the bark cracks, 

 rises in large scales, and falls off, leaving the trunk 

 dead, and ready to break off with the first wind if not 

 before removed. The canker shows itself quickly, 

 and if the cause be sought for it will often admit of 

 a remedy. The most usually effective is a good 

 supply of nourishment to the trees affected, 

 together with the removal of the parts injured." I 

 confess that the preliminary symptons described 

 as the enlargement of the vessels of the bark have 

 escaped my observation ; but there appears to be 

 some contradiction in the statement, as while the 

 first symptons of the disease are described as extend- 

 ing over a year or two, further on it is stated that 

 canker shows itself quickly. However, although I 



differ so much from the writer of the article in the 

 Pomona as to the causes of canker, we are agreed on 

 the remedy, namely, " a good supply of nourishment 

 to the trees."' 



In 1886 my attention was specially directed to 

 plant food, having been requested to write a paper 

 on that subject for the Birmingham Gardeners' 

 Association. In the same year, having noticed that 

 a number of Apple trees in my collection had become 

 unsightly through canker, I marked about a dozen 

 of them for destruction ; but while studying the 

 subject of plant food, which involved the considera- 

 tion of the analysis of various plants, I was very 

 much struck witli those of the fruit and wood of the 

 Apple in Wolff's Aachen Ancdyscn, the great authority 

 on plant analysis. I found that the fruit contained 

 an exceptionally large proportion of soda and the 

 wood of lime. This at once suggested the idea that 

 my soil might not contain sufficient of one or both 

 of these elements to supply the wants of the Apple 

 tree; therefore I resolved, instead of destroying the 

 marked trees, to give them and all my Apple trees a 

 good dressing of a complete artificial manure which 

 contained full proportions of soda and lime. In the 

 following season, 1S87, which was exceptionally hct 

 aud dry, either through the drought, the manure, or 

 some other cause, not a spot of active canker could 

 be found ; all the edges of the old wounds on the 

 marked and other trees, almost as badly affected 

 had put out granulations and healed over, and the 

 trees, many of which had previously ceased to extend, 

 made healthy and vigorous growth. Last winter the 

 trees were again dressed with the same manure ; this 

 season they have been exposed to the most unfavour- 

 able conditions ; the soil to a great depth was almost 

 dust dry when they were making their first growth, 

 while an army of caterpillars ruined what foliage 

 was made. Then followed the most continuous cold 

 weather and rain experienced for many years. Not- 

 withstanding conditions so conducive to the exten- 

 sion of disease, there is at the present time still no 

 appearance of active canker. The trees have been 

 carefully inspected by some experienced pomologists 

 who, doubtless will confirm my statement. Short as 

 is the time during which the trees have been sub- 

 mitted to the treatment, I can only conclude that 

 the arrest of the disease is due to the supply of 

 elements of food required by the trees, of which a 

 sufficient quantity was not previously contained in 

 the soil. 



The food required by a plant is a complicated 

 mixture of many elements, all of which are neces- 

 sary for its well-being ; the complete absence of one 

 of them would be fatal ; a deficient supply of one 

 would arrest its development, and render it subject 

 to disease. Nothing is more instructive and con- 

 clusive on this point than the copies of photographs 

 of plants grown for the purpose of testing the effect 

 of manures more or less complete to be found in 

 treatises on the subject. That of Ville on, Artijiciu! 

 Manures, published by Longmans, contains many 

 such illustrations, which clearly show that when the 

 soil contains every element of fertility but one it 

 remains absolutely barren. For instance, in a soil 

 without potash, the Vine makes no growth. 



It remains to sav that the manures necessary to 

 restore a tree to health vary as the soils, although 

 the ashes of the wood of the Apple tree contains 

 71 percent, of lime — an exceptionally large quantity 

 — it would not be necessary to supply this element 

 on a lime formation ; nor would soda be required in 

 a soil near the sea, although on other geological 

 formations or situations a deficiency of one or both 

 may be the cause of canker. Like conditions apply 

 to the other elements. 



Various soils require such manures as will supply 

 their various deficiencies; but as it is most difficult 

 to ascertain even by analysis what may be the defi- 

 ciencies of a soil, the practical way of dealing with 

 the subject is to study the analysis of the ashes of 

 the plant in question, and to use a manure which is 

 composed of these elements ; for instance. 



The ashes of the wood of the Apple tree contain : 

 — Potash, 12 0; soda, 16; magnesia, 5'7 ; lime, 710; 



iron, 0; phosphorus, 46; sulphur, 29; silica, 1-8; 

 chlorine, 02. And those of the fruit :— Potash, 

 3-17; soda, 261; magnesia, 8'8; lime, 41; iron, 

 140; phosphorus, 13 6; sulphur, 61; silica, 43; 

 chlrone, 0. Ville lays down the rule that 6oils 

 generally contain sufficient of all the mineral ele- 

 ments except potash, lime, and phosphorus, and the 

 gaseous element nitrogen, and says it is only neces- 

 sary to supply to the soil manures which contain 

 these four. This may be sufficient for the general 

 purposes of cultivation, but more recent experiments 

 have conclusively proved that the addition of a small 

 quantity of iron largely increases the development of 

 foliage, and consequently of the plant. In dealing 

 with a mysterious disease such as canker, I should 

 not leave out either iron or magnesia. 



The following formula, which may be varied as 

 circumstances require, is suitable for the Apple 

 tree ; — 



Superphosphate uf lime 12 parts. 



Nitrate of potash 10 „ 



Chloride of soda 4 



Sulphate of magnesia 3 



Sulphate of iron 1 „ 



Sulphate of lime 8 ,, 



This may be used at the rate of | lb. to the square 

 yard over the whole extent of soil within reach of the 

 roots. It need not be dug in ; one effect of the 

 manure may be relied on, if it does not cure canker 

 it will, at any rate, most certainly benefit the 

 trees. 



I hope you will excuse me for having questioned 

 some of the conclusions of great horticultural autho- 

 rities, but it seems that some of these conclusions 

 have been accepted, without sufficient examination, 

 as being time honoured traditions handed down 

 through many generations. Gardeners are, in this 

 respect, perhaps a little too conservative. 



I think much may be learnt by occasionally 

 departing from these traditions and making inde- 

 pendent experiments in cultivation ; my own experi- 

 ence proves that many such experiments resulted in 

 failures, but there is full compensation if only one 

 useful discovery be made, or one error exploded. 



RENOVATION OF OLD AND FORMA- 

 TION OF NEW ORCHARDS IN THE 

 WEST MIDLANDS. 

 By W. COLEMAN, Eastuor Cattle Gardens. 

 F'ive years having passed since the Royal Horticul- 

 tural Society inaugurated the first comprehensive 

 Apple Conference, the present Council has wisely de- 

 cided upon testing the result of that important step 

 by again calling together those interested in Pomology. 

 A small minority at the time thought the exhibition 

 of thousands of plates of Apples would not benefit the 

 growers, but the consumers also. Since that time 

 the growers' prospects have not improved, owing, 

 they say. to the prevalence of low prices brought 

 about by gluts and foreign competition. Buyers, on 

 the other hand, say the supply is unevenly and 

 irregularly distributed, and the price is too high 

 when they purchase from the retailer. Growers Bar 

 fruit culture will not pay until the land each man 

 holds or occupies is as good as his own, or let to 

 him on a very long lease, indeed ; but preseut 

 owners of the soil somehow do not seem to see the 

 the force of their argument, consequently the most 

 important work the present gathering has before 

 is is the fiaming of a scheme of open markets in 

 which consumers can buy first hand at fair remu- 

 nerative prices. This is all very well, but supposing 

 each householder is in a position to buy Apples say, 

 from day to day, where are those Apples to come 

 from? Why, we must import them. Actually, we 

 must trust to the Colonies for the produce of a tree 

 which is indigenous to our soil, whilst thousands of 

 acres of land capable of producing the finest fruit is 

 going out of cultivation. To the Royal Horticultural 

 Society should attach the honour of taking the 

 initiative in working out this problem, but before the 

 body can move we must learn from reliable men the 

 progress which has been made in the great fruit- 

 growing districts. Living as I do in the county of 



