18770 



AND HORTICULTURIST. 



275 



thing has mildewed in our locality, this variety 

 has suffered very little, and the only bushes that 

 were affected stood on a high dry knoll where by 

 mismanagement their roots were disturbed in 

 cultivation during the hot period of drought in 

 May. Hot dry ground around the bushes is the 

 chief cause of mildew (see Gardener's Monthly for 

 June), and where these unfavorable conditions 

 were absent there was no rust worth naming. 

 This is the first instance for seventeen years that 

 it has shown any such tendency, but m accord- 

 ance with my rule to state the truth and the 

 whole truth about my fruits, I frankly say that 

 two or three quarts out of a large yield have 

 been touched with mildew. At the same time I 

 must say that the Downing gooseberry on my 

 place has suffered more, losing in some instances 

 its foliage, and foreign gooseberries in this local- 

 ity are covered with mildew. The large old 

 bushes in its original home at Newburgh were 

 loaded down with fruit and not a trace of mil- 

 dew. I do not think there is an American variety 

 that will suffer less except, perhaps, the Hough- 

 ton, but that is too small to be of much value. 

 In regard to size and appearance the enclosed 

 specimens speak for themselves. In productive- 

 ness it is unsurpassed. Will you please send me 

 your opinion, and if you notice it in your paper 

 I will esteem it a favor if you will send me a 

 marked copy." 



[All experience has shown that the race of 

 European gooseberries is much more liable to 

 mildew than the native kind; about this there is 

 no question. This mildew is accelerated, if ixi- 

 deed it is not wholly caused by over-heated 

 ground — that is over-heated as far as the goose- 

 berry is concerned — and with care in keeping 

 roots cool, the foreign kinds can be grown with 

 fair success. Within a hundred yards of where 

 we write is an English gooseberr}^ an imported 

 plant, that has been there to our knowledge 

 more than a dozen years. It is in the full sun, and 

 has never mildewed in all that time, but then 

 the original owner, in picking stones from his 

 garden, piled them under his gooseberry bushes, 

 and in this way the roots are kept cool. It is 

 a mystery to most people why this English 

 gooseberry plant never mildews, but it is no mys- 

 tery to us. It is these and similar |experiences 

 which make us hesitate about regarding any 

 English gooseberry as wholly mildew proof At 

 the same time we see no reason why such care 

 should not be given to these very fine kinds, as 

 to keep the mildew off them. For these reasons 



we are very glad that Mr. Roe has taken up their 

 improvement. Some kinds will no doubt be 

 better able to resist mildew producing influences 

 than others, and in this direction Mr. Roe's 

 effort ought to be appreciated. The present va- 

 riety is very good, though we think not equal to 

 the best English kinds.— Ed. G. M.] 



Late Emerald Gooseberry. — Mr. E. P. Roe, 

 writesunderdateof July 26th:— "Enclosed please 

 find a few specimens of a late seedling goose- 

 berry which I have named the Late Emerald. 

 It keeps its bright gi'een color until it drops off 

 from ripeness and does not turn red when fully 

 ripe like " Roe's Seedling." In the size and 

 abundance of the fruit, in its comparative free- 

 dom from mildew, and in the vigor of the plants, 

 I think it is quite equal to the early seedling 

 which was fully ripe some three weeks since." 



[This is one of the English race of goose- 

 berries. We do not know how far these will be 

 able to come into competition with the native 

 kinds, but Mr. Roe deserves great credit for 

 these promising attempts. — Ed. G. M.] 



SCRAPS AND QUERIES. 



Oil on Peach Trees. — E. W. A., Montgomery 

 County, Pa., writes : — " We are regretting the 

 condition of two peach trees, now, I think, in 

 the fourth season of their growth. They have 

 been thrifty, and last year gave us samples of 

 fruit sufficient to show the excellence. We have 

 prized them greatly. Early this Spring I used 

 your plan in washing all the fruit trees with 

 linseed oil, and I am curious to know whether 

 this could have been injurious to the peach 

 trees, as they suddenly became sickly, dropped 

 fruit buds and leaves. One, I think, will die. 

 I heard of similar complaints through the 

 country, but do not feel satisfied without inquir- 

 ing of you." 



[The plan of using linseed oil as a remedy 

 against scale, is really not ours. As already 

 stated, it was given to us by a Southern friend, 

 whom we know truthfully told us of its perfect 

 success in destroying the insects, and helping 

 the trees. Knowing this to be a fact, and suffer- 

 ing terribly from scale, we washed a large 

 number of Apple and Pear trees with it, as 

 already stated in our columns, and the trees 

 themselves are living witnesses of the perfect 



