482 



JOUENAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Drop ' plum, and ' Early Purple Guigne ' cherry are notable as very 

 shy, or, in some cases, non-bearers, although their flowers are perfect. 

 '* Shy " or " non " bearers are usually those growing uprightly and 

 vigorously as ' Kieffer's Hybrid ' pear and ' Northern Spy ' apple, 

 or those producing an over- abundant number of spurs, and consequent 

 amount of blossom, as in the case of the * Winter Nelis ' pear, ' Coe's 

 Golden Drop ' plum, and ' Early Purple Guigne ' cherry ; upright 

 vigorous growth is opposed to fruitfulness, and over-production of 

 pollen may be a predisposing cause of sterility by weakening the pollen 

 to the extent that it becomes impotent upon its own pistils. ' The 

 causes of sterility may be therefore summarized as : (1) Imperfection 

 of structural arrangement of blossom; (2) unfruitful habit of growth 

 and over-production of fruit spurs and blossom ; (3) natural im- 

 potency of pollen; (4) working by buds or grafts taken from sterile 

 or partly sterile trees. 



If the blossom of a flower is imperfect in structure, this cannot be 

 remedied, and the stem, if sound, should be worked over with a variety 

 of good repute. 



In regard to unfruitful habit of grow^th and over-production of 

 spurs, good results may sometimes be obtained by adopting proper 

 methods of pruning of wood and spurs. With ' Winter Nelis ' and 



* Gansel's Bergamot,' thinning out the spurs caused the fruit to set. 



The ' Kieffer ' responds readily to cross-fertilization from other 

 varieties such as 'Harrington's Victoria,' * Le Gonte,' and ' Gitron 

 des Garmes,' also ' Poire de Bernays,' ' Monchallard, ' and ' Howell." 

 Tins containing water were placed in the centre of the trees with three 

 limbs of blossom of another variety, having their basal ends in water, 

 with the result that the trees were very fruitful, and the fruit did 

 not drop. 



Spur pruning, though making certain pears set their fruit better, 

 does not benefit the cherry or plum, but the ' Early Guigne ' cherry, 

 which flowers early, is found to bear regularly where alternated with 



* Black Biggareau ' or ' Biggareau de Mezel,' * Burgdorf's Seedling,* 

 and 'Ghapman.' The 'Biggareau de Mezel' and 'Guigne,' both 

 shy bearers, are mutually benefited by being planted close together, 

 whilst ' Pond's Seedling ' plum is found to have a beneficial influence 

 upon the setting of fruit of ' Goe's Golden Drop.' Next follow lists, 

 of the dates of blooming made in seven districts at the request of the 

 Ghief Inspector of Orchards of 91 varieties of apple, 57 of pear, 33 

 of plum, 22 of peach, 25 of cherry. — C. II. H. 



Surface Caterpillars, Destruction of Cut Worm or. By 



G. French and F. de Castelia {Jour, of Agi\, Vict.; July, pp. 455- 

 461).— The two methods adopted in Australia are : (1) Spray mg with 

 lead arsenate in suspension in water. (2) The use of baits in proximity 

 to the young plants. Thus poisoned bran is made in the following pro- 

 portions : one part by weight of arsenic, one of sugar, and six of bran, 

 to which is added sufficient water to make a wet mash. This mixture is 



