QUESTIONS ASKED AND ANSWERED. 



239 



2845. Open Cement Drain. — What proportions of 

 sand, cement and lime should be taken for a drain that 

 will stand wear and frost ? — M. D. F., Ofa?ig-e Co., N. V. 



2846. Ashes and Hen-Manure.— Can I mix them for 

 application to corn without loss in strength ? I can buy 

 large quantities of hemlock-ashes at 5 cents a bushel. 

 Are they worth it for fruits ? — G. A., Neiu York. 



2847. Keeping Violets Fragrant. — How can the odor 

 be kept in violets as long as they stay fresh ? — A Sub- 

 scriber. 



2848. Honey-Locust in Florida. — Will it succeed on 

 the east coast of Florida, south of Jacksonville ? Where 

 can I obtain plants? — E. W. G., Morida. 



2849. Growing and Wintering Onion-Sets.— Some 

 information on this important subject will be welcome. — 

 G. W. L., Ohio. 



2850. Strawberry Root-Borer. — What can be done to 

 destroy the pest ? Is it safe to use plants from the in- 

 fested patch ? — C. S., Kansas. 



2851. Growing Healthy Violets. — How should they 

 be grown to keep them free from the rust, both in open 

 air and in greenhouse ? Is it better to have them on 

 benches or in solid beds? — L. C. P., Neiu York. 



2852. Codling-Moth Enemies. — What enemies has 

 the codling-moth, and which is the most powerful among 

 them?— A. W. S., Colorado. 



2853. Small-Fruit Culture.— Should blackberries be 

 pruned ? If so, how short should the laterals be cut ? 

 Should currants and gooseberries be cultivated, or 

 should they be mulched heavily ? What is best fertilizer 

 for vineyards? — W. B. R., loiud. 



2854. Growing Vegetables on Same Ground. — How 

 many consecutive years can this be done with safety ? — 

 W. W. R., Ontario. 



2855. Heating Vegetable-Forcing House.— What is 

 better, hot water or steam heat, top or bottom heat ? — 

 G. E. F., Illinois. 



2856. Growing and Ripening Early Tomatoes.— What 

 are the essential conditions of success ? I have a cold 

 grapery, and plenty of 6-inch pots in which to start them. 



-A J. C, Ontario. 



2857. Growing Double Flowers. — Will seed of double 

 flowers, such as double hollyhock, produce double flowers? 



2858. Odorless Phosphate. — I applied this in my 

 garden last year. Could see no effect on vegetables, but 

 it helped the flowers. What is your opinion about it ? 

 — T. A. G., Alichigan. 



2859. Coal-Ashes for Grapes and Small Fruits. — Are 

 they a good thing ? — Miss L. G. P. O. 



2860. Spinach-Forcing House. — How should it be 

 constructed ? When is the proper time in which to sow ? 

 — C. L. H., Mass. 



2861. Market for Cut-Flowers in Buffalo.— Please 

 give addresses of florists to whom I could sell hyacinths 

 and other cut-flowers in their season? — Mrs. D. M. J , 

 Erie Co., N. Y. 



2824. Raspberry Anthracnose. — This fungus attacks 

 canes and leaves. At first small purple spots appear 

 scattered around the cane near its base. The spots rap- 

 idly increase in size, the center of each becoming gray- 

 ish white in color. Surrounding each spot is a slightly 

 raised, dark purple border, separating the healthy from 

 the diseased tissue. The course of the development is 

 from the lower portions of the cane upwards. The spots 

 may run together, and appear as irregular blotches, 

 sometimes completely encircling the cane, destroying the 

 cambium layer and in effect girdling the cane. The 

 leaves do not reach their normal size, and if fruit is 

 formed at all it ripens prematurely, or simply dries up 

 and is worthless. The spots also appear on the leaves, 

 which become distorted, with edges rolled up inwards 

 toward the midrib. As a preventive treatment, train and 

 prune the plants in such a manner that plenty of air and 

 sunlight will have free access to the canes. In spring, 

 before the buds start, spray with a solution of sulphate of 

 iron (green copperas), made by dissolving two pounds of 

 it in five gallons of water. Later, if there is any sign of 

 the disease, spray with the Bordeaux mixture Burn all 

 badly affected canes. Better read " Horticulturist's 

 Rule-Book." 



2823. Anthracnose of the Grape.— This scab - like 

 disease is also known as bird's-eye rot, from the patches 

 on the fruit. The fungus which causes it is closely re- 

 lated to that which attacks the raspberry and many 

 other plants. All the green parts of the vine are subject 

 to its attacks from the beginning of spring vegetation 

 until the close of the growing-season. First it appears 

 on the shoots as minute brown spots, a little depressed 

 in the middle, with a slightly raised, dark-colored rim or 

 border, and gradually increases in size. The disease at- 

 tacks the leaves in the same fashion, but becomes es- 

 pecially marked on the berries. The small spots, gray- 

 ish in the center, enlarge, and retain a more or less 

 regular, rounded outline, and between the light-colored 

 central portion and the dark border-line there often ap- 

 pears a well-defined band of bright vermilion. Finally 

 the berries begin to wither and dry up, until nothing is 

 left but skin and seeds. Sometimes a berry becomes at- 

 tacked on one side only, when partly grown, and then 

 becomes irregular in shape, the diseased part ceasing to 

 grow. The side may then crack open, exposing and 

 forcing out the seeds. The disease is most prevalent in 

 wet seasons and low situations. To prevent it, wash the 

 vines in spring before the buds have expanded, with a 

 strong solution of copperas, and apply sulphur, or lime 

 and sulphur, several times during the season. The regu- 

 lar treatment for black-rot, i. c, spraying with Bordeaux 

 mixture or ammoniacal solution of carbonate of copper, 

 will keep the disease in check. 



2782. How Soon Nut-Trees Bear.— With most nut- 

 trees the planter needs patience. Walnuts, pecans and 

 hickories cannot be expected to bear much for the first 

 15 or 20 years after they are started from seed. Chest- 



