NOTES AND ABSTRACTS. 



369 



NOTES AND ABSTRACTS. 



Alpines in Winter, Protection of. By Craiglea {Garden, Jan. 17, 1914, 

 p. 31). — The author has found a satisfactory method of protection to consist in 

 scattering gravelly matter round the most precious plants, and wedging small 

 stones round the necks of the plants, so as to keep the neck erect. The object 

 is to keep the foliage off the ground. The method has been found effective with 

 Saxifraga Griesbachii and S. Stribrnyi. — H. R. D. 



Apple and Pear Juices, Composition of Vintage. By B. T. P. Barker and 

 O. Grove (Ann. Rep. Agr. Res. Stn., Long Ashton, 191 4, pp. 41-55). — The 

 specific gravity, sugar content, malic acid, tannin content, and rate of fer- 

 mentation of a large number of varieties of cider apples and perry pears are 

 given. Apples from trees on Paradise stock show lower acidities than those of 

 the same variety on free stock, but differences in specific gravity and tannin are 

 not so pronounced. — F. J. C. 



Appie, The Powdery Mildew of, and its Control in tlie Pajaro Valley. By 

 W. S. Ballard and W. H. Volck [U.S.A. Dep. Agr., Bur. PI. Ind., Bull. 

 120, Sept. 1 91 4, pp. 1-26 ; 6 plates, 5 figs.). — Powdery mildew of the apple 

 (Podosphaera leucotricha (E. and E.) Salm.) is widely distributed over the 

 world, and considerable loss has occurred in apple-growing districts of California 

 owing to its ravages. The mildew most frequently attacks the foliage and the 

 shoots, rarely the fruit, and forms greyish-white areas on the under-surface of 

 the leaves. These mildew areas may extend down the petiole and form a com- 

 plete felted mass enclosing the entire shoot. The fungus produces conidia and 

 perithecia. No varieties of apples grown in the Pajaro Valley are immune, but 

 some are much less affected than others. The most susceptible are ' Yellow 

 Newtown,' ' Yellow BeUflower,' ' Smith's Cider,' ' Missouri Pippin,' ' Esopus,' 

 and' Gravenstein,' while such varieties as ' White Pearmain,' ' Winter Pearmain,' 

 ' Rhode Island Greening,' and ' Langford ' are less severely attacked by the 

 disease. 



To control the disease, systematic spraying with iron-sulphur mixture and 

 winter pruning of the trees are recommended. — A. B. 



Apples, A Spot Disease of. By B. T. P. Barker (Ann. Rep. Agr. Res. Stn., 

 Long Ashton, 1914, pp. 97-99). — A superficial brown spotting of apples some- 

 what similar to bitter pit, but only skin-deep, was particularly prevalent last 

 year, in various parts of the country. The spots were usually associated with 

 lenticels, but, though a fungus was present, cultures showed the fungus to be not 

 always the same. — F. J. C. 



Arnebia eehioides : The Prophet Flower. By C. Q. (Garden, Jan. 10, 

 1914, p. 18, and fig.) — This belongs to the family Boragineae, and is allied 

 to Lithospermum. This species is remarkable for its singular flowers ; these 

 are primrose yellow, with a purple, almost black, spot on the lobes of the corolla. 

 The curious thing is that the dark spot gradually disappears in a few days. The 

 author speculates on the reason for this. Man y flowers of Boragineae in the 

 course of development seem to recapitulate the evolution of their colours, and 

 the colour change in Arnebia eehioides may be due to this cause. But the 

 spots only disappear as the flowers age, and it seems more probable that it may 

 be an adaptation to show insects which are the pollinated and which the useful 

 and unpollinated flowers. Difficulty is sometimes found in increasing stock of 

 this plant ; it may be done by taking cuttings of strong roots or by seed. 



Arnebia cornuta (ib. Feb. 7, 1914, p. 66). — This is an interesting annual, though 

 seldom seen. Its flowers are rich yellow, marked with large heart-shaped black 

 spots from the base to the tip of the petals. These on the second day turn to 

 a deep maroon, and finally disappear with age, leaving pure vellow flowers. 



H. R. D. 



