NOTES AND ABSTRACTS. 



485 



Pansies and Violas, The Cultivation of, by Allotment Holders, 



{Jour. Bd. Agr. vol. xix. No. 9, pp. 749-750). — The way in which 

 cottagers and allotment holders in the neighbourhood of Hounslow 

 (Middlesex) supplement their income by growing Pansies and Violas 

 for what might be called the suburban gardener's trade is described. 

 The ground is cropped during the summer months with potatos, 

 beans, peas, &c. When these are removed Pansies and Violas are 

 planted for sale the following spring. — A. S. 



Papaya Investigations. By J. E. Higgins {U.S.A. Exp. Stn., 

 Hawaii, Ann. Rep. 1911 ; pp. 26-32 ; 3 plates). — The Papaya cannot 

 be propagated by cuttings, buds, scions, &c, and the aim of these 

 investigations is to work out methods for the breeding of varieties of 

 desired qualities that can be depended upon to reproduce themselves 

 with reasonable accuracy from seeds, work which is much complicated 

 by the fact that there are dioecious and monoecious forms, with many 

 apparently intermediate ones. With a view to testing the possibilities 

 of close and cross pollination experiments have been made with sixteen 

 different combinations of pollen and stigma, and the conclusions are 

 arrived at that pollination is not always necessary for the production 

 of fruit, and that in the case of a certain tree producing seedless fruit 

 this latter condition was probably not due to a lack of pollination. 



A. P. 



Peach Aphis. By E. E. Pescott {Jour. Dep. Agr. Vict. Aug. 

 1912, p. 513). — Spray with strong nicotine solution made by soaking 

 tobacco stems in cold water for some days, adding a teaspoonful of 

 caustic soda to a cask of steeping stems. — C. H. H. 



Peach, Diseases and Pests. By W. J. Allen {Agr. Gaz. N.S.W. 

 vol. xxiii. pp. 346-357 ; 2 plates, 1 col.).— The Peach aphis {Aphis 

 persicae niger) is dark brown or black when adult ; it spends the 

 winter on the roots of the trees, and should be treated with tobacco. 

 When the aphis appears on the branches in spring, spray with tobacco 

 wash, hot resin and soda wash, or Sunlight soap wash. The latter 

 is prepared by dissolving a cake of Sunlight soap in 2 gallons of water. 

 Use warm. It does not injure the blossom. McDougall's Insecticide 

 is also excellent. 



To destroy Mediterranean fruit fly {Ceratitis capitata) hang tins 

 containing kerosene in the trees and burn fallen and infected fruit. 



Rutherglen bug {Nysius vinitor) is a small active creature about 

 i\ lines in length. Spray with tobacco wash or weak kerosene 

 emulsion in the early morning and shake the branches over a sheet. 



Brown olive scale {Lecanium oleae) is destroyed by red oil emulsion. 



San Jose scale {Aspidiotus perniciosus) is very destructive ; it 

 causes a bright red stain on the fruit. Lime-sulphur or red oil emul- 

 sion is applied when the trees are dormant, or just before the buds 

 begin to swell. Red oil emulsion is prepared by boiling 2 lb. of soft 

 soap in 1 gallon of soft water, then add 2 gallons of red oil, stir well 



