Evening star., 1932-08-10

Looking over a book on plant diseases
the other day, We thought how good
thing it Is that such books do not fall
into the hands of the great mass OF
home owners.
II they did, the chances are that not
one person in a hundred would make
any attempt whatsoever to plant his
grounds, or scarcely to secure q nor
maIy good lawn.
Every plant has several diseases. II
would seem, to say nothing OF various
parasites. The number OF insects
which attack growing things is amazing
After one has read few minutes In
such book he gets the idea that an
amateur gardener would have to be ex-
tremely fortunate II he hoped to have
any garden at ALL
The truth is that while all Of these
insects and other pests exist, and dc
attack plants. as stated, flower or a
shrub has about an equal chance OF
not being so attacked.
Thus one might garden for years and
find that only about 10 per cent Of the
possible maladies which might develol
actually had occurred in his garden.
1t is much the same here as elsewhere
evidently. Let an average man begin to
read an old-fashioned medical book,
the chances are very distinct that
shortly the reader will begin to imagine
that he is developing one or more OF
the symptoms discussed.
Hence medical men nave always
warned people to let such books alone
in a general way, knowing that dag
nosis Is one of the most difficult
branches Of medicine and that the
average layman is not at all fitted to
do it.
The case in the garden is not exactly
the same, since much of the personal
psychological factor is absent.
There Is no doubt, however, that toe
much reading about plant diseases. in
sects. fungi, and SO on will tend to
cause the average amateur gardener to
develop q sort Of complex" in which
ne loses some OF the sheer Joy Of gar
dening.
Here is Templeton Jones, for in
stance, who has planted tn his back
yard both rhododendrons and lilacs
They were coming along nicely, and
Jones had nothing to complain Of
until one day he happened to run across
an article about mysterious lilac
disease
1T would be wise" the article con-
tinued, Ito keep paintings Of lilacs and
rhododendrons widely separated, since
the spores Of this disease seem to attack
both plants"
The next time Jones goes out into
the yard he eyes his thrifty planting:
with misgiving. He has read just
enough about plant diseases, alas. tc
know that there may be some truth In
the warning.
One sort Of tree. he has read. will be
a host to certain rust or gall, and
unless it is in a neighborhood, the
disease cannot get foothold.
Given this particular tree, however
the disease will thrive, and ultimately
be borne by the wind to another tree
or even to certain small fruit bushes.
Jones wonders II he should take ur
his lilacs and put them in another part
OF the yard. They look to be in per-
fectly good shape. The rhodes
never looked better.
II he had not read that blamed ar
ticle, he would have known nothing
about the possibilities Of harm from
such juxtaposition. and would have
gone right ahead enjoying the beauty
of his plants.
Since gardens are planted for hap
piness. 1t may be submitted that any
thing which tends to take the JOY Out
of them is Just that much Of let ant
a hindrance.
Surely ignorance Is not the bes
policy, here or elsewhere. but there L
such a thing in gardening. as else
where, as letting good thing alone.
The theoretical study Of possible
plant diseases and other troubles i
good enough for the person who In
tends to make q business out Of it
but for the average home owner, whit
simply wants to beautify his grounds
the deliberately intentioned study o.
such things has its drawbacks.