June 2, 1884.] 



THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 



§H 



pa asitic upOQ living branches, yet I must confess my first 

 ini jression was, that the fungus found a suitable home 

 uLjn Apple twigs which were already dead rather than 

 th.it it was the cause of the death of the affected branches. 

 It is well Isnowu that winter aud spring are the seasons 

 ia which the Spli;eriacei as a rule are found in the best 

 condition of fructification. I have, therefore, closely ex- 

 iindned caukeicd Apple trees during the past two months 

 \/lierever I have had an opportunity of doing so, aud m 

 no single instance have I faded to find the Nectaria upon 

 ov Ty tree examined. It is not implied that every can- 

 lured paU:h was found producing peri thecia (spore cases) ; 

 at the same time the majority of the cankers upon each 

 tr e were found bearing the fungus in abmidauce : and, 

 fu.ther, it was not found upon any other part of the trees. 

 The trees were not confined to one garden nor to one 

 locality. The specimens which I submitted to the Scientific 

 Oummittee recently were gathered from (1) Mr. J. Bird's 

 nursery at Downham ; (2) Mr. S. N. Marshall's garden at 

 AV^est Lynn ; (3) Mr. J. T. Stevenson's gardeu at Clench 

 AVartou; (4) Mr. O. Peek's orchard at Tiluey St. Law- 

 rence ; (5) Mr. G. B. Ffolke's garden at Wolferton ; and 

 1,6) Mr. T. Piney's gardeu at King's Lynn. AVhen the 

 parasite gains an entry into the bark of a medium-sized 

 branch, which it often does through a lateral twig having 

 been broken or cut off, it at first causes the death of the 

 1 lark aud subadjacent wood to oiJy a limited extent. The 

 bark cracks concentrically; in the cracks and upon their i 

 edges the peritheeia are most commonly found. It is obvi- 

 (. as that a certain time must elapse between the period of 

 i ifection aud the time at which the mycelium or spawn 

 ciu develope its perfect fruit. This probably takes some 

 months, for it will be seen by inspecting the specimens 

 1 lemsolves that the perithecia are most abuTidaut in those 

 r tses in which this devitalised area has become surrounded 

 l>y an enlarged and swollen margin of healthy bark. AVhen 

 the parasite attacks a small branch shoot of the last year 

 it kills it outright for some inch or two downwards; es- 

 liecially is this the case when the end of the shoot has 

 been cut off; but with the older and thicker branches 

 attacked lower down the disease gradually but surely works 

 its way through the branch, eventually cutting it quite 

 through. In this case a caUous above aud below, as well 

 as surrounding the canker generally, is observable. Thus 

 the distal part of the branch becomes in course of time 

 strangled by the fungus. It is useless to look for peri- 

 thecia on those places in which the disease has only just 

 made its appearance. As far as I can judge, the cankers 

 made last autumn produce the perfect fungus in spring. 

 In the Gardtnen' Chronide, March 8. 1884, p. 312, Goethe's 

 paper in the Monatsschrift des Deutsche Garten for 1880 is 

 referred to, in which the author has shown that Nectria 

 ditisFima is capable of producing the disease on Apple, 

 Beech, aud Sycamore respectively. The remedy is to cut 

 out the diseased parts and to seal the wounds thus made, 

 which would otherwise remain as vulnerable points invit- 

 ing the attack of the fungus-spores, by painting them over 

 with warm coal-tar. 



The injuries which branches receive by rubbing against 

 one another may, of course, open the door to the fungus 

 spores ; but unless the latter be present, a true canker is 

 not produced by this means. 



At a recent meeting of the Scientific Committee_ a very 

 curious form of canker on Hawthorn was exhibited, in 

 which the disease resembled a honeycomb. AMiether this 

 was due to an insect or to another fungus, I cannot at 

 present certainly say. It, however, bears some resemblance 

 to the cicatrix of a wound caused by a fungus, Kcesteha 

 lacerata. attacking a young twig last summer, and the 

 presence of some brownish spores in the bottom of some 

 of the cells seems to favour this view. There were also, 

 however, found some spores very like those of a Fusi- 

 sporium. By further observation I hope to clear this up. 

 — Chables B. Ploweioht, King's Lynn, April 7. — Gard- 

 eners^ Chronicle, 



Arboriculture in Algeria. — In connection with the sub- 

 ' ject of arboricultiu-e in Algeria, it is stated that on December 

 ai, 1882, the plantations of trees made in the three provinces 

 consisted of 32,000,000 trees of all kinds, of which nearly half 

 were fruit tr<-es, and that this showed an increase of 335,759 

 over the previous year. — Gardeners' Chronicle. 



VEGETABLE PRODUCTS OF SMYRNA. 

 Sesame (Sesamum indicuu).— This oleaginous seed is 

 much cultivated in Asia Minor, chiefly in the valleys of the 

 Meander, Oayster, and Hermus, also in the islands of Mity- 

 lene aud Cos, and along the coasts of Oaria, Lycia, Pam- 

 phylia, aud Oaramnia, but the produce of these coasts, that 

 of Mersina excepted, is of a very uaferior quality. Gener- 

 ally the Sesame of Asia Minor is exceptionally good. The 

 cultivation is extending to meet an increasing demand ; and 

 the chief consumers are France and Italy then Hollaud 

 and Russia. England aud America take none. A consider- 

 able portion of the crop is consumed on the spot iu the 

 shape of oil. In France and Italy the cold-drawn oil of 

 Sesame is used for salad and also for perfumes, as it keeps 

 longer than Olive oil, and is free from offensive smells. 

 In France it is also in request to make soap and to grease 

 machinery. The seed alone is exported and in sacks con- 

 taining about half an imperial quarter each, the price aver- 

 aging from 35 fr. to 40 fr. the sack, or 19s. the quintal 

 (124 lb.), free on board. At Smyrna and Scala Nuova the 

 oil is badly made, yet it is extensively consumed either in 

 the maunfactmre of the local sweet called "halva" or for 

 cooking purposes. 



Gall-nuts (Quercus infectoria).— The galls are formed 

 by an insect (Oynips quercus folii) on the leaf of the native 

 Oak, and are gathered when the insect is iu the larva 

 state. They are gathered chiefly at Magnesia, Alasheir, 

 Koular, Ushak, and Pergaraus. In Europe they are prized 

 not only for their tanning properties but also for the 

 valuable black dye which they yield. The galls are exijorted 

 in sacks containing from 80 to 100 okes each (220 to 280 

 lb.), and are worth on an average £4 to £6 5s. the sack. 

 There are three qualities, distinguished by their colours- 

 black, white, and green. The export is one of small value, 

 never exceeding 3,000 sacks a year, valued at from £12,000 

 to £18,000. The Largest share of it is taken by England 

 and France. The export is sometimes largely increased by 

 the crop from Mosul, shipped at Smyrna in transit for 

 Europe. 



Yeli.owberries are the fruits of a small shrub (Rham- 

 nus infectoriusl which grows freely iu the neighbourhood 

 of Kaiseria, Karahissar, Angora, and Ohouem. Its fruit 

 j grows in clusters of berries not larger than Currants, and 

 I of a green colour; yet the juice expressed from them is 

 a bright yellow, which is prized as a dye, and when mixed 

 with indigo gives a most brilliant and durable green. The 

 berries are picked when young, for they lose their colour- 

 ing matter when fully ripe; the best qualities are in re- 

 quest in Switzerland, which they reach via France and 

 Italy. The greater portion of the remainder is taken by 

 England. The berries are exported iu sacks, containing 

 about 300 lb. each. In the first three years of the series 

 their price was about 40s. per cwt., free on board. In 

 1881 the price rose to 50s., aud has since made a consider- 

 able advance, the pecuhar yellow of this dye having be- 

 come fashionable in Europe. Some twenty or thirty years 

 ago, before the dye was imitated by aniline, these berries 

 used to fetch £15 or £16 per cwt. 



OPMS.— The Gum Tragacauth of Smyrna is more in repute 

 than that of Greece, Egypt, or Syria. It is the sap of 

 certain shrubs. Species of Astragalus grow wild in the 

 mountainous districts of Anatolia, chiefly at Karahissar, 

 Isbarta, Kaiseria, .Jalovatch, and in Caramania and the 

 north of Syria. Tlie best quality is sent to Europe and 

 America for confectionery; the inferior qualities to Eng- 

 land, France and Switzerland chiefly for dressing leather, 

 and partly for giving substance to linen and calico. The 

 other consumers of Smyrna gums are Austria, Holland, 

 Italy and Spain. The export reached its climax in 1879, 

 when its value was nearly £80,000. In 1880 aud 1881 it 

 fell to less than one-third of that sum. The best qualities 

 are packed in cases, the inferior in sacks, iu both instances 

 weighing about 2A quintals or 300 lb. The best quality is 

 white, iu thin flakes, and is worth from £14 to £18 per 

 quintal ; the .second is a whity-browu from £8 lOs. to £12 

 8s.; and the third is a dirty brown, and in thick flakes, 

 fetching only from £6 to £8 per quintal. 



Gum Mastic is obtained from the bark of Pistacia lent- 

 iscus, an evergreen shrub which aboumls iu Cliios. The 

 bark is gashed in crosses, nn.l the gum exudes iu tears. 

 What falls to the ground and becomes mixed with earth 

 is used ou the spot to make the spirit called "mastic," 



