Aoguat, 1913 



I 



TUl-J GARDEN AND FIELD. 



103 



Hoya Carnosa. 



Miuiy people who tiling llicy know 

 this handsome riowering climb '.r 

 know its beauty only by repute 'or 

 as very often grown it is a trtily sad- 

 dening sight to the flower lover. 

 There are probably more sick H >>as 

 on the verandahs around Adelaide 

 than healthy ones. They are either 

 covered with scale or yellov. from 

 starvation. They want a light, airy 

 position, some moisture at the root, 

 and in the atmosphere, and protection 

 frota direct sun. In England where 

 it is considered one of the best of 

 greenhouse climbers it is very popu- 

 lar. An English grower writing of 

 the beauty of the Hoya says: "I 

 planted a cutting in a large pot, and 

 trained the shoots horizontally along 

 four wires about one foot ft;^om the 

 glass in the roof of the greenhouse, 

 and with two summers' growth the 

 four wires were completely covered 

 with three or four shoots each, from 

 one end to another, about sixteen 

 feet in length. During the summer 

 months they flowered most profusely, 

 and constituted veritable floral 

 wreaths which were the admiration 

 of everyone who saw them. The 

 odour emitted from these magnificent 

 wreaths of wax-like, pinkish, white 

 flowers was, however, the reverse of 

 pleasant; indeed, on several occasions 

 it evoked expressions of disapproval, 

 despite their beauty. 



The material used in the potting 

 consisted of fibrous loam, peat, and 

 leaf mould in equal quantities, with a 

 liberal sprinkling of sharp sand, the 

 pot being drained with charcoal in- 

 stead of the ordinary crocks. The 

 plant received several waterings with 

 ordinary liquid farmyard manure, and 

 judging from the magnificence and 

 vigour of both foliage and blossom, 

 these conditions suited its require- 

 ments admirably. Another important 

 point, perhaps not generally known to 

 amateur cultivators, is to allow all 

 the tips or foot-stalks of the old 

 flowers to remain on the shoots, and 

 they will all flower again the follow- 

 ing summer. Indeed. I noticed that 

 a considc-able number of the strong- 

 est tips on the plant flowered three 

 times in two years, and I have seen 

 the same foot-stalks on other plants 

 flower four and five times at least." 



. # 



Laughing cheerfulness throws sun- 

 light on all the paths of life. — 

 Richter. 



Notes for August. 



Spray. 



Spray thoroguhly. 



If rain follows, spray again. 



The man who sprays has the 

 vagaries of the season to contend 

 with. 



The man who docs not spray may, 

 and probably will, have a varied as- 

 sortment of pests and diseases to 

 worry him. 



Success in spraying depends on 

 attention to detail. The spray mate- 

 rial must actually cover every portion 

 of the tree it is intended to protect. 



In buying a spray pump, see that it 

 is of simple design, that the working 

 parts are of brass, that they can be 

 easily taken to pieces, and finally that 

 it is of suitable capacity for the work 

 to be done. 



Power spray pumps are coming in- 

 to general use, as they are found to be 

 more economical for large areas and 

 do better work. 



Aphides are the most common form 

 of plant lice and the treatment for 

 them is an external irritant insecti- 

 cide. 



Fungi are low forms of vegetable 

 life, which cause such plant dis^eases 

 as curl-leaf, shothole, &c. Any fungi- 

 cide is a preventive rather than a cure 

 and should be applied before the dis- 

 ease or its effects are apparent. 



Lime does not improve with age 

 and it should be remembered that un- 

 less very carefully stored it becomes 

 stale and useless as a spray ingredi- 

 ent. 



Many orchardists are not too care- 

 ful as to using exact quantities in pre- 

 paring spray mixtures, or as to the 

 purity of the materials. The result is 

 ineffectual work or perhaps damaged 

 trees. 



Occasional damage to trees is re- 

 ported in connection with a Bordeaux 

 Mixture. It is quite possible that 

 some of this might be traced to the 

 use of inferior lime. 



Bordeaux Mixture for curl leaf and 

 other diseases is a preventive not a 

 cure, or only so to a small extent. 



Bordeaux Mixture and Arsenate of 

 Lead may be procured in paste or 

 powder form aiyJ Lime-Sulphur in 

 concentrated solution. 



In these days, when the trouble and 

 cost of preparing spray mixtures has 

 been reduced to a minimum there is 

 no longer any excuse for the man 

 with only a few trees who neglects to 

 spray. 



The time to spray for curl leaf, 

 shot-hole, rust, mildew, and all fungus 

 disease in apricot, peach, nectarine, 

 and plum is just as the greatest num- 

 ber of buds are bursting, that is, when 

 the first to open are almost fully ex- 

 panded. 



The primary object of pruning is to 

 produce good fruit. 



A shapely tree is good, ^ tree which 

 produced heavy crops is 'better, but 

 one which looks good and is good is 

 best. 



Young trees should be brought up 

 in the way they should go, but old 

 trees should be renovated on com- 

 mercial rather than artistic lines. 



Old apple, pear, and other fruit 

 trees cannot be hacked about indis- 

 criminately without throwing them 

 out of their bearing habit, with con- 

 sequent loss of crop and profit. 



Any shaped tree which bears good 

 fruit and plenty of it is a good tree, 

 and in one sense a good-shaped tree, 

 for "handsome is who handsome 

 does" is quite as true in fruit growing 

 as in anything else. 



Whether a newly-planted tree 

 should be pruned before or after 

 may not greatly matter, but it should 

 certainly be done before any growth 

 is made. Either the tree should be 

 cut back to a whip stick or if there 

 are two, three, four well-placed 

 shoots they should be shortened to a 

 to a good outward growing base bud, 

 and all other growth cut out. 



For root grafting and for young 

 trees, say up to three quarters of an 

 inch in diameter, the whip and tongue 

 graft is to be recommended. For 

 larger trees the crown bark graft. 

 The former can be done at any time 

 now, but the last is best done when 



