OX THE LATERAL ACCRETION OF THE STEMS OF SHRUBS, Ac. 3 
on the latter were very much attacked with the disease. I could bring 
other cases of a similar kind, but I fear that I shall intrude too far on 
your pages. When I commenced this paper, it was my intention to 
have entered a little into what I consider to be second causes, and to 
have shown in what way they often help the disease forward ; but 
time forbids at present. Should the above remarks meet with your 
approbation, and if any more will be of use, I will forward them at a 
future time. Yours, truly, 
Wm. Denyer. 
OBSERVATIONS ON THE LATERAL ACCRETION OF THE STEMS OF 
SHRUBS AND TREES. 
Having lately had an opportunity of reading and making some obser¬ 
vations on Mr. Hoare’s excellent treatise on the culture of the grape¬ 
vine on open walls, we were particularly struck with that gentleman’s 
ideas concerning the origin and subsequent accretion of the alburnum 
of the vine deposited during the summer growth. And although we 
are well aware that Mr. Hoare’s ideas on this point of vegetable phe¬ 
nomena are in accordance w r ith a very great majority of vegetable 
physiologists, we cannot help thinking that there is some misconception 
on this point of vegetative development, which it is necessary should 
not remain under any kind of doubt. 
It is true that w T e have heretofore alluded to the same subject repeat¬ 
edly, and in several different publications. In these publications our 
own ideas have for the most part been stated hypothetically, and pro¬ 
bably so obscurely that they have not attracted much notice, except by 
those who only gave their opinion by a civil, but at the same time an 
ominous negativing shake of the head. At the risk, however, of being 
tedious by “ thrumming on the same string,” we venture to return to 
the subject, in the hope that some one of those who only shake the 
head may be induced or provoked to set the matter at rest for ever. 
The passage to which we have alluded stands in Mr. Hoare’s treatise 
and runs thus :—“ The leaves attract the sap as soon as it reaches their 
vicinity, and by one of the most wonderful jrrocesses that can he con¬ 
ceived, the result of exquisite organisation, elaborate and prepare it, 
and render it fit for the nourishment of all the parts of the plant. The 
sap, after being thus prepared, is called the proper juice of the plant. 
It then returns downwards betwixt the bark and the alburnum, and in 
its descent is distributed laterally to every part of the plant, until it 
finally reaches the extremities of the roots. During its descent, a con- 
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