178 
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1 8 
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MOOR Fi eathy oblig 
by ng to ene Editors z ЖОШ, “7 
о be of interest to our readers, 
matters AR it is desirable to bring 
er the notice of horticulturists. 
AVERAGE MEAN TEM for the ensuing week 
deduced from ОБАНЫН during the last fifty 
"t at Greenwich, 51.99. 
ACTU, TURE :— 
din" Chronicle Office, 41, Welli ngto: z^ paa 
е , 
rese — Lon Wednesday, 
a.m.: Bar. 29.5; temp., 589, Weather—Bright 
xo hine. ` 
The paradoxical question, 
Perennials (Сап qe grow old? 
Old age is one not only of scie ergy 
but also of or беша ral i 
terest. For if it be prov that even 
perennial plant is no oof as ime senility 
it would follow all o 
y of those : К 
аг у vegetatively to suffer in 
cou eae oy ccs from Seals decay and to lose 
e pedes 
resent state of knowledge the 
— ion i 
maintain that vegetatively propagated plants 
are cic s, immor. 
ose who hold his ү point to the fact 
a few of our culti- 
plant m bow paga Mus 
tatively for two, three or even four thousand 
years and nevertheless show no sign of senile 
ecay. Of cultivated plants of such ancien 
lineage are the Grape, Banana, Fig, Date- 
Im and Chinese Yam (Dioscorea Batatas) 
s, however, refuse to accept this 
historical evidence—which i t be con 
fessed ed on slender a ty an 
ints t running. of certain varieties 
i bush fruit and 
be barren of 
grow ? е line o attack pursued by 
nedict* consists i in enquir- 
ed 
rng ч» 
For thi f: eiu di chose, 
first place, the wild Grape—Vitis bus 
t tset of the uiry it was found 
marked reri and 
за between the s 
* Senile Changes in- Leaves of. Vitis vulpina L. and 
certain other Plants, rn No. 7, bs University 
ишге Experiment Station, June, 1915. 
THE GARDENERS’ 
CHRONICLE, 
[OCTOBER 4, 1919, 
of the leaves borne on nd 
This difference, which may 
aid of a han nd-lens, concerns hed fine veins of 
the leaf er a 
and old vines. 
rease so as t lf closer to them 
and carry away the i and other pro- 
ducts ийнан d the assimilatory 
5 
һаї this hypothesis is a tenable one is 
shown by the further aeee roc that the 
f the le af 
the o it is borne 
This Mr. Benedict demonstrates by measur- 
i mparing the ounts of material 
manufactured by equal areas of leaves borne 
у f kno and different ages. 
N ss to say, the author has taken 
every precaution to eliminate sources of 
error due to differences of position, of illu- 
leaf. utions taken 
we must refer readers to the icon paper, 
ont may say here that the evidence ар] 
to be convincing t of vine is reflected 
in leaf-structure and fun Thus, with 
to the veinlets : vine of five 
m 
о n: whereas 
a vine of eight yea f ge manufactures 
r unit of leaf surface 15.1 per cent. of its 
dry weight (of m aterial sugar, etc.) in the 
urse of a day, a vine of ears is only 
ble to produce 9:7 p f. its dr 
weight [o e author infers that 
its 
powers of ma re. Fu urt de er investiga- 
tions appear to confirm this oe for 
т. Benedic finds that as the у e gr ows 
older its leaves year by year ee pa of 
their power © respiration, That i is 2 ring 
E. by e oxidation of su. ie 
produ i manufacturing a activit у, а 
this in ‘spite of the fact that the leaf of old 
vines (20-30 years): produces—presumably i 
tion for its d ing efficiency— 
a 
leaf surface as are produced by the leaves 
of young es of from ears of age 
М. je arently constant differences 
.by Mr. Benedict to distin 
Mich vines f different age and all of t 
differences are, he thi be attributed to 
the differenc w e d youth—in 
other words, he re s closer vein, 
m numerous sto he failing assimi- 
latory and respiratory powers of the leaves 
f old vines as signs of senile degeneration 
comparable with those which accompanie 
he old age of animals d in con ion 
á 
senile degeneration ai 
differen t ore or processes of the huma 
Mr. Benedict provides eviden 
which we ve may accept provisionally €: peak 
ing con tion, to show that even, the 
perennial Bien ant is sooner or later a "iom of 
old age—tout casse, tout passe, tout lasse! 
The way punc —In common with the 
Pu inge cri our ers, we are sufferin, 
hi 
many 
have had many cur eraran 
and returning from aig but the: 
matters as compared wit 
ail transport. st а 
е fruit t owing to an unf 1 
able ess en the crops are - 
fairly plentiful, many ar ing deprived oi the 
food supplies by the жел action of one 
of the community. 
our for Mr. J. б. Baker 
of gp is conferring the hono; 
Е. Sc. on Mr. 
i 
pra botanis ee for no " contempo 
s done so much for horticulture as - 
entist. 
Р this танланг: scie 
w Bulletin states 
m 
has been appoin 
class, in the Royal oe Garden 
* Scott" Memorial Medal ae Captain | 
Scott Memorial OW ui Research has been 
awarded to Dr. J. Pole-Evans, Chief of the 
Division of Botany, pi ems of Agriculture, - 
лае Africa, by the South African Biological 
sin 
$ 
p Crop of Peas.—Messrs. Dobbie and | 
Co. end Be Гоо. ien -— a letter 
ees Pe m by a rwarding | 
E of* En; lish Wonder? Lr 
оса seed. а will one 
w , wi 
a good second icd [o ; 
an varie sample and icked specim 1 
s bably orto have үз pulled earlier, 
but having | been, way on holidays they 
overlooked.” 
A ri Potatos. ae disease known as 
agi! n affects the tubers of Potatos 
several, of these species n: vem 4d : 
th ec upto oms 0! 
usarium appears 
curious fact has been 
е investigation, 
Fusarium which 1 
have very different ition 
hereas species which differ unduly 
another in form may Ligne identical 
events, very similar sympt 
from one i 
or, at all 
m 
yi v 1914- 
1918." Scafell Pike is 3,210 feet high ‘and is 
Sherbakoff, 28th 
*Fusaria of Potatos, by С, D. 
, EXP. 
Веј ү ell University Agric. 
mE = | 
(19159, 
