192 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ September 6, 1877. 



the following table. It extends over a period of thirty years 

 known as the disease period, computed from the fell outbreak 

 in 1845 to the close of 1872. The relative amount of disease 

 in the different years is the result of personal observation, con- 

 firmed by other observers in the same district who have given 

 special attention to the subject. After the relative amount of 

 disease in the different years had been determined (not before), 

 the monthly rainfall in the same district was obtained. It 

 was kindly furnished by careful collectors of rain of established 

 reputation — the Rev. J. E. Cross of Appleby Vicarage ; A. S. L. 

 Melville, Esq., of Branston, Lincoln; and G. J. Symons, Esq., 

 the eminent meteorologist of Camden Square, London. The 

 first attempt to elucidate from the Bomewhat formidable array 

 of figures a principle of Potato-disease governance was a 

 failure. The gross average annual fall of rain and the average 

 of each year separately were first taken, assuming that in pro- 

 portion of each to the whole so would the proportion of 

 disease be. Bat on this no reliable data could be founded, 

 and for a very good reason, that the rains of winter have no 

 connection with the matter of the summer malady. The next 

 procedure was to prove the thirty years' average of the amounts 

 falling in the Potato-growing months, April to September, both 

 inclusive. This proved itself 13.30 inches. On finding the 

 amounts of the same years separately, and noting their relative 

 proportion with the gross average of the whole, the plus -f and 

 minus — show, not quite with unerring exactitude, but in a very 

 remarkable mariner, that the ebb and flow of the disease float 

 with what may be called the ebb and flow of rain in the same 

 years and district. 



" The extent of the disease is divided into three general and 

 intelligible classes, prefixed by the years of ' no disease,' 

 followed by ' sligbt disease,' ' decided disease,' and ' great 

 disease.' The amount of rain in the six months is given on 

 the same line as the year, together with the excess or deficiency 

 in relation to the general average, which is also stated at the 

 top of every alternate column. Take, as an example, the 

 second year named. It is 1854 in the ' no disease ' column. 

 The quantity of rain for this year in the six months, April to 

 September, is 9.32 inches. This is 3.98 inches below the 

 general average of 13 30, and is so signified by the minuB 

 sign — , excess being signified by the plus sign +. The table 

 quite removes the paramount influence of rain from the cate- 

 gory of conjecture in seeking a cause for disease-outbreaks, 

 and places it is as a fact demonstrated ; and it will require 

 argument of extraordinary subtlety to reason away the position, 

 that the first great acting cause of the Potato disease is ex- 

 cessive rain falling in the period of growth, and especially at 

 the juncture when the plant is on the eve of ripening. 



" The table, however, shows a few, very few, failing points on 

 the face of it. It would have proved the position still more 

 clearly had April been excluded and October added. It would, 

 moreover, have been perfectly fair to have adopted this arrange- 

 ment, seeing that the month of April can exert no practical or 

 immediate influence on the spread of disease, while October 

 certainly does bo occasionally, although not to a serious ex- 

 tent. The theory, however, shall not be strained, but shall 

 stand onitB merits aB originally compiled. 



" Bat the apparent weak points of the table will bear examina- 

 tion. Let us glance at them. It appears, then, to be at fault 

 inasmuch as the ' no disease ' year of 1867 shows an excess of 

 ain of 0.14 inch above average, while the ' decided disease ' year 

 of 1852 shows a deficiency of 0.39 below average. First refer- 

 ring to 1867 and its seeming excess we find that it waB contri- 

 buted by April, May, and Jane (which affects the disease only 

 slightly if at all), averaging 2.53 inches ; while the latter three 

 months — July, August, and September (which are of supreme 

 moment in fostering the murrain), gave an average of oniy 

 1.94 inch, which is really not an excess at all, in the disease- 

 producing months. With this examination the apparent error 

 vanishes. Now let the ' decided disease ' year of 1852 with 

 its 0.39 deficiency be placed in the crncible. The first four 

 months — April, May, Jane, and July — only gave a rain average 

 of 1.94, while the two months following — August and Septem- 

 ber — averaged not less than 3.19 inches, the amount for Sep- 

 tember being 4.16 inche3. This influx, coming at a critical 

 time, accounts for the mischief which the four fine months 

 preceding could not avert. Again, 1847, a ' slight disease ' 

 year, shows an excess. This excess is contributed by May and 

 Jane, which averaged 3.75, the remaining four months averag- 

 ing only 1.31 inches. The disease showed itself this year very 

 early and again subsided. The same may be said of 1861-2, 

 and are marked ' E ' to distinguish them. That the amount 



of disease is not expressed by the figureB in exact gradation 

 and with mathematical accuracy may be accounted for by the 

 local nature of rain, especially thunderstorms and other con- 

 tingencies, such as cloud and temperature. What differences 

 there are, are therefore essentially due to local and varying 

 influences, as limited (in area) thunder showers, and other cir- 

 cumstances such as varying cloud, atmospheric moisture, and 

 temperature. Such, however, do not materially weaken the 

 remarkable proof the table gives as to the pre-eminent power 

 of excessive rain as the great foster-parent of the devastating 

 Potato murrain." 



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I have nothing to add to the above table and remarks, but I 

 may at some future time make further extracts from the notes 

 which have been placed in my hands by one who has evidently 

 given much attention to Potato cultivation and disease. — 

 A Northern Gaedenee. 



EOSES IN NOBTH WALES. 

 As you have had " Notes on Eoses " from South Wales, I 

 thought perhaps a few jottings thereon from North Wales 

 would not be unacceptable, particularly as these come from 

 a high elevation — nearly 700 feet above the sea level. To begin, 

 at the time of the grand National Bose Show we had not 

 a bloom out, so that we had to be content with the very 

 full description given by " Wtxd Savage" in this journal. 

 We do not grow a large collection here (some two hundred 

 plants or thereabouts), but as our situation is high and ex- 

 posed I thought probably the sorts that do well here might 

 be useful to some of your readers who are similarly situated. 

 The majority of them are budded low on the Manetti ; 

 I have also a few on the Briar, which do very fairly on our 

 soil — a medium loam. The sorts which have succeeded 

 best here are Marquise de CaBtellane, very large and fine ; 

 Lyonnais, Mdlle. Marie Finger, Maurice Bernardin, Miss 

 Ingram, Lord Raglan, Fisher Holmes, Baron A. de Bothsohild, 

 Baronne de Rothschild, Francois Michelon, Baronne Prevost, 

 Jules Margottin, John Hopper, Lord Clyde, Olga Maris, 

 Baron de Bonstetten, Abbti Bramerel, Ferdinand de Lesseps, 

 and Princess Louise Victoria. These do best in our exposed 



