320 



CASSELL'S POPrLAR GAEDEXIXG. 



less prevalent than formerly — tlie worst disease of 

 the Apple, and the most troublesome to cure. In fact, 

 it may almost be said to be incui^able. It yields to 

 treatment, and may be thus modified and checked, but 

 it is seldom that a tree once badly cankered is ever 

 wholly cured. Of course, w^here the first sjjeck is 

 seen, and at once and wholly cut out — like a cancer 

 in the human frame, to which canker bears a very 

 .striking resemblance — it might not reappear. But it 

 has mostly made considerable progress before being 

 observed or subjected to treatment, and hence, in 

 great part, the difficulty of eradicating the disease. 



For, though canker mostly manifests itself on the 

 •outer bark, and may at times be originated by a 

 frost-bite or a chill, it more frequently has its seat 

 in the sap or the roots ; hence, the importance of 

 keeping the first pure in quality and moderate in 

 quantity, and the latter in a genial medium. Canker 

 — like gout, in the human frame — also seems to be 

 partiall}'' constitutional and hereditary. For exam- 

 ple, it is no uncommon thing to find the Ribston 

 Pippin, and Old Hawthornden, eaten up with can- 

 ker, while all other varieties in the same garden may 

 be tolerably or wholly free from its ravages. In all 

 such cases, or localities, begin the cure by promptly 

 getting rid of all varieties predisposed to the malady. 

 External wounds and injuries, and severe amputa- 

 tions, are also apt to end in canker, and should be 

 avoided. 



The fact of this disease among Apples being far 

 less prevalent than it was, affords powerful indirect 

 proof that much of the canker, once so prevalent, 

 originated in the severely barbarous prunings of the 

 olden time. Yet cutting back and heading down 

 was, and is, one of the usual receipts for the mitigation 

 and cure of this troublesome disease ; and more 

 marvellous still, it not seldom succeeds. It sum- 

 marily gets rid of the cankere 1 parts ; and, provided 

 the disease originated from exhaustion, the new and 

 vigorous growths produced on the heels of the knife 

 remained for a time, at least, free of canker. Too 

 often, however, the remedy was very short-lived, 

 and ended in exaggerating the disease by the excess 

 of vigour thus induced. 



To insure a moderate supp)ly of sap. pure in 

 quality, is undoubtedly the best mode of pre- 

 venting or curing the disease. To keep the sap 

 pure, plant in suitable soil, such as we have 

 already described, without, as a rule, any addi- 

 tion of manure whatever ; or if any is used, it must 

 be thoroughly sweetened by decomposition first. 

 But it is safer to use none, for — without entering 

 into such puzzling vital or chemical questions as to 

 what and how elements of rank manures can be 

 absorbed by the roots of plants — practical ob- 

 servation and experience demonstrate beyond all 



controversy that such manures add to the volume 

 and change the quality of the sap. Gross wood varies 

 from other wood chiefly in ha"\ang an excess of what is 

 called crude and watery sap. This exudes at the first 

 cut or bruise or chill on the bark, spreads into brown 

 blotches, runs into ulcerous wounds, and finally pene- 

 trates and dries up, and probably kills the tissues, 

 eating right into or through the pith, and so killing 

 the wood. Xow it is found that when the sap is 

 pure in quality and moderate in quantity, none of 

 these results ensue ; or if canker should ensue, it 

 is much more easily modified and arrested. 



In low-lying northern localities where the rain-fall 

 exceeds thii-ty inches in the year, the soil can hardly 

 be too poor in which to plant Apple-trees. Growth 

 being thus subdued into moderate strength, the 

 trees may be easily stimulated by mulchings of 

 maniu-e on the surface, and waterings of liquid 

 manure, to enable them to swell and ripen their full 

 crops of fruit. So soon as, or rather a month or six 

 weeks before this is harvested, the stimulating 

 regime may be withdrawTi, to enable the trees to 

 thoroughly mature their moderate-sized wood. 



^Micn all other cures have failed, planting on sur- 

 face moimds or ridges has proved effective. If deep- 

 rooting, into wet or ungenial soils, seems among the 

 more fruitful causes, lift the roots into higher places 

 of warmth, and better and more immediately avail- 

 able supplies of food, and the trees have grown out 

 of canker into health ; and if the cure has not been 

 complete by root -elevation, it has proved to be so 

 nearly so, that they have continued to grow and fruit 

 well for years after. A yard of earth on the sur- 

 face will make a sufficient mound for a goodly-sized 

 Apple-tree. Ridges and banks may also be thrown 

 up to any desired height. Often the soil on the spot 

 answers well if this is thrown up a yard or more 

 above the surrounding level. Of course, should a 

 little maiden loam be added to it. all the better; or 

 should the soil be too stiff, a liberal admixture of 

 coal-ashes, cocoa-fibre refuse, mortar rubbish, or 

 road-sand, will open it up. and endow it with canker- 

 resisting force. 



A wet bottom has been the most fruitful cause 

 of this most dii-e disease. TMierever orchards with 

 stagnant water within a yard of their surface are 

 found, there also is canker sure to be seen : and since 

 thorough di-ainage has been laid down, and generally 

 practised as the first basis of horticulture, canker 

 has declined. Marvellous mitigations of canker have 

 also been seen by the simple expedient of draining 

 old orchards and fruit gardens. 



Grafting at times has seemed successful, and where 

 the canker arose from weakness, or the constitutional 

 tendency of varieties, the remedy has been com- 

 plete. Ribstons cut back and worked with King of 



