NOTES AND ABSTRACTS. 



187 



Watsonia Ardepnei. By S. Mottet {Le Jard. xxv. 583, p. 168; 

 June 5, 1911; coloured plate).— This lovely plant, the full designation ^ 

 of which should be Watsonia Mariana iridifolia Ardernei, has been 

 successfully cultivated in the open air by M. Sanders at Bruges, and 

 by Messrs. Yilmorin. The bulbs only flower well after they have 

 reached their maximal development, unlike those of Gladiolus, which ^ 

 flower perfectly from young two-year-old bulbs. They should be 

 planted out at the end of April in a light open soil, with a space of 

 25-30 cm. between them. They should be watered in the middle 

 of summer, but, contrary to what is often stated, do not seem par- 

 ticularly to require mioisture. The chief feature of the flowering 

 spikes is their six to eight lateral ramifications, each bearing some 

 dozen flowers. The central spike flowers first and most abundantly, 

 and the lateral branches develop afterwards. The Watsonia is valuable 

 for bouquets and table decoration, on account of its pure white flowers. 



F. A. W. 



Winesap Thinning", The. By E. S. Herrick (U.S.A. Exp. Stn., 

 Colorado, Bull. 170, Nov. 1910; figs.).— The first part of this bulletin 

 brings facts to support the following conclusions : — 



1. That thinning the fruit on mature "Winesap trees pays in money 

 returns the first year. 



2. That the more evenly distributed the fruit on the tree the more 

 uniform will be the size and colour of the crop. 



3. That Winesaps will show increased size and better colour even 

 when thinned as late as July 20. 



4. That the earlier the thinning can be done the better will be the 

 returns from the fruit sold and the greater will be the vitality of the tree. 



5. That the best results are attained on an old tree by leaving the 

 apples from 9 to 10 inches apart. 



6. That proper pruning and keeping the trees a proper distance from 

 each other will facilitate thinning. 



7. That systematic thinning done from the time the trees first come 

 into bearing will do much to induce regular uniform yearly crops. 



The bulletin then proceeds to discuss the various effects of winter 



and spring frosts upon fruit trees in Colorado, and gives some methods 



of preventing damage of this sort. 



On young apple trees winter injuries are of two sorts — cracks pro- 

 . duced by freezing at the ground line and sun-scald, which is more 



frequent in winter than in summer, especially when there is snow 

 I on the ground, from which the sun's rays are reflected on to the 

 I trunk. Some method of so piling up the soil in autumn that the snow 



would not lie in a level plane for any time would probably be useful 

 ! in preventing scald, and in orchards which are bothered by rabbits, 

 j wire-netting extending from the ground-hne to the scaffold limbs of the 

 I tree would keep off the rabbits, and at the same time break the direct 

 I and reflected sun's rays on the trunk. It seems that the darker the 

 j bark the more liable it is to injuries from sun-scald. Whitewash, 



