Enemies 193 



to become rather dry before planting is done, to avoid 

 all danger of injury by the gas to tender rootlets. 

 Loosening the soil, as with a spading fork, will cause 

 it to dry out more quickly. 



Remedy. — When the disease is found to exist it 

 should receive immediate attention — 



Before decay's effacing fingers 



Have swept the lines where beauty Hngers. 



Byron: Giaour. 



Several years ago when the disease occurred in many 

 parts of the country — an unusually wet season having 

 followed a severe winter — the following course was 

 pursued at Stager Place (Sterling, Northern Illinois), 

 and with satisfactory results: If the disease is ob- 

 served at an early stage, and but few plants are affected 

 and but slightly, and the drainage is good, remove all 

 leaves which appear to be unhealthy and cut or scrape 

 away (a spoon answers admirably) all the soft parts 

 of the rhizomes, cutting down to and a slight depth 

 into the sound tissue; put on each scraped surface 

 two or three teaspoonfuls of solution, as just mentioned, 

 of potassium permanganate, and with a i per cent, 

 solution of formaldehyde spray the affected plants and 

 saturate to the depth of four to six inches the area 

 about them. If the season is wet cultivate often and 

 deep, to promote rapid evaporation, taking as much 

 care as possible to avoid cutting the rhizomes. 



