QUESTION DRAWER. 



119 



in. By covering this manure another trench 

 is formed and filled, and so on. I have no 

 doubt that the manure can be ploughed in. 

 I have always had the largest crop of rasp- 

 berries from Shaffer and Columbia when 

 they are mulched. The roots of these two 

 varieties are so near the surface that the soil 

 can scarcely be stirred without injuring them 

 and letting in the drouth, or rather letting out 

 the water. 



I have never covered my strawberries and 

 always have a good crop of berries. 



Perns and Insects. 



1377. Sir, — I am sending you leaves of two ferns 

 that are infested with some small insect ; can you tell 

 me the best treatment to use ? The larger of the two 

 I have had for many years ; it has grown a large 

 handsome plant and I have had no trouble till now. 

 It did not look well and on examining it with a 

 magnifying glass I found tiny insects all round 

 each leaf on the under side. For some weeks I 

 have been dipping it in strong soap suds, once or 

 twice a week, and about a week ago repotted it, 

 but so far it does not look much better. Would 

 you recommend me to cut off all the leaves and let 

 it spring up again from the root ? 



The asparagus fern has had a few scaly insects 

 which I have picked off, but something smaller 

 seems to attack the very ends of the fronds and 

 spoil its beauty. I have given it also the soap 

 suds bath. What would you advise for it ? 



Will you kindly tell me the name of the larger 

 one, and if you can, the cause of the trouble ? 



Port Dover. (Miss) E. P. Battersby. 



ANSWERED BY PROF. H. L. HUTT, O. A. C. 

 GUELPH. 



The name of the Fern enclosed is Pteris 

 longifolia. This is a vigorous growing fern 

 which does well in ordinary dwelling houses. 

 The other, frequently called Asparagus Fern, 

 is not a fern at all, but is a plumose variety 

 of the common vegetable Asparagus. Its 

 proper name is Asparagus plumosus. The 

 leaves were somewhat dry when they 

 arrived here, so I could find no trace of in- 

 sects upon the fern ; but I judge the trouble 

 was caused by the Red Spider, a very com- 

 mon pest upon house plants, especially 

 where the air is dry and temperature runs 

 high. 



Your plan of dipping the plants in strong 

 soapsuds is probably the best that could be 



adopted to keep plants free of this pest ; but 

 if the fronds are already much injured by it, 

 it would probably be just as well to cut them 

 off close to the ground and allow fresh ones 

 to come up. Care should then be taken 

 that the new ones are kept free from the 

 spider. 



The few scale insects found on the Aspar- 

 agus would hardly account for the dying of 

 the tips. The scales should, of course, be 

 picked off whenever noticed ; but the dead 

 tips may be due to the age of the shoots. 

 It would be better to cut off all unsightly 

 shoots and allow fresh ones to come up to 

 take their place. 



Club Root in Cabbage. 



In your January number, Mr. E. Millihen, 

 Port Colborne, Ont., asks to " Kindly give 

 cause of club root in cabbage and what will 

 prevent or stop it." Prof. Hutt mentions 

 that no reliable data has been obtained, but 

 that lime has been effective in destroying 

 the spores of club root in the soil. 



We have market gardeners in the vicinity 

 of Montreal who have grown cauliflowers 

 and cabbage for over ten years in succession 

 on the same land, but always with a liberal 

 application of lime. For over twenty years 

 we have used ashes as well as lime with 

 equal success. A few years ago we had not 

 enough ashes to finish a row, leaving about 

 ten rows without, and we lost nearly all 

 the cauliflowers in these ten rows with club 

 root. Next season we planted the same 

 land with cabbages, with ashes in abund- 

 ance, and did not find a plant affected with 

 club root. 



A very good way to find if the land is 

 affected with club root is as follows : In 

 pulling out the plants of wild mustard, if 

 you find them with club root, then don't 

 spare the lime for the cabbage or cauliflower. 

 You will find Dr. Fletcher, Entomologist of 

 the Experimental Farm, Ottawa, will sub- 

 stantiate wha,t I say. R. Brodie. 



** Westmount," Montreal. 



