148 



ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Thompson. That of the roots was extremely bad ; many were quite 

 decayed and infested with the mycelium of some fungus, which 

 in some cases penetrated the tissues ; but whether the original 

 cause of mischief, or merely consequent on decay, it was impossible 

 to say. Some of the roots in two of the trees were studded with 

 irregular knots covered with a thick bark and producing on their 

 surface a quantity of lenticels, and in one or two instances two or 

 three abortive adventitious buds. "When these were examined in 

 the fresh state, no cavities were discovered in the wood such as will 

 be mentioned hereafter ; but on reexamination after becoming per- 

 fectly dry, the wood appears to be full of the little cavities just men- 

 tioned ; and the soil, equally dry, is now full of fungous threads. 



The compost consisted mainly of half-charred turf from a loamy 

 field, which contained much undecomposed vegetable matter, and 

 parts of it traversed with extremely delicate fungous threads 

 sparingly mixed with spores, and certainly a highly dangerous 

 matter to apply to the roots of trees. There was no indication 

 either as regarded colour or smell that any injurious chemical 

 matter had been used ; and the conclusion was that the trees had 

 suffered from mycelium, which is one of the most deadly enemies 

 of the gardener. 



On speaking of the case to Dr. Hogg, who is well acquainted 

 with Chatsworth, he remarked that some years ago the trees were 

 in very much the same condition in consequence of the harsh and 

 sodden nature of the soil, and that careful root-pruning and an 

 entire renewal with good compost completely reestablished them. 

 This, however, is not inconsistent with the view which has been 

 taken on actual personal inspection, and examination of the speci- 

 mens transmitted ; but it gives some hope that the mischief may be 

 remedied, and is certainly highly suggestive to cultivators. 



Some weeks since, a few twigs were sent, by a correspondent, to 

 the office of the i Gardener's Chronicle,' from some peach-trees in 

 a house, in which the terminal bud died and communicated a taint 

 to the subjacent tissues, so as to cause ultimately the death of 

 the shoot. Immediately beneath the bud were a number of 

 minute cavities in the wood, as appeared in specimens which were 

 taken to one of the Tuesday Meetings at South Kensington. 



This character was particularly striking, because it formed one 

 of the most marked peculiarities in a formidable disease which was 

 lately submitted to Messrs. Rivers, but of which they were wholly 

 ignorant. The trees were on a south wall, in the Isle of Wight, 

 and were either wholly or partially affected. In the latter case 



