272 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



Jonathan, from 12s. Gd. to 17s. ; King, 

 from 13s. to 16s. ; Spitzenburg, from 

 12s. to 17s. Qd. ; Spy, from lis. to 

 16s. M. ; Vandevere, from 10s. to 

 lis. 6d. 



QUESTION DRAWER. 



NEW DISASTERS. 



Dear Sir, — The present year's ex- 

 perience has introduced me to two 

 iresh and unexpected disasters — one 

 connected with plums, and the other 

 with grapes ; both, however, being some 

 insect or disease which causes the pre- 

 mature death and removal of the leaves. 

 With the (1) plums this commences 

 before the fruit is ripe, and the destruc- 

 tion was not so coniplete as altogether 

 to prevent its ripening. Although in 

 two or three cases very few leaves being 

 left, and the fruit at the time quite 

 green, I considered it advisable to re- 

 move it rather than endanger the life 

 of the trees. With (2) grapes, the 

 Delaware was the greatest sufferer, 

 while Brant, Rogers' 9 and 15, and 

 Clinton did not altogether escape. Of 

 the Delawares not a single bunch 

 ripened or a single bemy ever turned 

 colour out of a crop of between 100 and 

 200 pounds, and I may also say that 

 there was not a leaf on any of the 

 vines, old, young, or seedlings, long 

 befoi'e there was any frost to injure 

 them. I noticed a small, light-colored 

 insect under the leaves, and tried Paris 

 green without effect ; afterwards wings 

 grew on these insects, and they infested 

 the vines like a swarm of gnats. I 

 suspect them to be thrip, but don't 

 know. On the plums I saw no insect, 

 but noticed dark spots on the leaves, 

 and they became so brittle that at the 

 slightest touch they fell off the trees. 

 Although my vines and trees were 

 loaded with fruit, overbearing could 

 not have been the cause in either case, 



for I had both vines and trees that had 

 never borne fruit affected in the same 

 way. 



If you can point out a remedy for 

 these disasters you will confer a favor 

 on Tours truly, 



A. Hood. 

 Barrie, 9th Xov., 1885. 



Reply. — (1). Plum trees are very 

 apt to loose their leaves prematurely 

 under the following circumstances : — 

 (a) When growing in poor soil, (b) 

 when growing in wet or insufficiently 

 drained ground, ( c) in very dry weather 

 or protracted drouth, and (d) if the soil 

 be sandy. The remedies are to plant 

 in a rich, well drained clay soil, and to 

 keep it rich by liberal manuring, and a 

 yearly ai)plication of a liberal supply of 

 salt on the surface of the ground, from 

 two quarts to half a bushel, every 

 spring, according to the size of the tree. 



(2). Your insect is probably the 

 grape-vine leaf-hopper, Erythi-oneura 

 vitis. They live over winter in the 

 winged state under the dead leaves or 

 such other rubbish as they may tind. 

 In the early summer they lay their eggs 

 on the young vine leaves. When the 

 larvse hatch out they resemble the pei'- 

 fect insect, except that they have no 

 wings. They feed on the young leaves 

 by puncturing them with their sharp 

 proboscis, through which they suck up 

 the juices. The injury appears on the 

 upper surface of the leaf in the form of 

 yellow or brownish spots, which in- 

 crease in size with the growth of the 

 insects, at length involving the whole 

 leaf, which looks as if scorched, and at 

 length drop from the vine. This work 



