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JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



whose liardiiiess, vigour, and prolific bearing should also be considered. 

 Not only appearance, but flavour, character, and thickness of flesh are 

 of importance in selecting fruit for seed. 



An ideaj type of Netted Gem Melon for Indiana growers is sug- 

 gested, and it is thought that by careful selection such an ideal is not 

 impossible of attainment. The results are given of some experiments 

 in spraying with Bordeaux mixture for rust, which was found to be 

 both effective and commercially profitable. — M. L. H. 



Mesembryanthemum. By G. Hegi (Gartenflora, vol. hx. pt. i. 



pp. 11-16; 1 col. plate; 2 figs.). — There are about three hundred species 

 of Mesemhryanthemwm, most of which are natives of South Africa. 

 M. puhescens is a recent introduction in Europe. It has a short, 

 woody, branching stem, with short blunt leaves of unequal length 

 covered with soft hairs. The calyx consists of five three-cornered 

 oval tips, which are shorter than the purple-red corolla. M. crystal- 

 linum and M. pinnatifidum do not survive the first frosts. M. acinaci- 

 forme and M. edule (the Hottentot fig) flourish on the Mediterranean 

 littoral.—;^. E. W. 



Mildews, Two Epidemics of, in Baden. By K. Miiller 



(Zeitschr. f. Pflanzenkrank. , xix. 1909, Heft 3, p. 143.)— Eeports three 

 cases of American gooseberry mildew occurring for the first time in 

 Baden, and also the occurrence of an outbreak of the oak mildew which 

 has been so prevalent in Europe during the past few years and of which 

 the perithecial stage has not yet been found, so that the identity of the 

 mildew is still problematical. — G. H. P. 



Mistletoe Pest in the South-west. By W. L. Bray {U.S.A. 



Dep. Agr., Bur. PI. hid., Ball. 166, Feb. 1910).— There is a patch 

 of country covering a circle of about 100 miles radius, whose centre 

 is at Austin, in Texas, where the mistletoe has become an enemy 

 to be fought against. Between the 96th and 97th meridians in Texas 

 and Oklahoma lies a zone of transition from the humid climate of the 

 Gulf States to the arid climate of the south-west. Forest growths 

 only occur in the moist soils of river and creek bottoms, and even 

 here they are not luxuriant. On the higher ground what few trees 

 occur are of imperfect growth and bear evidence of a struggle against 

 unfavourable conditions, and the problem of replacing the unsatisfac- 

 tory native species with suitable trees for shade and shelter is as yet 

 unsolved. It is just in this belt, however, that the mistletoe seems 

 most to flourish. Whether sunlight is necessary for it, and therefore 

 the sparse and stunted character of the existing trees makes the con- 

 ditions specially suitable, or for whatever reason it may be, the plant 

 here has become a pei'fect pest, infesting old and young l:)ranches alike, 

 and even in some cases the main trunk, so that the whole tree is 

 weakened and disfigured and finally killed. 



The American mistletoe has been pronounced by botanists to differ 

 enough from the European plant to deserve a separate name, and the 



