-^ Q^iior) (Drati^r*. ^- 



TREATMENT OF AZALEA. 



.175). Sir, A friend of mine has a fine azalea which bloomed very profusely last 

 spring ami is now looking well and healthy. Will you kindly let us know what is the best 

 way to treal it during the summer, and also when we may expect it to bloom again, and 

 very much oblige, Geo. 1). (iooiuiuE, Danville, P. Q. 



Reply by Mr. John Craig, Experimental Farm, Ottaiva. 



After blooming, the azalea should be watered freely and fertilized with 

 liquid manure till its growth has been completed, when it should be allowed to 

 harden off somewhat by lessening the amount of water and placing it in a some- 

 what drier and cooler situation. Previous to blooming, the plant should again 

 be watered freely and well fertilized. During the period of its rapid growth, 

 care should be taken to keep the plant in good form by pinching back the 

 straggling shoots which are occasionally developed. Such treatment will 

 probably bring it into flowering again in January or February. 



THE BLACK KNOT. 



580. Sib, — I have read a good deal about black knot as a fungus, but 1 cannot 

 believe in the theory, because 1 always find white maggots in them, when the knots are 

 about half grown 1 enclose a sample. This evening I round a curculio in one of the knots, 

 and I wonder if this insect deposited the eggs in the knot? 



F. L. Gekndt, Paris, Out. 



Reply by John Craig, Experimental Farm, Ottaiva. 



It was originally supposed that the excresences on plum and cherry trees 

 which we call "black knots " were caused by insects, but microscopic examina 

 tion proves beyond doubt that while insects may often infest and inhabit these 

 knots, they do not occasion their development. The fungous origin of the black 

 knot cannot be called a theory, but is an established fact. All gall-producing 

 insects form their own characteristic galls exactly alike according to its species 

 in each instance, while in the case of the black knot of the plum and cherry 

 many insects of different kinds may be found harbored in the irregular crevices 

 of these unsightly outgrowths. It is much wiser to cut out and destroy the 

 knots than to search for an insect which may have formed them. 



Tomatoes should not be picked too ripe nor too green, but should be all 

 about the same ripeness or some will rot before others ripen. When shipped 

 long distances from market they should be packed as soon as they begin to 

 color and when nearer market they should be ripe. Let the size be even and 

 pack tightly, so that they will not shake and become bruised. 



(30o) 



