EOCK, ALPINE, FERN, AND WILD GARDENING. 



185 



seems little doubt that the cause is atmospheric, in 

 sudden and severe changes of temperature. Careful 

 culture, and prompt protection, are some of the best 

 preventives ; cure there is none. And yet some 

 affirm that trees dressed annually with a smear com- 

 pounded of sulphur, lime, tobacco- juice, and soft- 

 soap, with an ounce of nux vomica to twelve gallons, 

 never have blisters, while those not so dressed 

 beside them have. This can hardly be said to be 

 proved, but it is worth trying. Pick off the blistered 

 leaves, and encourage the trees by surface sprinkling, 

 mulching, &c, to make fresh growth, that is, new 

 and perfect leaves, as soon as possible. Honeydew is 

 often found associated with blister, and some con- 

 sider it a disease rather than, as it is generally 

 thought to be, an after-effect of aphides. As it is, 

 however, universally associated with the attack of 

 these insects, it is believed to proceed from the 

 punctures they make in the leaves. The sap exuding 

 from these, and becoming sweet, forms what is called 

 honeydew. The best remedy is persistent washing 

 with the garden-engine until the honeydew disap- 

 pears. Sunstroke is rather common in some seasons 

 and districts. It mostly occurs during several 

 days or weeks of bright sunshine. Occasionally 

 it affects the leaves, burning or scalding them 

 into white spots, or irregular blotches. But more 

 frequently it affects the young wood, and at times 

 the older shoots, and even stems. Dryness at the 

 roots, and excessive heat on the bare branches, 

 aggravate, if they do not produce, sunstroke. Hence 

 watering or partial shade will be found the best re- 

 medy. The wisdom of winding hay-bands, or other 

 substances, round the boles and leading shoots of 

 Peach-trees, has been referred to. But a better 

 mode still is to keep up a succession of young shoots 

 close to all the bare boughs, and even train some of 

 them over the boughs for shade. Should they not be 

 wanted for furnishing afterwards, they may easily 

 be cut off and removed. Canker is far less prevalent 

 among Peaches than among Pears. Still, sunstroke 

 and gumming not seldom produce a state of wood and 

 bark that can hardly be otherwise described. The 

 best means of checking it is to cut off most of the 

 hard cracked wood and bark, and dress the wounds 

 with a thick smear of clay and cow-dung. 



Hoot Fungus is most prevalent in dry light soils. 

 It is often produced by the use of leaf -mould in 

 planting. At times, however, the soil of certain 

 deer and other parks seems to favour its produc- 

 tion, and the whole substance of the border gets 

 filled, and the roots enveloped, with the mycelline 

 of the fungus. The only remedies are flooding it 

 out with water or sewage, or the lifting of the trees, 

 the washing of the roots, and sprinkling them when 

 wet with hot lime, the removal and burning of the 



whole of the border, and re-planting in fresh com- 

 post free from the fungus pest. 



Boot Gout prevails in certain districts. Instead of 

 the roots being smooth on the surface, they are 

 encircled at irregular intervals with a series of 

 swollen protuberances, or rings, that seriously im- 

 pede their functions. Such roots are specially brittle 

 and fruitful of suckers ; each swollen wart-like pro- 

 tuberance arrests the sap, and is prone to send its 

 force up into suckers. Unsuitable soil, rank ma- 

 nures, careless digging among the roots, and sub- 

 cropping Peach borders, are amongst the chief 

 producing causes of this gouty state of the roots. 

 When badly affected, however, cure is slow and 

 uncertain, and the best plan is to destroy the trees, 

 remove the old borders, and replace with new soil, 

 re-plant, and steer clear of the chief producing 

 causes of gout on the roots. 



The Jaundice is the last disease to be noticed here. 

 The leaves instead of being green have a yellow hue, 

 hence the common name of "the yellows." An 

 excess of cold, or of moisture, either in the earth or 

 in the air, are the most common causes of the 

 disease. Over-deep planting, unsuitable stock, and 

 a sudden spell of excessively bright and hot weather 

 after a season of cold, dull weather, may also result 

 in .jaundice. Violent attacks of red spider may have 

 a similar effect. Surface or mound planting, careful 

 culture, and protection are the best antidotes. And 

 when these do not succeed it will be better to give 

 up the culture of the Peach in the open air. 



EOCK, ALPINE, EEEN, AND WILD 

 GAEDENING. 



ROOTERIES. 



THESE, like not a few things useful, and even 

 beautiful in their proper place, have been so 

 much frowned down and sneered at, that it needs 

 considerable courage to acknowledge their merits, 

 and to suggest that it might occasionally be useful to 

 set about their formation. For example, in a flat and 

 hardly-rolling landscape on the chalk downs, tree- 

 less or grainless, where neither on nor under the sur- 

 face a stone larger than a flint or pebble can be 

 found throughout miles and miles, almost anything 

 that breaks up the level tameness and dead monotony 

 of the ground may be welcomed as a decided improve- 

 ment. Not only so, but roots, irregular blocks of 

 the upper ends of pollards, or the gnarled sides of 

 decaying trunks, may be so disposed as to produce 

 unique and highly picturesque effects. The pilers- 

 up of Eooteries, like the builders of Eock-work, lost 

 their way to picturesque results amid the heights and 



