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JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENEE. [ September 26, 1872. 



within the last few years that have been raised in England, 

 but they do not seem to get into the trade, consequently it is 

 hardly fair to comment upon them ; indeed all the really good 

 flowers have been faithfully described in these columns at the 

 time they were exhibited. 



I have nothing new to add as regards culture, but would 

 like to read in this Journal the experience of other culti- 

 vators. — J. Douglas. 



THE POTATO DISEASE. 

 In the remarks we are about to offer on the Potato Disease, 

 we do not intend to enter into any speculation on the origin 

 or nature of it ; neither shall we tread such tender ground as 

 to speak with any affectation of learning on tissues and fungi, 

 as some do with as much confidence as a Berkeley or a Mohl, 

 but with less modesty. Our observations shall be confined 

 entirely to our practical experience on the subject, and what 

 we have to relate may be not new, but it is at least truthful 

 and opportune. 



After several years' experience and close observation of the 

 coming and going of the Potato disease, we are quite satisfied 

 of one thing, and that is, that there is no variety of the Po- 

 tato which is free from liability to the attack. It matters not 

 whether we take the old Scotch Dons, the Kentish Blue Eyes, 

 the Dunbar Regents, Dalmahoys, and Walnut-leaved Kidneys, 

 or the more modern varieties, such as Lapstone, Coldstream 

 Early, Myatt's Prolific, Mona's Pride, or Paterson's Victoria, 

 all in their turn have to succumb more or less to the ravages 

 of this scourge. Some have attributed the liability of attack 

 to the wearing-out of the old varieties, others to the high 

 breeding of the new; but neither wearing-out, high breeding, 

 or breeding "in-and-in " has anything to do with it, since an 

 importation of tubers direct from what is supposed to be the 

 native habitat of the plant proved to be equally susceptible of 

 the disease, and was attacked with as great virulence as any of 

 the cultivated varieties. Even the Tomato, which is an ally 

 of the Potato, has also been attacked, as if to contradict any 

 such supposition as that the impaired constitution of the Po- 

 tato was the cause of its liability to the disease. The only 

 safeguard against the disease— or rather the best avoidance, for 

 there is no safeguard— is early planting of early sorts. For 

 many years we have been in the habit of planting early only 

 such varieties as we can clear off the ground by the end of 

 July. It rarely happens that the disease ever appears to any 

 great extent before the beginning of August, and although 

 there may be eases where it shows itself earlier, it is never with 

 that severity which we find at that period. 



One of the best Potatoes is the Lapstone, and there is no 

 variety suffers more from the disease. For the last three years 

 circumstances compelled us to grow our crop of this variety in 

 field culture and by late planting. The consequence was, that 

 notwithstanding a strong desire to become possessed of a large 

 quantity of seed of a really true stock of this valuable sort, we 

 rarely ever obtained sufficient for the succeeding year's plant- 

 ing. This year the sets were planted early in March, and the 

 crop cleared at the end of July, when of the abundant yield 

 there were comparatively very few diseased. They have now 

 been sorted over, and those selected for seed next year are 

 spread out to become green. This greening of the seed by ex- 

 posure to_ light we find to be a check to the attack of the disease. 

 There is ono remarkable fact we have discovered during the 

 greening process. All the diseased tubers which may have 

 escaped notice when being taken up, and which would rot 

 when stored, probably communicating infection to the healthy 

 ones — these never become green, but retain their original 

 colour, and shortly ferment and rot. They may be observed 

 sometimes with a small hole on the surface from which froth 

 is oozing out, and then putridity ensues. " Greening," if it 

 did nothing more, enables one at least to secure sound seed ; 

 but it does something more, for we have observed that all the 

 varieties the seed of which has been so treated, have this year 

 scaroely suffered at all, while those not so prepared have. The 

 variety which we found most attacked of the early sorts is 

 Dalmahoy ; but the Walnut-leaved Kidney, Winkworth Seed- 

 ling, Coldstream Early, and Paterson's Victoria, were but 

 little affected, while the Lapstones and the Pebble White were 

 attacked much to the same extent as the Dalmahoys. 



and Son, of Berkhampsted, and in every case the trees are 

 direeious, the male catkins being produced on different trees 

 from those that bear the cones. 



Akaucakia imbricata. — Several trees of Araucaria imbricata 

 are now covered with cones in the nurseries of Messrs. Lane 



A PLEA FOE GAEDENEBS WHO HAVE 

 CHILDEEN. 

 Most readily and gladly do I accept Mr. James E. Pocock's 

 challenge to say a few words on this subject. I never see an 

 advertisement with the addition " no incumbrance," but I 

 own I feel angry — I feel my blood boil; and I own, further, 

 that it is one of those cases in which I feel " that I do well to 

 be angry." In the increase of a people consists a nation's 

 strength and security. In the declining evil days of the 

 Eoman empire its population was yearly diminishing, and soon 

 followed its last days. So in modern times, the decrease of 

 the numbers of the French preceded their utter overthrow, 

 and the influence of France now goes for nothing in the 

 councils of Europe ; while, on the other hand, the German 

 nation has grown great and taken the place of France — and 

 why ? Because every year its population has increased. So 

 it is, happily, with Britain, and we now, because of our numbers, 

 " dare to speak with our enemies in the gate." Therefore, on 

 the highest ground, on the principle of patriotism, we have all 

 cause to rejoice in our numerical increase, and, consequently, 

 no one ought to stigmatise that increase by the word "incum- 

 brance." I could fill pages on the blessing of children, how 

 they tend to stamp out selfishness from the human heart. 

 Possibly there may be a selfish father, but who ever knew a 

 selfish mother? Children make a home; without them it is 

 but a dwelling. The love of them, the love for them, makes 

 a man work willingly and work well. The evening is looked 

 forward to, the fireside is doubly warm and snug from their 

 presence. The sweetest outburst of affection is a joyful tear, 

 and that stands most usually in a parent's eye when his or her 

 child has done the right and shunned the wrong. But I must 

 restrain my pen, and come simply to the matter — the hindrance 

 which gardeners sometimes find in procuring situations be- 

 cause they have families. 



My advice is as follows. I ask other writers of this Journal 

 but I ask especially my friend Mr. Fish, whose face I have 

 had the pleasure of looking into, to give his view, and it is a 

 subject on which, I am sure, he will write kindly and wisely. 

 Others will, doubtless, now the subject is opened, write also 

 their opinions, for it is one which comes close and home to 

 gardeners, having to do with their very bread. I will subjoin 

 a few remarks, and then, if picked from all the writers, a little 

 sheet could be printed and published at the office of " our 

 Journal." Copies could, for a mere trifle, be obtained at any 

 time by gardeners when they needed them, as, for instance, 

 when one was applying for a situation. A gentleman could 

 not be asked to read through a long correspondence, even if 

 it could be placed in his hands ; but the applicant could say, 

 " I have a family, which I trust you will not consider an ob- 

 jection ; on this subject a little pamphlet is enclosed, which I 

 should be greatly obliged if you would do me the favour to 

 read." Such a pamphlet — it need only be short — I would 

 gladly undertake to edit, under the supervision of our worthy 

 chiefs, Mr. Johnson and Dr. Hogg. I think that giving my 

 name to it would, as I am a clergyman, free the writer from 

 the suspicion of any interested motive, for a clergyman could 

 not be a candidate for such an office, and could only wish well 

 to master and gardener. 



I do not think that children are either a hindrance to a 

 gardener or objectionable to a master, for the following 

 reasons : — 



1st. A man who has a wife and family is more likely, be- 

 cause of them and for their sakes, to be a moral and sober 

 man. The fact of his being such is a benefit to both gar- 

 dener and master. 



2nd. Such a man is settled in life ; he is no rolling stone, 

 he is more content, is less likely to have a love of change, 

 having made for himself and wife a position in a neighbour- 

 hood. Now, all masters know that their gardens are injured 

 by a change of gardeners. It takes a man some time to under- 

 stand fully a garden's capabilities, and to put it to the most 

 profitable use in every respect. This, then, is a gain to the 

 master. N.B. — I would advise all gardeners, if possible, to 

 remain in the neighbourhood where their children have been 

 brought up. If distress or sorrow comes they are known, and 

 are sympathised with and assisted as they could not be in a 



