68 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
July  18, 1895, 
a  dingy  colour  instead  of  the  clearness  of  healthy  roots.  This  may 
arise  from  iron  or  other  substances  in  the  soil,  or  from  disease  within 
the  tissues  of  the  root.  Cutting  a  small  root  (fig,  10,  A)  through 
transversely  the  woody  fibre  was  seen  to  be  brown,  and  still  more  so 
when  examined  with  a  lens,  enlarging  three  diameters,  then  (a)  the 
central  part  (b)  was  found  to  be  incapable  of  transmitting  the  soil 
moisture  absorbed  by  the  root-hairs  or  growing  parts,  and  the  cortical 
cells  (c)  were  tinged  with  the  brown  prevading  the  vascular.  Evidently 
the  disease  was  at — in  the  roots. 
Taking  a  slice  of  the  root-stem  the  bark  or  epidermal  cells  were 
noticed  to  be  quite  clear  and  normal,  but  devoid  of  nuclei — that  is,  they 
had  ceased  growing,  and  the  woody  tissue  was  noticed  to  be  abnormally 
brown,  but  not  so  much  discoloured  as  the  root,  yet  enough  to  indicate 
that  the  brownnesi  or  disease  (if  it  was  one)  ascended. 
Following  up  the  cue  a  section  of  the  stem  (B)  was  taken  just  above 
the  soil,  and  that  enlarged  three  diameters  (d)  showed  quite  healthy 
cortical  tissue  (e),  also  a  normal  condition  of  the  central  or  pith  cells 
(/)  ;  but  the  woody  fibres,  which  consist  of  three  bundles  (y),  were 
found  quite  brown,  and  incapable  of  transmitting,  as  is  the  ofiice  of  the 
vascular  system,  the  soil’s  water  or  sap  upwards,  or  very  slowly  or 
imperfectly.  This  alone  is  sufficient  to  account  for  the  wilting  of  the 
young  leaves  and  of  the  drooping  of  the  tender  growths,  especially 
under  powerful  sun. 
Another  section  (C),  9  inches  higher  up  the  stem,  showed  a  clear 
cortical  layer  (i),  healthy  pith  (J),  but  the  woody  fibre,  and  in  all  the 
three  bundles  (k),  was  stained  pale  brown,  distinctly  so  to  the  naked 
eye,  and  still  more  clearly  defined  when  enlarged  three  diameters  (1), 
while  the  epidermis  (m)  appeared  stout  and  elastic. 
Still  upwards  another  section  (B)  was  made  9  inches  from  the  last, 
and  just  below  the  first  truss  of  fruit,  when  the  whole  of  the  tissues  were 
found  to  be  perfectly  healthy,  the  pith  cells  (m)  being  quite  white,  the 
woody  fibre  (n)  clear,  and  no  stain  in  the  vascular  bundles  Qo),  while 
the  epidermal  cells  or  underlying  cells  to  the  epidermis  were  perfectly 
healthy.  The  fruit,  varying  from  the  size  of  a  Pea  to  a  small  marble, 
was  not  affected  by  “  black  stripe”  or  any  disease  whatever. 
Now  we  came  downwards,  examined  every  semblance  of  abnormality 
on  the  leaves,  footstalks,  and  stem,  and  found  no  outgrowths  of  any 
FIG.  10.— SECTIOJfS  OF  DISEASED  TOMATO  STEM. 
kind.  Of  course,  it  was  hopeless  to  find  much  in  the  transverse 
sections,  but  it  is  very  instructive  to  see  the  difference  between  cells  in 
a  normal  state  and  those  having  their  contents  abstracted  or  disorganised. 
Longitudinal  sections  afforded  little  evidence  of  the  presence  of  mycelial 
hyphre,  but  from  just  above  the  section  B  we  found  the  thread 
(mycelial  hyphae)  E,  and  froin  the  worst  discoloured  rootlet  we  could 
find  the  growth  shown  at  F,  The  first  is  the  ascending  mycelial  hyphas 
(older  portion),  and  second  the  prostrate  hyphae,  whether  in  a  root, 
stem,  leaf,  or  fruit,  from  which  springs  (if  at  all)— 1,  Diplocladium 
solani  or  lycopersici ;  2,  Fusarium  solani  or  lycopersici ;  and  3,  Hypomyces 
solani  or  lycopersici,  this  being  the  final  or  resting  stage,  and  produced 
on  fruitful  hyph®  only  (so  far  as  we  know),  always  within  the  infested 
tissue,  and  formed  out  of  a  cell  (y^)  of  the  hyphae,  or  by  the  pushing  of  a 
special  cell  (y),  while  the  other  or  propagating  or  emigrating  forms  are 
produced  externally  of  the  host,  and,  as  a  rule,  lead  a  saprophytic  life. 
The  disease,  therefore,  can  only  be  transmitted  to  living  plants  by  the 
resting  spores,  hence  disinfecting  the  soil  and  destroying  infested  plants 
are  the  essential  means  of  preventing  invasion.  Even  when  this  does 
occur  remedy  is  not  precluded,  for  we  have  only  to  destroy  the 
ascending  mycelium,  which  has  been  done  in  some  cases  by  watering 
the  drooping  plants  with  a  solution  of  soluble  phenyle,  a  wineglassful  to 
3  or  4  gallons  of  soft  water.  This  will  kill  the  mycelial  hyphm  of  fungi 
in  the  soil,  where  it  must  be  in  this  case  before  it  enters  the  plant,  and 
taken  in  time  within  the  plant,  as  some  growers  have  proved,  both  in 
the  case  of  eelworm  and  of  drooping  disease. 
3,  Does  the  soil  contain  anything  to  cause  the  drooping  2  We 
found  nothing  in  the  soil  but  an  earthworm  and  the  mycelium  of  an 
agaric,  which  seemed  quite  happy  amongst  the  roots,  and  certainly  had 
not  invaded  them.  The  fibre  in  the  soil  possibly  may  contain  the 
resting  spores  of  the  malignant  fungus,  but  to  search  for  them  in  soil 
at  this  time  of  year  is  as  bad  as  finding  a  needle  in  a  haystack.  Your 
plants  would  probably  recover  if  you  used  soluble  phenyle  as  stated, 
earthing  up  the  plants  so  as  to  get  fresh  roots  from  the  collar.  The 
acid  acts  promptly  on  the  organic  matter  without  destroying  the 
nitrifying  organisms,  thus  the  plants  are  well  supplied  with  nitrates 
both  of  lime  and  potash,  which  is  what  Tomatoes  like  and  this  fungus 
hates,  hence  dressings  of  lime  are  amongst  the  best  preventives  for  this 
and  other  fungoid  diseases. — G.  Abbey.] 
HAEDY  FKUIT  GAKDEN. 
Peaches,  M'ectarlnes,  and  Apricots.  —  The  chief  attention 
necessary  at  the  present  time  is  to  continue  laying  in  young  wood  in 
the  proper  direction  for  future  training,  cutting  out  superfluous  and 
ill-placed  shoots.  This  gives  light  access  to  the  fruit,  which  must  be 
examined  frequently  for  insuring  its  due  exposure,  with  ample  room 
for  swelling  free  from  contact  with  the  wood  or  wall.  Strong  shoots 
appearing  on  Peach  trees  may  be  removed.  Those  of  medium  strength 
are  the  best  for  succession,  strong  growths  being  sappy,  and  rarely 
ripening  sufficiently  to  be  productive.  Forcibly  syringe  the  foliage  at 
the  close  of  warm  days  to  dislodge  red  spider  and  other  insects.  Afford 
copious  supplies  of  water  to  the  roots,  and  liquid  manure  while  the  crops 
are  swelling. 
Cherries. — Protect  ripe  fruit  with  nets.  Morello  Cherries  will 
hang  in  good  condition  for  some  time  with  this  protection.  Sweet 
dessert  Cherries  may  also  be  preserved  longer  when  the  fruits  are 
protected  from  birds,  which  peck  holes  in  them  and  cause  many  to 
drop.  Morello  Cherry  trees  should  have  attention  to  reserving  a  fair 
quantity  of  young  shoots  springing  from  the  base  of  the  present  bearing 
wood,  which  as  soon  as  the  latter  is  cleared  of  fruit  may  be  trained  in, 
the  old  fruiting  shoots  being  cut  out.  Occasionally  Morellos  are  trained 
and  pruned  on  the  spur  system,  and  they  give  good  crops,  but  the  annual 
laying  in  of  young  wood  gives  the  best  results  over  the  longest  period. 
It  is  always  easy  in  the  latter  system  to  renew  the  trees  with  vigorous 
shoots  at  less  risk  of  gumming  or  the  sudden  loss  of  large  branches. 
Sweet  Cherries,  when  grown  on  walls,  are  usually  trained  in 
restricted  form  ;  but  young  wood  may  also  be  laid  in  whenever  oppor¬ 
tunity  arises,  and  sufficient  space  is  vacant  to  admit  it  without  inter¬ 
fering  with  the  permanent  growth.  The  superfluous  shoots  not 
employed  in  this  way  may  be  shortened  to  the  third  good  leaf,  or  cut 
out  entirely,  the  foreright  shoots,  if  not  cut  back  previously,  being 
reduced  now.  Cut  out  dead  or  decaying  branches  from  standard  trees. 
Plums. — There  will  be  numbers  of  suckers  springing  from  the  roots 
of  Plums,  both  with  those  growing  on  walls  and  in  the  open.  Their 
removal  is  desirable,  digging  them  out  as  deeply  and  cleanly  as  possible. 
Shorten  back  the  breastwood  on  wall  trees  and  the  side  shoots  on  bushes 
and  pyramids.  Where  suitable  growth  presents  itself  on  wall  trees,  and 
space  is  available,  train  in  a  few  extensions,  avoiding  crowding.  They 
do  not  need  shortening,  and  may  become,  under  favourable  circum¬ 
stances,  sufficiently  ripe  to  bear  a  little  fruit  at  the  base  the  following 
season,  but  certainly  the  succeeding  year.  Growths  of  this  character 
starting  from  the  lower  parts  of  trees  are  useful  for  renewing  the  ener¬ 
gies  of  old  trees  in  the  direction  of  providing  them  with  new  wood. 
Thin  out  small  or  inferior  fruits.  Syringe  copiously  in  fine  weather, 
the  trees  requiring  the  foliage  refreshing  and  cleansing.  Water  freely, 
and  mulch  the  soil  about  the  roots  with  manure. 
Apples. — Where  artificial  thinning  of  the  fruit  has  not  taken  place 
there  has  been  a  considerable  amount  of  natural  thinning  which  has 
relieved  the  trees.  Some  of  these  fallen  fruits  are  attacked  with  the 
Apple  sawfly  larvae,  which  bore  holes  in  the  fruit  as  a  means  of  exit. 
These  fruits  should  be  picked  up  and  bfirnt,  and  others  on  the  trees 
which  have  ceased  swelling  and  contain  a  grub  ought  to  be  removed,  as 
they  will  eventually  fall.  Thin  the  fruits  freely  on  well  cropped  trees 
for  enlarging  the  size  and  improving  the  quality  of  the  remainder. 
Assistance  with  liquid  manure  benefits  trees  with  heavy  crops,  not 
applying  it,  however,  to  very  dry  soil,  but  after  the  latter  has  been 
