148 
THE CULTIVATOR. 
Mat 
HORTICULTURAL DEPABTMEST. 
CONDUCTED- BY J, J. THOMAS-. 
Sickly Foliage and Iron. 
Many observers must have noticed the pale and sick¬ 
ly appearance which plants sometimes assume when in 
a diseased state. The restoration of these to a healthy 
condition, by the use of salts of iron, has been accom¬ 
plished in numerous experiments by Eus-ebe Gris, of 
Chatillon, in France. That the sickly condition of the 
plants operated upon, bore a resemblance to that of the 
Yellows in the Peach, as known in this country, may 
perhaps be somewhat doubtful; but the success attend¬ 
ing his experiments, and the beneficial use of iron on 
some diseased trees in this country, are such as to lead 
to the belief that it may prove of important benefit. 
The attention of the public has been particularly called 
to this subject in the Horticulturist, by A. J. Downing, 
its editor. A brief notice may induce some of our 
readers to repeat or modify the experiments. The iron 
was applied in the form of solutions of its salts, the 
sulphate, chlorate, and nitrate of iron ; the sulphate 
(copperas) being chiefly used, at the rate of 3 or 4 
drams to a quart of water, if for watering the root; 
or at the rate of only quarter of a dram to a quart of 
water, if for syringing the leaves. 
The experiments on plants in pots, where the solu¬ 
tion could be easily applied to the entire roots alike, 
were eminently successful. Some species of Pelargo¬ 
nium , Stackys, and Malva, by two or three waterings 
of a gill to a pint each, entirely recovered their healthy 
green color in three weeks, though quite yellow at first; 
a Diosma required two months; and a Pimelia re¬ 
gained its color but imperfectly. In the open.ground, 
the application to the roots is more difficult, and the 
results consequently more uncertain; but it was found, 
however, that a bush of the Napcca levis , very badly 
diseased, was quickly changed to a healthy state. 
When the weak solution was applied directly to the 
leaves of such plants as <are most quickly affected, a 
single application produced a renewal of the green in 
two or three days, wherever the solution touched them; 
and in one case of a very badly discolored geranium, 
“ every line painted on the surface of the leaf by a 
brush, was rendered beautifully distinct through the 
intensity of the green color.” For producing an im¬ 
mediate effect on diseased trees, syringing the leaves is 
considered preferable. 
Very favorable results were obtained when the pro¬ 
cess was applied to sickly pear trees with discolored 
foliage. 
It was remarked during these experiments, that 
when the solution was applied to the roots, and conse¬ 
quently ascended through the stem, branches, petioles, 
and midribs of the leaves, the parts of the leaves 
nearest the nerves or midribs were first changed in 
color, and the veins or minuter ramifications after¬ 
wards. On the contrary when the coloring was ap¬ 
plied to surfaces of the leaves, the portions colored 
were distributed in patches without any relation to the 
nerves or veins. 
The editor of the Horticulturist states that Dr. Reed 
of Poughkeepsie, applied iron in the form of black¬ 
smith’s scoria and cinders, to the soil about his pear 
trees, and the result was a remarkably healthy growth 
and fair fruit; his practice being founded on the fine con¬ 
dition of the pear tree in the iron district in the eastern 
States. He also says in a number published last year, 
u On learning, last autumn, with some surprise, the 
great perfection which the pear attains [at Plymouth, 
Mass.,3 we applied to Mr. Washburn, one of the moM 
successful growers there., for a sample of his soil. Ora 
having it analyzed, we find that this soil differs from 
other fertile soils chiefly in containing a much larger 
proportion of oxide of ironP 
T. A. Smith of Syracuse,describes in the same work, 
a successful application of rusted iron turnings to the 
roots of a diseased peach tree, which soon restored it 
to health. The earth was removed from the roots; a 
peck of turnings applied, water poured on, and the soil 
replaced. This .may be an over-dose; but the rust of 
iron is very slowly dissolved and absorbed by the roots. 
The disease was perhaps incipient Yellows, though this 
does not appear certain.* 
These experimants may not uniformly prove success¬ 
ful-—and they cannot be reeomemended with the confi¬ 
dence resulting from long practice. But they are easily 
performed, and may lead to important and valuable re¬ 
sults, and are hence well worthy of a full trial. It 
should be observed in all new experiments of the kind, 
that safety dictates a commencement with a small 
quantity, increasing the dos© till the desired effect is 
obtained. 
Experiments and their Results, 
Editors Cbxti vat or—W ith a little leisure, and 
yet without sufficient time to write an elaborate treatise 
on such profound subjects as 11 Potato Disease” - and 
kindred themes, with which some of ©ur craft are some¬ 
times occupied, I send you a little ©f all sorts-—pomo- 
logical, horticultural, and economical. Please shovel 
this heap into your editorial mills, blow out the chaff, 
then, if any good seed remains, hand it over to your 
printer that he may sow it broadcast over the land. If 
some of this seed be of sorts of which you have sown 
enough already, you will of course reject it, or save it 
for next year. And if there should be danger that the 
sowing of such a diversity of kinds should produce 
cross-breeds, if sown altogether, you may distribute it 
to different departments of your editorial field. 
I. Facts and Incidents in Planting Fruit Seeds, 
1. Arfs.es—I n the spring of 1846, I planted a load 
of apple pomice in a good soil and with care. Not a 
seed ever grew either that or the next year. Error t 
The pomice was just sprouting when it was brought 
home. The disturbance ruined the seed. 
2. Plums—T he same spring I planted two or three- 
quarts of plum stones that had been buried in earth m 
the garden all winter. Not a seed ever sprouted. 
Error : They were j ust sprouting when dug up. 
Query i Do plums always suffer thus when planted un¬ 
der such circumstances ? 
3. Cranberries —May 24th, 1847, I planted thirty 
square rods with cranberries, (a) Seed ■ —Some of it 
was cleansed from the pulp in early winter and kept in 
sand in the cellar. The remainder was prepared on the 
day of planting by rubbing the berries in the sand in 
which they were planted. The fruit had been fine, (b.} 
Soil —The ground was a swamp muck combined with 
sand, drained dry three years ago and well cultivated 
since, but without any manure. Soil as fine as a gar¬ 
den. (r.) Mode of planting : The ground was first 
marked out for turneps, and that seed sown. Th© 
cranberry seed was then planted in- alternate rows, at 
* One of the most infallible proofs of Yellows, is prematpre ripen¬ 
ing and discolored flesh of the fruit; au indication however proto* 
bly too late for a remedy. 
