304 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The spores are enclosed in pycnidia, which are often piurilocular. 

 The fungus can cause rot in the apple under artificial conditions, but 

 it seldom occurs in nature. As preventives the author can only 

 suggest the careful pruning away of all diseased parts, and general 

 healthy cultural conditions. Sprays have proved ineffective. 



D, M. C. 



Apple, Water Core. By P. J. O'Gara {Phytopathology, iii. p. 121, 

 Apr. 1913 ; figs.).^ — This trouble is characterized by hard watery areas 

 extending outward from the outer edges of the seed cavities. These 

 areas are at first connected with vascular bundles, and they may 

 appear anywhere in the fruit. Later the seed cavities usually contain 

 liquid, and the leathery part of the core is cracked and covered with 

 hair-like growths, which finally become brown. The author considers 

 excessive or strong vegetative growth, high cultivation, excessive 

 rainfall or irrigation shortly before the maturity of the fruit, especially 

 when follow^ed by extremes of temperature and atmospheric humidity, 

 severe pruning or other cause of serious defoliation, frosts, and the rapid 

 conversion of starch into sugar, are the causes leading to water core. 

 Under proper storage conditions water-cored fruit will entirely recover. 



F.J.C. 



Apple, Winter Spraying with Solutions of Mitrate of Soda. 

 By W. S. Ballard and W. H. Volck {Jour. Agr. Research, i. pp. 437-444, 

 Feb. 1914 ; figs.). — It is reported that winter spraying with nitrate 

 of soda 50 lb., caustic potash 7 lb., and water 50 gallons has a marked 

 effect on hastening flowering, as well as stimulating self-sterile varieties 

 to fruit, and in promoting the vigour of the apple and pear trees 

 sprayed in winter with the solution. As the authors point out, no very 

 exact controls were arranged, but they regard the results as indicative 

 of marked benefit if spraying is adopted. — F. J. C, 



Apples, Scab Disease oL By E. Wallace {U.S.A. Exp. Stn., 

 Cornell, Bull. 335, September 1913, pp. 545-624 ; 11 plates, 5 

 figs.). — This paper gives an exhaustive account of the life-history 

 of the disease, caused by the fungus Venturia inaequalis, and gives 

 some important measures for the control of this disease. These 

 may be detailed as follows : I. Spraying with liquid Bordeaux mixture 

 or lime-sulphur solution. II. Spraying with dust Bordeaux {i.e. 

 Bordeaux mixture powdered and used as a dry dust). This method, 

 however, under ordinary conditions, is not so satisfactory as the 

 liquid Bordeaux. III. Selection of resistant varieties. " This, how- 

 ever, offers little promise of control. No variety is likely to remain 

 immune for many years." 



This is followed by instructions when to spray, and concludes with 

 a fairly complete bibliography. — A. B. 



