250 



THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[April 13, 1912 



Potatos. 



Kents- 



Queen's ... 

 Up-to-Date 

 Lincolns — 

 Up-to-Date 

 British Queen 

 King Edward 

 Northern Star 

 Evergoods 



percwt. 

 s.d. s.d. 



4 0-46 

 4 0-46 



3 9-4 



3 9-4 



4 0-4 



2 9- 3 



3 0-3 



6 



3 



6 



! 



Lincolns — 



Maincrops 

 Blacklands 



Bedfords - 



Up-to-Date 



Dunbars— 



Up-to-Date 

 Maincrop 



per cwt. 

 s.d. s.d,- 



4 0-46 



3 0-33 



39-40 



4 9-53 



5 3-56 



Teneriffe ... 



New Potatos. 



10 0-13 6 | Algerian 



Remarks.— Trade is about the same 

 Consignments are still fairly large. Edward 

 Covent Garden and St. Pancras, April 11, 1912 



... 11 6-13 6 



last week. 

 /. Newborn, 



THE WEATHER. 



The Following Summary Record of the 

 weather throughout the British Islands, for the 

 week ending April 6, is furnished from the 

 Meteorological Office: 



GENERAL OBSERVATIONS. 



The weather.— Over the King lorn generally the conditions 

 were fair to fine, but in the north and north-west rain was 

 again of frequent occurrence. Early in the week snow and 

 s eet showers were experienced over a considerable portion 

 of the Kingdom. 



The temperature was above the average in all districts, the 

 excess amounting to more than 3 5° in the east and north- 

 east of Great Britain. The higiest of the maxima were 

 recorded on rather i regular d ues, but mosly on the 5th or 

 6>h April. The figure ranged from 69° in Eng and E. to 57' 

 in the English Channel and Scotland W. f and to 54* in bcot- 

 a id N, The lowest of the minima, which occurred early in 

 me week, mostly on the 1st or 2nd, ranged from 27* in Scot- 

 land E. and England S.W. to 31° in Scotland W. t and to 39" 

 in the English Channel. The lowest grass readings reported 

 were 19° at Wo ksop, 20° at Marlborough, Llangammarch 

 Wells, Burnley, and Newton Rigg, and 21° at Hampstead, 

 Kew, and VVisley. Both at 1 foot and 4 feet below the surface 

 the temperature of the earth was again above the normal, 

 but the excess was less marked than in previous weeks. 



The mean temperature of the sea.— Thi water was warmer 

 than during the corresponding week of last year, and its 

 temperature was abov~' the average at all stations except 

 Sheephaven. The mean values ranged from 52° at Scilly to 

 between 41° and 44° on the north-east coast of Britain. 



The rainfall was less than the average in England and 

 Ireland, but just equal to it in Scotland E. and above it in 

 Scotland N. and W. At Glencarron as much as 576 inches 

 fell in three days— 1 18 inch on the 3rd, 2 6S inches on the 

 4th, and 190 inch on the 5th. At Rothesay on the 4th the 

 fall equalled 1*11 inch, and at Kilmarnock 161 inch. 



The bright sunshine did not, as a whole, differ much from 

 the average, but in Ireland, England S.W., and thi English 

 Channel there was a large deficiency. The daily mean was 

 nearly six hours in England S.E. and E., and the percentage 

 of the possible duration in those districts was 46 and 45 

 respectively. Elsewhere the figure was much lower, falling 

 to below 30 per cent of the possible in Ireland, England 

 S.W., and Scotland N. 



THE WEATHER IN WEST HERTS. 



Week ending April 10. 



The ninth unseasonably warm week in succession. — The 

 first five days of the past week were warm, and some of 

 them very warm for the time of year; but the last two 

 days have been cold, and on one night the exposed ther- 

 mometer showed 4° of frost. On the warmest day V\e 

 temperature in the thermometer screen rose to 67 c , which 

 is 14° warmer than is seasonable, and the highest shaJe 

 temperature as yet recorded this year. The ground is now 

 2° warmer at 2 feet deep, but only at an average tem- 

 perature at 1 foot deep. Rain fell on but one day, and to 

 the depth of less than one-tenth of an inch. There were a 

 few flakes of snow and a little soft hail on the 9th inst. 

 There has been no percolation at all through either of the 

 soil gauges the last few days. The sun shone on an ave- 

 rage for 6J hours a day, or for 1J hours a day longer than 

 is usual at the same period in April. On three days the 

 sun was shining brightly for 10 or more hours a day. The 

 winds have been, as a rule, hg i, and in the windiest hour 

 the mean velocity reached 23 miles— direction W.N.W, 

 This is the highest wind recorded here since February, 

 1911, or for 14 months. The mean amount of moisture in 

 the air at 3 p.m. exceeded a seisonable quantity for that 

 hour by 1 per cent. A wild Cherry tree growing in my 

 garden came first into flower on the 3rd inst., or 15 days 

 earlier than it* average date in the previous 26 years, and 

 also 15 days eerier than last year. E. U. t Berkhamsted, 

 April 10, 1912. 



CATALOGUES 



ECEIVED. 



ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 



H. J. Jones, Ryecroft, Hither Green, Lewisham— Asters, 

 Begonias, Chrysanthemums, Dahlias, and Fuchsias : 

 also Vegetable and Flower Seeds. 



Clibrans, Hale, Altincham -Indoor Plants and pot Roses. 



FOREIGN. 



Jules Chantrier, Mortefontaine (Oise), France-Indoor 



Plants. .„ ^ T _. 



Francois Gerbeaux, Rue de Medreville, Nancy, t ranee- 

 Hardy Perennial and Greenhouse Plants. 



Henry F. Michell Company, 518, Market Street, Phila- 

 delphia -Cannes, Dahlias, and Gladioli. 



Apple Trees Diseased : E. C. The fungus 

 causing Apple Scab is responsible for the 

 trouble. Spray the trees with the Bordeaux 

 mixture and cut out the decayed branches. 



Bean Leaves Unhealthy : V. B. No disease is 

 present in the plants : the injury is due to some 

 wrong cultural treatment. 



Beech Trees with Whitish Bark : T. L. The 

 Beech trees are attacked by Cryptococcus fagi. 

 Scrub the trunk with a solution of soft soap 

 and paraffin, adding half a pint of paraffin to 

 each gallon of the mixture, which should be 

 kept stirred thoroughly. 



Figs Diseased : T. L. The Figs are attacked 

 by Botrytis cinerea, which is favoured by too 

 damp an atmosphere. 



Forcing Strawberries : E. S. R. To have 

 Strawberries ripe in February you will require 

 four rows of 4-inch piping in your forcing 

 house, two rows on either side of the pathway 

 close up to the side walls, one on top of the 

 other, at a distance of about 18 inches above 

 the rioor line. The house being a narrow one, 

 this arrangement of the pipes will not inter- 

 fere with the free use of the ground space and 

 it will allow of a proper circulation of the heat. 

 It is not necessary to start pot Strawberry 

 plants in bottom heat, but should a cold pit 

 and a supply of slightly fermenting tree-leaves 

 be available you may place the latter to a 

 depth of 18 or 24 inches in the pit and partly 

 plunge the pot Strawberry plants therein early 

 in October. The gentle heat imparted by the 

 fermenting leaves will promote root action in 

 the plants before the first batch is removed to 

 the forcing house early in November. By the 

 end of September Strawberry plants layered in 

 July should be well established in 6-inch pots 

 with large, single, well-ripened crowns. Suc- 

 cess or failure in fruiting Strawberries in pots 

 depend in a great measure upon the condition 

 of the plants when introduced into the forcing 

 house. We have no knowledge of the Solar 

 sectional boiler you mention, and therefore are 

 unable to give you the name of the maker of 

 same. Sectional boilers capable of heating 

 from 200 up to 1,800 lineal feet of 4-inch piping 

 are made by several firms. 



Giant Arum : E. D. There are several distinct 

 varieties in cultivation of the Arum Lily 

 (Ricnardia africana). A somewhat small- 

 flowered form, but with a dwarf and compact 

 habit, is the American variety Childsii. Small- 

 flowered, dwarf varieties have also been distri- 

 buted by Mr. W. J. Godfrey, The Nurseries, 

 Exmouth. 



Insects for Identification: M. B. Greenwood. 

 The names of your insects are as follow: — 

 1, staphylinid larva; 2, the larva of a lepido- 

 pterous insect ; 3, carabid larva ; 4, Carabus 

 violaceous ; 5, Julus terrestris ; 6, the larva or 

 caterpillar of the common swift moth Hepialus 

 lupulinus, and not of a carnivorous ground 

 beetle. 



Leaves for Examination : R. E. W. No disease 

 is present in the leaves of Tomato, Bean, 

 Strawberry and Peach. The injury is due to 

 unfavourable conditions of growth. 



Mushrooms Diseased : Mushrooms. The trouble 

 is due to the presence of a mite which was pro- 

 bably introduced with the manure. When 

 making a fresh bed remove the old materials 

 and mix a little powdered sulphur with the 

 surface layer of soil. 



Names of Fruits: W. Chipp. Brabant Belle- 

 fleur.— 7\ R. Staddon. Keeping Red-Streak. 



Names of Plants : E. J. W. 1, Coelogyne flac- 

 cida; 2, Cypripedium Moussetianum (callosum 

 X superbiens) ; 3, Helxine Solierolii. — Orchid. 

 1, Oncidium flexuosum ; 2, O. oblongatum; 3, 

 Coelia t-riptera ; 4, Lselia albida ; 5, Ada auran- 

 tiaca ; 6, Brassia verrucosa. — F. F. 1, Pteris 

 longifolia; 2, Adiantum hispidulum ; 3, Pteris 

 cretica; 4, P. tremula; 5, Blechnum corcovn 

 dense ; 6, Adiantum cuneatum. — F. W. T . 

 Oncidium Cavendishianum.— F. T. 1, 2 and 3, 

 varieties of Aubrietia deltoidea; 4, Cupressus 

 macrocarpa; 5, C. pisifera var. squarrosa; 6, 

 Cryptomeria japonica var elegans ; 7, Cupressus 

 Lawsoniana; 8, Quercus species; 9, Sequoia 



sempervirens. — J . Lisney. — 1, Cytisus fragrans 



var. elegans; 2, Nuttallia cerasi r ' ' 



form); 3, Xanthorrhiza apiifolia. _. mm% ^ 

 Oxton. Milla (Triteleia) uniflora.— V. S. \] 

 Oncidium triquetrum ; 2, Trichopilia laxa ; 3* 

 Oncidium altissimum ; 4, Maxillariatenuifolia ; 

 5, Oncidium pubes ; 6, 0. barbatum. — F. P. //. 

 1, Dendrobium nobile ; 2, D. n. Cooksonii ; 3, 

 D. rubens (Ainsworthii x nobile) ; 4, I). 

 chrysotoxum; 5 and 6, varieties of D. Ains- 

 worthii (aureum x nobile) ; 7, D. aureum 

 (heterocarpum). 



Narcissi Unhealthy : A. D. S. There is no 

 fungus disease present. The injury is caused 

 by unfavourable weather conditions. Lime has 

 proved beneficial in similar cases. 



Peach Shoot Dying : T. P. A. There is no 



disease present in the Peach shoot. The 

 trouble is due to some check to growth. 



Peach Shoots Affected : H. F. G. The 



foliage is affected with leaf -curl. Your best 

 plan is to remove all the injured shoots, and 

 spray the trees with a solution of 1 ounce of 

 liver of sulphur in three gallons of water. 



Peach Tree : P. B. There is no poison found 

 in the bands which are too broad, and, being 

 tied tightly, may have killed the shoots by 

 preventing the bark from performing its func- 

 tions. 



Primula obconica : F. W. Your plants are at- 

 tacked at the ground level by Botrytis cinerea. 

 The old soil should be removed and replaced 

 by fresh material, adding sprinklings of quick- 

 lime and powdered sulphur. 



Seed Potatos Required for Planting Seven- 

 eighths of an Acre : Horsley. The area of 

 the ground is, roughly, 140 rods, and if you 

 plant in rows at 2 feet apart, each rod will 

 accommodate eight rows. If you use sets of 

 an average weight of 3 ounces each, and 

 plant in rows at 13 inches apart, you 

 will require 24 lbs. of seed Potatos per 

 square rod, planting 15 sets in a WW. It 

 would be wise to allow 28 lbs. per rod (half-a- 

 buehel). Tubers weighing 6 ounces or 7 ounc* 

 should be cut lengthwise in halves the day 

 before planting, dusting the cut surfaces 

 with slacked lime to dry them. Allow- 

 ing half-a-bushel of seed tubers per rod area, 

 you would require 70 bushels of Potatos or 

 about 1| ton. If you plant a strong-growing 

 variety, you may use 10 bushels of seed tubers 

 less. A distance of 2 feet apart is too close 

 between the rows, and, whilst leading to a 

 waste of seed tubers, does not V r ™ uC * so 



, good a crop as when 2£ feet is allowed, wun 

 respect to wireworm, dress the ground at .once 

 with a quarter of a ton of fresh soot, lnen 

 you plant in furrows, strew Vaponte or Ap- 

 terite along the furrows after planting, ana 

 just before covering the tubers witn son. 

 Wireworm is a serious pest to such a crop 

 Potatos. Failing Vaporite or Aptente give M* 

 second heavy dressing of soot along the roi 

 before the tubers are covered with the son. 



Sweet Peas : H. S. There is no disease present 

 in your plants. The trouble is due to some 

 cultural error. 



Tree Peonies Diseased : E. JSV B. ° u .. 

 Paeonies are suffering from , dr00 P!f in 

 disease. In future remove the surface so l 

 the winter, and replace this by sod mixed wja 

 equal quantities of powdered lime and suipi . 

 You can do nothing this year to save tn 



i _ « 



growth. . 



Worm: A. J. J. G. \ The .worm you send iso^ 

 of the land Planarians belonging to tne g ^ 

 Bipalium, and very probably the specie 

 scribed as B. kewense. It is an exotic 

 and has undoubtedly been .imported into . 

 country with plants or soil This and I ai^ 

 species have hitherto been found in Mt 

 and other parts of Europe. The creature ^ 

 not been recorded as injurious, and ai -^ 

 it has been found in hothouses, does . 

 far as is known, breed in such situations. 

 find is an interesting one, and we shall ° e » ure 

 ful for additional specimens if you can 



them. 



.F.J-H.B.-L^ 



H.H- 



Communications Received.—- - - _ . tnn 

 Fareman_C. T._D and W. C—T B., Satton- 



W. E._C. L._T. W. B _W. P—Xi- ^ 8 «t -F. B— 

 _Rev. A. H. S., Canada- H. C. £— £; ™- Prim nl 

 W. K._W. E. B._W. H. W.-G. H.-W- w»- F . K 

 A. C. C. _A. H. P._J. G.-W. G. K ... Cambridge 

 J. F. W. H._C. H. P.-T. H.-R. M. * - ^ 







