South African Horticulture. 347 



Suitable kinds do well, and the general effect is highly successful, 

 but select strains of florists' flowers are almost absent, and such trees 

 and shrubs as require propagation by cuttings are rare as compared 

 with seedlings. There are practically no landscape artists, and there 

 is no demand for such, and even European gardeners are few, and 

 often unsatisfactory. 



Horticultural information is not available, except from interested 

 nurserymen's catalogues, or from foreign works or magazines, in 

 which the seasons seldom correspond with ours. 



Pests and Other Troubles. 



In regard to damage done by Phylloxera in the Western Pro- 

 vince, after a prolonged and unsuccessful campaign against the pest 

 by means of carbon-bisulphate or other treatments, some measure of 

 success has been again secured by the introduction of American 

 Phylloxera -proof kinds, and their use as stocks for the better kinds, 

 but even now it is found that there is still something to be learned in 

 regard to the continued success of certain kinds on certain stocks. 

 This also applies to citrus culture, in which much has still to be 

 proved in regard to suitable stocks and their ability to resist mal-de- 

 gomma, a class of experiment which naturally takes many years 

 before it gives final results with regard to any one place, and as it 

 may be easily affected by some unnoticed local condition, has to be 

 carried out at many centres before general success can be assured. 



Horticulture is not without its troubles, both animal and 

 fungoid pests being usually in evidence, as well as inimical local 

 climatic and soil conditions in places. When Phylloxera appeared, 

 stringent import regulations were imposed, practically prohibiting the 

 import of all plants. These regulations, which did little good to 

 viticulture, the disease being already present, did much harm to 

 horticulture in general, all novelties being for the time excluded, 

 except by smuggling. An Entomologist was appointed at that time 

 for the Cape Colon v, and later an Entomologist was appointed for 

 each of the other Colonies ; these gentlemen or others having also 

 charge of the fungoid and bacteriological diseases of plants. Under 

 their care regulations are now in force intended to prevent the impor- 

 tation of further pests into either Colony, to prevent the spread from 

 nurseries of what pests already exist, and to prevent the spread of 

 Codlin moth and certain other pests beyond areas already affected. 



Public opinion is gradually working toward the necessity for 

 legislation against the breeding of pests by private growers to the 

 detriment of their neighbours' gardens or orchards, a step quite as 

 necessary as legislation against scab in sheep, or against other infec- 

 tious stock troubles, but quite as difiicult to attain, since it touches 

 practically everyone's private garden, and means work. 



No country is without its pests ; South Africa is in no worse 

 position than others, except that the lackadaisical habit is strong in 

 humanity. The preventive or curative treatments are well known or 



