August 31, 1907 



HORTICULTURE 



281 



British Horticulture 



A POPULAR NEW ROSB 



The new H. T. rose, Queen of Spain, introduced last 

 year by Messrs. Bide and Sous, of Surrey, is increasing 

 in popularity. At the National Eose Society's show it 

 was awarded a gold medal, first prize, and a special 

 prize; at the Holland House show it gained a silver 

 Banksian medal. Subsequently at Paris the rose 

 secured a first-class certificate, and in addition awards 

 have been obtained at several of the provincial shows. 

 It is a seedling from Antoine Eivoire and a hybrid per- 

 petual. Messrs. Bide have two more seedling roses 

 wliich are to be put in commerce. One is a pink bloom, 

 and the other pink and lemon at the base. 



A iSTEW TOMATO 



W. P. Yaudin, a v,e\l known Guernsey grower, has 

 brought out a new tomato named Vaudin's Secret. 

 This is to supplement the Improved Lawrenson intro- 

 duced by Mr. Yaudin some time ago. The latter is an 

 early variety, but the Secret is intended for late crops, 

 to follow the first hothouse crop, or to be a cold-house 

 growth. The foliage has a distinct Hipper strain 

 in it, and the few side growths made also follow 

 the habit of that variety. The Hipper, however, is 

 long-jointed, but this is stout, and the first truss appears 

 about a foot from the soil. Tlie trusses are very heavy, 

 14 to 15 fruits on each, and the fruits are also very 

 heavy for their size, and yield five cwt. and over per 

 perch on the first crop. So far the crop has been im- 

 mune from disease. The new comer is likely to prove a 

 valuable acquisition to the commercial gTOwer. 



THE PEUIT CROP 



The fickle weather conditions have again given 

 British fruit growers cause for great anxiety, and the 

 season is likely to be very disappointing. The reports 

 contributed by correspondents to the "Gardeners' Chron- 

 icle" show that the apple crop over all the country is of 

 less value than last year. Pears are variable, being 

 less scarce in England than they were last year 

 but not so in Scotland. Out of 44 returns 

 from Scotland, 33 report the crop as under the 

 average, and in only one instance is it reported 

 above the average. In Wales nine out of 21 cor- 

 respondents, and in Ireland 1 1 out of the same number 

 state the crop to be under the average. Plums are much 

 more abundant than usual in most parts of England, 

 and in Scotland, but the crop in Wales and Ireland is 

 not so plentiful. Cherries are a good crop in most 

 parts of the country, being much above the average, and 

 the same remark applies with even greater force to 

 peaches and apricots. The soft fruits, such as goose- 

 berries, currants and raspberries appear less liable to 

 miss cropping than apples, plums or pears; for some 

 years past, as a rule, these crops have been generally 

 good. This year they are certainly above the average. 



for in England, out of 187 returns, all but four report 

 average crops or crops above the average. The returns 

 in respect of strawberries appear fairly satisfactory, 

 but it is pointed out that the crop generally was not 

 equal to the average, although it lasted for a longer 

 period than usual. Owing to the lack of sunshine, the 

 earlier fruits ripened very slowly, and many decayed 

 during the process. At the best, the fruits were of 

 inferior flavor. 



>t>y. C\eli«^. 



The Beet Blight 



The gi'owing of sugar beets and their manufacture 

 into sugar is an industry slightly aside from general 

 horticulture. But there is a disorder in the growing of 

 the beets which will be of interest to those who follow 

 the various ills to which plants are heir. This is the 

 beet blight. At this stage only a preliminary survey 

 of the field is possible — there is so much to do and so 

 little has been accomplished in several years of investi- 

 gation. 



The blight is an example of a physiological disorder. 

 That is, it does not have a fungus, insect or bacterial 

 origin but the cause is to he sought in a suspension of 

 the working functions of the plant's organs. What 

 brings this about is a question which is receiving much 

 attention from those interested in the beet industry. 



The main characteristics of the trouble are a dwarf- 

 ing and stunting of the tops which take on a resetted 

 appearance and turn yellow. The roots cease to grow 

 steadily and throw out enormous numbers of side roots. 

 The ducts become discolored and blackened, an analy- 

 sis showing the presence of a large amount of silica. 



For several years the blight has caused considerable 

 loss and while it doesn't occur in all localities, wher- 

 ever present it means an enormous loss to the factory, 

 for the machinery is run but a couple of months out 

 of the year and for this time requires a steady supply 

 of healthy roots. 



After a certain stage is reached, blighting stops, so 

 the whole question may simply be to get the plants to 

 this point before the conditions favorable to the blight 

 set in. 



Beet blight is a very interesting example of a physi- 

 ological trouble and is apparently in the same class 

 with the aster yellows, peach yellows, little peach, peach 

 rosette, tomato dropsy, cucumber stem curl, bronzing 

 of rose leaves, calico disease of tobacco, and the like. 



At some latter date this matter will be taken up more 

 fully, but this short sketch will serve to introduce a 

 rather new and decidedly absorbing plant trouble gen- 

 erally unknown. 



