60 THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION.— October 28.1806. 
into as many as have roots, and transplant them to their 
intended quarters ; but you will he amply repaid for a year’s 
patience by a vast increase of fibres and nice little stems. 
If any of the bent-in shoots force themselves out by 
elasticity they can easily be pressed in again, and, as a last 
recommendation, I would urge not to lay the cuttings aside 
until you think you have tiino to put them in, but let the 
soil receive them directly, so that they are in full vitality 
and health when put in. 
Like many other great inventions, it was mere accident 
that gave the clue to this simple aud yet so practical affair, 
though the inventor frankly confesses that he thinks he 
might have easily found it out by reflection, with the aid 
of physiology. 
The credit is due to my friend Dochnahl, the celebrated 
pomologist in Bavaria, who declined the sums offered him 
by the Belgian nurserymen to.sell his secret to them ; but, 
heedless of that, he would have it out, and, though a 
nurseryman himself, published his invention for the benefit 
of all in his “ Pomona,” a very cleverly edited little paper. 
I feel proud to bring such a man to the notice of English 
readers; for his disinterestedness and enthusiasm for the 
noble science of pomology, to which he devotes every nerve 
of his life, ought to be spread world wide. 
Diel, one of the stars of the century, tried, and could not 
strike a single Apple cutting, and rooted but half of a 
number of slips of the Pear Quince, which, at the present 
day, many more besides him can strike readily. Dochnahl, 
however, succeeded in some of his first experiments in 
rooting 800 slips of the French Dougin, and missed but ten 
out of the whole lot. (The Doucin is the Pommc de St. 
Jean of the French, and the Franzdsische Johannisapfel of 
the Germans.) 
The reason why so many failed hitherto in their attempts 
is because they could not hit upon the right plan of 
preventing the cutting from withering at the junction of 
soil and atmosphere. 
The cutting had the desire to grow, but, while the air 
absorbed the elaborated matter stored up during autum in 
the tip of the branch, the absence of callus and roots failed 
to support the too heavy demands on the vital fluid of the 
cutting. Hence the drying up of that part of the cutting 
exposed to sun and air. 
Mr. D. says, he is indebted for the invention to some 
rods of the Hazel-nut, which lie bent into the ground 
for the. purpose of forming a kind of boundary for a flower¬ 
bed ; the tips of these kept green, formed leaves, aud 
showed even a little callus. 
This was the latch-key to the new cutting-house, and I 
shall with pleasure give you more details of his various 
experiments if you think them worthy of a place in these 
columns.—T h. von Spreckelsen. 
ANNALS OF THE POTATO DISEASE. 
On reading “ T. M. W.’s ” remarks, in your first number 
of the present volume, on the Potato disease, and as I seem 
to fall in with some of his opinions, I thought I would just 
jot down a few remarks I had made during the progress of 
the disease. To improve my hand in writing I began making 
daily entries of work going on, and other matters that in¬ 
terested me, just before the appearance of the disease; there¬ 
fore I thought I would look over them, and see what remarks 
were made respecting the disease, as, perhaps, many of your 
readers that have registered the fall of rain for the period of 
the disease may be able to state more minutely its effect in 
producing or accelerating it. 
I find in 1845 our people did not observe any disease at 
digging-up time, and there was an excellent crop ; but, on 
the pit being opened three weeks after to examine them, 
there were full one-half of them diseased. They were 
taken out, and spread on a boarded floor; the diseased 
parts dried up, and the disease made no farther progress. 
In 1846, on the 14th of July, we found the Ash-leaved 
Kidneys affected. This year, too, they went off after being 
dug up, particularly those that were not put in the dry. 
In 1847, first symptoms of disease on July 17th, and, at 
the same time, the atmosphere was filled with a black insect 
that destroyed the parts of vegetables and flowers, &c., that 
they pitched upon. 
In 1848, July 10th. The spots on the Potatoes are in¬ 
creasing fast. 
1849, August 5th, and a wet time. 
1850, July 18th. A drain ran through the garden, and 
was partially stopped up, and for the distance that was 
affected by it the Potatoes were entirely rotted at the above 
date, while the other parts of the garden were fresh and 
green; but a good deal of rain fell afterwards, and the crop 
was very bad. 
1851, August 7th. The Potatoes are getting very much 
affected in the tops, though no disease in the tubers as yet. 
Storms, with easterly wind afterwards, and they went off 
badly. 
1852, July 21st. The Potatoes are going off very fast. 
On the 10th of June, after three wet days, fell the heaviest 
thunder-storm, and made the greatest flood for the time ever 
known to any one in the neighbourhood. A good part of 
June was wet, and the early part of July; also on the 5th 
there was a heavy liail-storm, with liail-stones as large as 
horse-beans. The crop was very bad, and the largest 
Potatoes were most diseased. 
1853, July 22nd. Symptoms of the Potato disease are to 
be seen in every garden. Now, this year May and June were 
pretty dry months. We planted a good many of a Kidney 
called Early Frame, a very good sort for a crop, but rather 
close. They came in about a fortnight earlier than the 
Asli-leaved, and we sold them at a good price; and our 
neighbours, finding them to be a good sort, begged of 
us to let them ripen for seed, and they would give the same 
price for them ; and we, thinking it to be to our advantage, 
did not sell any more, and in about three weeks after, when 
we dug them up, there was not one-third of them sound. 
We saw no disease while digging for use, and up to that 
time it was pretty dry; but afterwards the month was chiefly 
stormy. The ground was shallow and stiff, and we had but 
little more than the seed. 
1854, The -whole of the crop was dug up in August, and 
very little disease in the tubers ; still the tops died off as 
usual. July and August tolerably dry. 
1855, July 15th. The disease is progressing rapidly in 
the tops, and I have found two diseased tubers (Ash-leaved 
Kidneys). Rain fell here on sixteen days in July, and on 
thirteen days during August. A good many are diseased; 
also, in the shady parts of the garden, they are affected with 
the canker. 
1850. Potatoes more than an average crop, and no 
disease worth naming, with the exception of a few that were 
planted late, aud had not done growing when the rain fell 
in August. Now, there is not an average crop in this neigh¬ 
bourhood. It is only in well-cultivated gardens that the 
crop is good. In the fields the crop has, in several instances, 
been given up for the rent; yet there is no disease. Rain, 
more or less, fell during the month of July on fourteen days, 
and in August on sixteen days, though not in large quantity; 
but, to account for the Potatoes not being diseased as last 
year, the temperature was much higher during July and 
the greater part of August. The first four days of the last- 
named month were respectively 80°, 86°, 82°, 80°, at twelve 
o’clock in the shade. 
In the year 1852 I rented some Potato ground on my own 
account, as I could attend to them during the evenings, and 
there were various opinions respecting using cut and whole 
seed. I planted some of both, and the advantage was about a 
peck to a perch in favour of the whole sets. I have tried a bed 
of Flukes this year, and find them much about the same. 
Now, generally, the whole seed will throw up a great 
quantity of shoots ; but I thin them out in flat hoeing, and 
leave only about three of the strongest. But who would cut 
large Potatoes to plant, when, as a general rule, of late years, 
there are more of a good and proper size for planting than are 
needed to plant the same ground, yet are not large enough 
for culinary purposes ?— The Doctor’s Boy. 
PLANTING TREES NEAR HOUSES. 
You will greatly oblige me by the indulgence of a short 
space in your valuable journal for a few remarks on the 
very injudicious mode of planting trees in the immediate 
vicinity of good houses. In my professional pursuits I very 
