138 



of seedlings, but being ui.able to turn the informa- 

 tion to any practical purpose, I directed my atten- 

 tion to other matters. Even now 1 can hardly see 

 why the facts should be considered valuable, unless 

 they might perhaps assist science in unveiling sf me 

 of the remaining mysteries of plant life and growth. 

 I frankly admit that it is all mystery to me why the 

 roots of the St. Lawrence apple are usually so few in 

 number and of such wonderful size and vigor. 



The Northern Spy will have roots much more 

 numerous and less vigorous, and English Grolden 

 Russet will have roots both numerous and vigor- 

 ous though less in size than the St. Lawrence. 

 So marked is the difference that there would 

 be no danger of mistaking a bundle of one for the 

 other, though only the roots could be seen. Of 

 course these peculiarities are not equally apparent 

 in-each single specimen, for some roo^s have so much 

 indiv)' duality that the graft but slightly influences 

 them. 



I recollect several years ago budding a row of 

 Paradise stocks with the St. Lawrence, — mentioned 

 above as having very few and strong roots. A por- 

 tion failed to "take" and all were left together in 

 the row,and finally all were transplanted at one time. 

 Those with Paradise tops had numerous and fibrous 

 roots, the nominal condition of the Paradise plant. 

 Those with St. Lawrence tops had those great strong 

 roots, few in number, peculiar to that variety. 



One plant in particular was specially noticeable. 

 It had a small lot of Paradise like roots apparently 

 about what it should have had at the time it was 

 worked, but about two inches below the bud a soli- 

 tary St. Laivrencedike root had shot out and become 

 fully equal in diameter to the trunk of the tree, and 

 further, a broad and very distinct ridge extended 

 from this root to the bud showing plainly the sym- 

 pathy between the two. 



It has been stated that a hardy graft would im- 

 part its hardiness to a tender root. This certainly 

 is not so to any considerable extent, as I have learned 

 to my cost. Seven years ago we had a very cold 

 winter with little snow, consequently all tender 

 roofe were killed. The spring following, nursery rows 

 of hardy sorts of apples, showed many trees that 

 did not put out in leaf though apparently uninjured 

 by frost ; an examination showed that all below the 

 graft was dead, such trees had chanced to be grafted 

 on tender seedlings. Others that chanced to be on 

 hardy stocks made a vigorous growth. A few trees 

 pushed feebly and made a poor growth, most of 

 these were found dead below the graft, but were 

 sustained by a few hardy roots that had put out 

 from the graft itself. These eventually mad fine 

 hardy trees on their own roots. 



If any one feels disposed to experiment in this 

 direction, I would suggest the idea of grafting the 

 Tomato upon the Potato as likely to lead to inter- 

 esting results. Though these two plants belong to 

 the same family, their roots are widely dissimilar, 

 (it may be here remembered that the tuher is not a 

 root,) and any variation would be readily noted, a 

 full crop of tubers below and Tomatoes above would 

 be eminently satisfactory to Hawk eyes, and, better 

 yet, it would send consternation and dismay among 

 our sworn enemies, the Potato Bugs. 



PEAR BLIGHT. 



BY MR. W. H. MILL^, HAMILTON, CANADA WEST. 



The remarks, under this heading published in the 

 Gardener s Monthly, for March 1867, by Mr. S. S. 

 Cooke, of Chillicothe, Ohio, contains observations 

 of great moment to all interested in fruit culture, 

 they appear to offer a partial solution of the dreaded 

 blight disease, which 1 fancy does not a'one confine 

 itself to the pear, but seizes upon the weakened 

 organic condition of the apple, plum, cherry, peach, 

 and no doubt enters organisms other than vegetable, 

 and therefore analogy may reasonably be drawn be- 

 tween the effects produced by miasmatic influences, 

 in animal and vegetable. 



Taking into consideration the extended and pro- 

 found observation of "Darwin" in his "Origin of 

 Species," the mass of evidence therein brought to 

 bear upon the assumption that the struggle for 

 life in all organic beings is retarded or advanced by 

 slight favorable advantages or disadvantages, is con- 

 clusive, and establishes the fact, I think beyond 

 cavil, that a quiet and interminable, but a sure and 

 successful war is raging throughout this planet, to 

 bring all organizations to the status best fitted for 

 their perpetuation. 



A consideration of this phenomenon would entail 

 a lengthened digression not suitable for your Month- 

 ly. What I desire is, to add to such facts as have 

 come under my own observation, to those of Mr. 

 Cooke's in hopes that the accumulation of such may 

 enable some person to take the matter up, and place 

 the subject in a light sufficiently clear to guide the 

 propagator and planter. 



In my own garden, with a gravelly and sandy 

 loam mixed, with a fair natural drainage, situate 

 on a gentle slope to the south, protected by a tight 

 board fence seven feet high on the west and north, 

 occasionally subject to the influence of fogs arising 

 from a clay flat situate a quarter of a mile away, I 

 planted rows of dwarf pears ten feet apart, a]so 

 apples trees the same distance ; two or three years 

 after these came into bearing, almost every other 



