94 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



February 3, 1912. 



apple sucker, and it is also claiiiKul for 

 lime that it has a check on that disfiguring 

 fungus known as apple scah, but last sea- 

 ■ son there was little evidence forthcoming 

 in support of this, because apples generally 

 grew particularly free from scab, which 

 shows that climatic condititms are largely 

 responsible for this trouble. 



In connection with the use of lime some 

 use a lime spray ])ure and simple ; others 

 employ lime and sidphur, which adds to its 

 value as a fungicide; others pin their faith 

 to lime and salt; but there is some varia- 

 tion of opinion as to whether there is any 

 advantage in the addition of salt at all, 

 and this view is held, by the way, by one 

 noted grower in the West of England, who 

 swears by the virtues of the plain lime 

 spray ; while scmie go further, and 

 eni])loy a lime-sulphur and salt wash. The 

 worst thing about lime spraying is that 

 no stretch of exaggeration could call it a 

 desirable job, from the point of view of 

 personal comfort, but difficulties have been 

 reduced considerably bv the introduction 

 of improved machines and nozzles, and in 

 this matter manufacturers have had an in- 



centive, for, apart from fruit trees, tlu' 

 sprayer for lime-washing purposes has 

 largely taken the place of the old-time 

 brush. For effective lime spraying a fine 

 day is essential, and, above all, it must 

 he still. The operators should also protec^t 

 themselves with overalls, and with sonic 

 persons the lime has a painful effect on tlu^ 

 skin . In some cases gloves are worn to 

 avoid this, but the best thing I have found 

 is to thickly cover the hands with grease 

 l>efore connuencing the Avork. 



Ill the use of lime as an insecticide it 



is desirable that a few sim]ile rules should 

 be observed. In the first place, the spray- 

 ing is most effective if it is left as late as 

 is consistent with safetv. To be more 

 precise, a good time to do it is from the 

 middle to the end of March, just before 

 the buds commence to swell. Secondlv. 



■ 



«idy the best white lime should be used, 

 and this should be obtained in th*» lump 

 direct from the works. The lime should 

 be placed in a tub at the rate of one 

 bushel to twenty-five gallons of water, but 

 the latter should be added a little at a 

 time as the mixtiu-e boils, and if salt is 

 added a quarter of a hundredweight to 

 everv one hundred £>;allons of limewash is 

 the standard quantity. Thorough and 

 effective straining is very essential, and 

 if this is neglected a lot of time will soon 

 be lost through the choking of nozzles. 

 Another important point is the desirability 

 of applying the lime wash while it is warm, 

 and I heard one grower express the opinion 

 that if he could not use it in this state 

 he woidd not use it at all. 



Let it be remembered also tliat the tr<M^ 

 ^ihould be sprayed all over, and it is really 

 more important to apply the wash to the 

 tips of the twigs and the wood Ix^aring the 

 fruit buds than to the stems and thick 

 limbs. The wav tliat the wash sticks is the 



■ 



j)roof as to whether the best lime has been 

 used, properly mixed, and applied at the 

 right temperature, and consistency, but 

 little good is done if tlu^ coating of lime 

 scales off as soon as it gets dry. 



After being sprayed the trees naturally 

 present a ghostly appearance, which is a 

 reasnit wliy lime spraying is not prrniissable 

 in some private gardens, and, again, it 

 is Jiot an easy matter to lime spray troi\s 

 in kitf lien gardens where vegetables art^ 

 growing roiuul about iheni, such as winter 

 gre<ms, but on the otlier hand a good (hnil 

 of the ground is unoccupied with cr()j>s 

 when this .s^u aying is done. 



Lastly, it is wrong to claim for lime 

 spraying that it will do everything, and 



to think that after doing it one's troubles 

 will be over, but a strong point in its 

 favour is that commercial growers have 

 great faith in it. Last spring I travelled 

 through some of tlie most famous apple- 

 growing districts in England, and saw miles 

 of orchards and plantations which looked 

 as if they were covered with snow or hoar 

 frost. These were orchards belonging to 

 men who grow frviit for a living, and they 

 are much too shrewd and business-like to 

 spend time and money on lime spraying for 

 mere amusement. When a commercial 

 man begins a thing, and follows it up, you 

 may generally depend that there is some- 

 thing in it, and lime spraying has increased 

 because growers have derived benefit from 

 itj and believe in it. At the moment of 

 writing spraying apparatus is being put in 

 order, and in those districts where fruit 

 growing is a commercial industry, many a 

 br<)ad acre of apple trees wnll be covered 

 with a white mantle before the buds burst 



into growth. 



H. 



REVIEW OF BRITISH'RAISED 

 PERPETUAL CARNATION 

 NOVELTIES FOR 191 u 



One of the most difficult tasks 1 know- 

 is for one raiser to criticise the work of 

 others, and do it perfec^tly fairly and still 

 retiiin their friendship, because all of us 

 think our own crow the blackest just 

 the same as the mother fails to see the 

 shortcomings of her fondled firstborn. 



The two most-talkwl-of British novelties 

 of last season \\(M-e U. F. Felton and Lady 

 Aiington. Both it^ceived an Award of 

 Merit from the ll.H.S., and F.C'.C. from 

 the Perpetual Carnation Society, and many 

 thousands of young phmts of each variety 

 were sold. Which is tlie better of the two 

 it is unnecessary to say ; both can be ex- 

 cellent without belittling the other's great- 

 ness. 



H. F. Felton is the result of a cross be- 

 tween Enchantres:> and Mrs. H. Burnett. 

 One would almost guess the parentage from 

 the habit of growth, for it might be termwl 

 an improved Mrs. H. Burnett. The flowers 

 are of a delightful shade of salmon-rose and 

 of good size; also, while it makes an excep- 

 tionally fine bushy plant, the growth is 

 vslow in running off to flower. R. F. Felton 

 has a riva! in the new American variety 

 Gloriosa, the two being similar in colour. 

 However, perhaps, the Britisli variety will 

 suit the private grower best, though the 

 American novelty may become the most 

 popular with the market grower. 



Lady Aiington was obtained by erossing 

 Britannia on to White Perfection. The 

 <'ross was made five times, and 243 seed- 

 lings \v(M(^ raised, but out of this lot there 

 was but one Lady AHngton. The growth 

 is much freer and quicker than in 

 Britannia, making a larger plant, and it 

 a'so grows much quicker in mid-winter. 

 The flowers are a deep shade of salmon, 

 almost a Leander pink, quite a distinct 

 and beautiful break, strongly perfumed, 

 iind verv large in size. In tact, owing to 

 this and the excessive vigour, the flowers 

 split just a Kttle in dull weather. This, 

 however, can be coped with by growing the 

 plants in a smaller-sized pot and not feed- 

 ing until spring. H small failing in Lady 

 Aiington is that tlie flowers take rather 

 long to open owing to their size, and so 

 <lo TH>t last as long as some varieties when 

 < nt, bnt no perpetu;il c-nnation is perfect, 

 aiul this is niuhnibtefllv ;i ureiit \";irietv. 



Mr<. ( . Raphael helong.> to tlie new 

 perpetual-flowering Malmaison <l;is-. It is 

 massive in size and build^ and quite excel- 



lent in form for a Malmaison. The colour 

 of the flow(M' is cherry red, and the growth 

 is quite the quickest in this class. This 

 variety is undoubtedly a decided acquisi- 

 tion. 



Bex^ being a pale rose-pink^ met with 

 keen competition. In some respects it ha 

 proved rather disappointing^ not flowering 

 quite as freely as was expected. Yet many 

 varieties have less to commend them than 

 Rex, and still remain in cultivntion. 



Colossus is certainly a good variety which 

 has never had the recognition it deserves. 

 The flowers are cerise in colour and large 

 in size, with an ideal stem and calyx. It 

 also has a robust growth, not quite free 

 enough for the market grower, but cer- 

 tainly of a quality sufficiently high to com- 

 mand a position in all private collections. 



Regina, salmon-pink, was somewhat of 

 a dark hoi\se, but has proved quite a good 

 variety, milking a large plant. The flowers 

 are of a good size. The same raiser^ how- 

 ever, is sending out Lady Northcliff this 

 season which shoiiM be superior. 



Fireglow and Harlequin, both yellow 

 fancy varieties, rival each other for pre- 

 mier place. The general voting is that the 

 former is more bea'utiiful in individual 

 flowers and the lattei' has a quicker habit 

 of growth. 



La Mode^ heliotrope, shaded deep piuk 

 in the centre, is a delightful break which 

 has a great fascination for many members 

 of the fair sex. However, this season we 

 have that sterling novelty Geisha, 

 which has caused such a sensation at the 

 shows, challenging all its rivals success- 

 fully. 



lidith Waters, deep bright cerise, is pro- 

 bably a hybrid l)order carnation, and not 

 quite fr^ enough flowering in mid-winter 

 to claim a high position as a perpetual." 



Marchioness of Linlithgow has some 

 merit. Being a seedling from White Per- 

 fection it has purity of colour and freedom 

 of growth^ but in comparison with White 

 Wonder it can scarcely hope to survive. 



Duchess of Devonshire is undoubtedly 

 good crimson, rich in colour, refined in 

 foi'm, and robust in growth. As a variety 

 for cultivating in pots it has undoubtetlly 

 a future. 



There may be other good varieties, but 

 these are all of importance, that weie 

 shown before the Perpetual-Flowering Car- 

 nation Society, and that can hope to sur- 

 vive, and those that fail are of little im- 

 portance, they do not rouse the synipathv 

 or court the interests of anyone, and most 

 of us, if we had a retentive mind, couW 

 recall a few failures, both of our own and 

 other peoples. 



Montagu C. Allwooi>. 



Aster Lil Fardel.— This very desir- 

 able Michaelmas daisy belongs to the Novff 

 Anglise section. It is a very fine form, grow- 

 ing about five feet in height, and bears a 

 great profusion of bright reddish ros^' 

 coloured flowers. A very symmetrical shaped 

 specimen, occupying an isolated position, was 

 much admired here last autumn. A feature 

 of the Novae Angl-ae group is that the flowered 

 are at their best in the first half of the day. 

 as they partially close in the afternoon or 

 when the weather is dull. I do not rcniem- 



on ( 

 log 



BfcJ ~ — ^ — 



seeing this mentioned in any of tlie iiot^~ 

 'Michaelmas daisies, and only in one cn^:'- 

 _ue that lias come under my notia^ 

 namely, in that of Mr. Norman Davis, tU^ 

 chryi>anthenuun specialist, of FramfieW- 



Sussex. 



PROFITABLE FRUIT GROWTNG for Cottagers an^ 

 Sman Holders of Land.— By .Tohn Wright, V.ALH. 

 Gold Me<lal Efisay. writen for the Wor.shipfu] Conv 

 pauy of Fruiterers. Fully illustrated. Price Is.. 

 post Ls. 3d., from W. H. and L. Collingridgre, U8 ftn*^ 

 149, Aldersgete Street, London. 



