1 86 



IRISH GARDENING. 



DECEMBER 



Mildews of the Gooseberry and 

 the Apple. 



FROM Dr. Eriksson two reprints have recently 

 come to hand dealing^ with the American goose- 

 berry mildew and the apple mildew respectively. 

 In the firsi of these the question of the relative degree 

 of susceptibility to attack exhibited by the different 

 varieties of the gooseberry is dealt with. Dr. Eriks- 

 son is satisfied from his observation of and experience 

 with this pest during the past few years that it is hope- 

 less to try and combat it by strongly pruning back the 

 bushes in late autumn or winter. He does not discuss, 

 however, the advantages of combining with this treat- 

 ment that of spraying the bushes in spring or early 

 summer with liver of sulphur solution, a combined treat- 

 ment which has apparentlj' been tried with not a little 

 success in some parts of England, though its trial in 

 Ireland has not led to any encouraging results. 



Dr. Eriksson thinks that the only way left out of the 

 difficulty is the production of new varieties of goose- 

 berries which shall be immune against the mildew. 

 Unfortunately, however, at present there is not a single 

 variety which is really immune, and so it is sowewhat 

 difficult to get a starting point for such work. The 

 mountain gooseberry, which some observers have stated 

 to be immune to the disease, is not reallv so. at any 

 rate not in Sweden, but is merely somewhat less sus- 

 ceptible to attack than some other varieties. Never- 

 theless, even the possession of this partial immunity 

 makes this variety worthy of the breeder's attention. 

 In this connection the susceptibility of the red and 

 the black currant to attack by this mildew is also dis- 

 cussed. In Sweden the red currant is not very easily 

 attacked, but a bad attack on the black currant was 

 noted in one locality in 1908. Possibly climatic in- 

 fluences may have something to do with the suscepti- 

 bility to attack or otherwise. 



In the present state of affairs Dr. Eriksson considers 

 it of the utmost importance that those specialists in 

 gooseberry culture who are well up in methods of 

 breeding and selection should make a determined 

 attempt to produce new varieties of gooseberries 

 which will be immune to the American gooseberry 

 m"ldew. 



The second pamphlet, which is provided with six 

 good photographic illustrations, deals with the apple 

 mildew and its treatment. The appearance of affected 

 twigs, leaves, and fruit is described, and the life history 

 of the fungus dealt with. The following preventive 

 means are recommended : — 



1. Remove and burn all affected annual growths be- 

 fore the leaves fall in autumn. 



2. After leaf-fall gather up and burn all leaves and 

 fallen twigs and branches. 



3. Spray the trees immediately after defoliation with 

 a one per cent, solution of copper sulphate or liver of 

 sulphur. 



4. Lime the ground below the trees immediately after 

 this. 



5. In spring, before the foliage unfolds, repeat the 

 spraying, and if necessary repeat once more after 



flowering. [It would probably be wise to use the liver 

 of sulphur for this last spraying and not the copper 

 sulphate]. 



6. Raisers of new varieties from pips should take 

 care that the seed is derived from fruit trees in orchards 

 where the mildew is not present. 



Dr. Eriksson states that the mildew was first noticed 

 in Sweden in 1906 on young apple seedlings raised 

 there from .seed imported the previous year, and he 

 believes that the mildew was introduced with the seed. 

 as it was not to be found on any other apple trees in 

 the neighbourhood. The same mildew has also been 

 found on the pear. G. H. P. 



Current Topics. 



By E. K.NOWLDi.N, F.R.H.S. 



VEGETABLE Xationalists. but what of .Athlone— 

 Och.ine! Cheap grapes and tasty tomatoes. 

 The Gardeners' Hop, and twice round for the 

 cup. Reafforestation, shortage of rain, early winter, 

 and frigid recollections. Green 'uns, and grubs galore : 

 what a gardener saw. Intensive rot, but where French- 

 men lead. Somebody's blundered. Tetnpus fugit ; 

 the stroke of twelve ; Christmas currents and our raisons 

 d etre io r a fond farewell. 



The new National Vegetable Society is going ahead 

 and getting up a fine fat programme for 1910, when 

 September 28lh sees its first show at the Royal Horti- 

 cultural Hall, London. The prizes will be big. cf course, 

 and the vegetables will be perfect we are sure. Cauli- 

 flowers tucked up on black velvet, and so on, and all 

 that sort of thing ; but we do hope it will not be a show 

 for the giants alone, and we do hope, too, there will be 

 single dish classes for nearly everything in which the 

 cottagers and allotment holders may get a look in, even 

 if the lords' gardeners have to look out, for you could 

 not. in the season, go through the cottagers' gardens 

 and the allotment holders' plots of the Southern English 

 Counties without noting some wonderful examples of 

 vegetable culture, although probably no one man could 

 cope with the giants for collections. 



So, September 28th, 1910, will be a great day for — 

 .somebodies ; but why in the name of — of all the Prides 

 and Perfections in the seed lists, confine such an impor- 

 tant event to one day? Is it for fear that the celery 

 will bolt, cabbages run, and the .huge flabby-hearted 

 onions collapse under the strain of a two or three days' 

 show ? Well, we don't know much about it yet, and 

 although we have promised to look out for a *' Sheddul " 

 for one and get the " Sedual " for another, and when 

 we get that — that which a dozen exhibitors have a 

 dozen different intonations for, from the soft, sibilant 

 "Sedual" to the hard rattle of a "Scuttle" which a 

 messenger once demanded at Molesworlh Street, then 

 we shall know more about it. 



But, what of .-Xthlone. and surely we can think of that 

 without the selfish insinuation of "ourselves alone"? 

 Athlone, and the great .\thlonian holiday, and its com- 

 petitions across four counties, at least, which stirred to 

 deeds of derring-do in that quaint old town where they 



