422 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
spores and sclerotia, and its ravages may be best controlled by avoidance of 
dampness. White onions are especially susceptible to this disease. Soft rot 
is a bacterial disease similar in its effects to Bacillus caroiovorus on the carrot. 
Black mould is caused hy Aspergillus niger, and smudge [Colletotrichum circinans) 
is found chiefly upon white onions. 
In general, storage diseases are controlled by careful sorting, protection from 
rain after harvest, thorough curing, and storage in a well ventilated, dry ware- 
house at 32° to 35° F.—A. B. 
Onopordon illyricum var. Cardunculus. By E. Lemee {Rev. Hort. vol. xcii. 
p. 5). — This giant thistle (8 feet in height) was raised from seed collected in the 
neighbourhood of Salonica. For six weeks in late summer it bears innumerable 
purple flowers. Its handsome appearance gains this hardy plant a place in parks 
or large gardens. — S. E. W. 
Passion Vine Longlcorn Beetle. By W. W. Froggatt {Agr. Gaz. N.S.W. 
vol. XXX. pp. 37-39; 2 plates). — The Longicorn Beetle {Monohammus fistulator) 
has done much injury to the Passion Vine in certain districts in New South 
Wales. The beetles are dark brown in colour and are thickly covered with 
yellowish grey hairs. The average length of the beetle is one inch. The duU 
white pupae are found in the stems and the swollen base of the vines. As the 
eggs are deposited on the main stems, it is suggested that painting the stems 
with lime-sulphur wash in late October may check the damage, or suspicious 
spots on the stems may be probed with an awl to destroy the larvae. — S. E. W. 
Pavetta abyssinica Fresen. By J. Hutchinson [Bot. Mag. t. 8838 ; March 
1920). — A native of Abyssinia and Uganda, this species bears an inflorescence, 
5 inches across, of long- tubed white flowers. It reached a height of 6 feet in the 
tropical house at Kew before it flowered. Its leaves are about 6 inches in length. 
F. J. C. 
Peach Buds, Index of Hardness in. By E. S. Johnston {Amer. Jour. Bot. 
vol. vi. No. 9, Nov. 1919, pp. 373-379 ; 2 figs.). — Attention is called to two points 
in these observations. First, there is a marked seasonal increase in the water- 
content of fruit buds of the ' Elberta ' and ' Greensboro ' peaches, whether individual 
trees or averages are considered. Second, with the advance of the season, the 
differences between water- content of fruit buds of the above varieties become 
more marked, that for the ' Elberta ' being the greater. The ' Greensboro ' is con- 
sidered more hardy with regard to winter injury and to the fact that the ratio 
of water-content to dry weight of fruit buds is much less than that of the ' Elberta.' 
Early spring is the critical time, since the water-content of the buds increases 
very rapidly. — A. B. 
Peach Tip Moth. By W. W. Froggatt {Agr. Gaz. N.S.W. vol. xxx. pp. 891- 
892). — Much damage to Peach trees is caused by the Peach Tip Moth {Laspey- 
resia molesta) . Bandaging the trees as for Codling Moth is more effectual than 
spraying. — 5. E. W. 
Peaches. By H. P. Gould and F. Andrews {U.S.A. Dep. Agr., Bull. 806).— 
This paper gives statistics of peach production in the different States of America 
and mentions the chief varieties grown. — 5. E. W. 
Pear Harvesting and Storage Investigations in Rogue River Valley. By 
C. I. Lewis, A. E. Murneek, and C. C. Cate {U.S.A. Exp. Stn., Oregon, 'Bull. 162, 
July 1919 ; 12 figs.) — As a result of a statistical study of the increase in size 
of Bartlett pears it was found that this fruit increases gradually in linear measure- 
ments throughout the growing season, so that the ratio in volume steadily rises 
as the season progresses. A preliminary investigation has been made with a 
pressure test as a means of indicating the m.aturity of fruit at the time of picking, 
and it is thought that satisfactory results may be expected from its adoption. 
A steel ball seven-sixteenths of an inch in diameter, half imbedded in a block 
of hard wood, was used to puncture the fruit, the amount of pressure required 
to push the ball into the pear until the latter reaches the block being registered 
in pounds on a spring scale. — A . P. 
Pear * Passe-Crassane.* By V. Enfer {Rev. Hort. vol. xcii. pp. 88, 89). — This 
pear succeeds when grafted on Quince and on the Pears Beurr6 Diel and the 
Cure. In pruning it is necessary to cut back to strong buds, but not to be too 
drastic— 5. E. W. 
