866 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 15, 1893, 
plants beneath. It is even very difficult to keep the ground covered 
with grass, and still more so to find thriving Ivy on the trunks of 
Beech trees. The Clematis belongs to the Jackmanni type. It is not a 
species, but a florist’s variety, and can only be named by comparison in 
a large trade collection of the flowers. 
Poetry (^Planta ),—We meant exactly what we said in our reply, 
and if you cannot understand it we cannot help that. We fail to observe 
your name and address, even in the letter written after our special inti¬ 
mation. We exist to give information on gardening subjects, and not 
for hunting up books and authors of certain “ lines ” that are sent to us 
from time to time anonymously. 
IVIlna lobata (J.. F. Grace). —The flower sent is Mina lobata. This 
plant was originally introduced from Mexico in 1841, but it either died 
out or for a long period was so exceedingly scarce as to be practically 
unknown to the majority of cultivators. A few years since, however, it 
was re-introduced, and has since become generally grown. It is a half- 
hardy annual plant, and therefore dies on the approach of frost. Pro¬ 
pagation is effected by sowing seeds in February or March, placing 
them in a pot or pan filled with light sandy soil, and put in a W'arm 
greenhouse, stove, or frame on a hotbed. When the young seedlings are 
about 3 inches high transfer them singly to small pots and grow in an 
ordinary greenhouse until the first week in June, when plant them out 
against a south wall as you did last spring. 
Galls on Oak Twigs ( W. E.). —The fresh growths of young Oak 
trees are frequently tipped with galls (so called) of a gall midge 
(Cecidomyia querci), the female laying her eggs in the terminal bud of 
a twig, the larvte hatch, and the result of their operations is the forma¬ 
tion of a gall, which bears a strong resemblance to a cone in its form 
and in the overlapping of the leaves of which it is composed. Among 
the leaves of the cone the larvre of the midge may be found. The galls 
are usually solitary, though two, or even three, may be found side by 
side at the tips of the twigs, the terminal buds of which they destroy. 
There were no larvce in the cone, therefore we are unable to say positively 
whether the cone was due to the gall midge or not, but it differs from 
the Artichoke gall in having a solid centre. The Artichoke gall, formed 
by Aphilothrix gemmfe, very much resembles a diminutive Globe Arti¬ 
choke, and is about 1 inch long, formed of scales, with a central chamber 
like a small acorn. This is a true gall, but we failed to find the 
chamber mentioned, therefore we name the two forms to enable you 
to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion by the examination of other 
specimens. 
Exuberant Voung Fruit Trees (^Eiqtiirer ).—The trenching and 
heavy manuring two years ago is no doubt the cause of the trees grow¬ 
ing so rampantly, and not bearing fruit satisfactorily. You may root- 
prune the Apple and Pear trees more freely than the Cherry and the 
Plum. We should not shorten the roots of any of the trees nearer than 
two-thirds the distance from the stem all round vhat the branches 
extend, cutting off some of the thickest roots there, while all may be 
detached by taking out a trench at the point the branches cover. It is 
probable that the trees have straight down roots ; these must be sought 
for and severed at 15 to 18 inches beneath the surface. The trees also 
should have the heads thinned, leaving the main branches near the stem 
so that a man can get his body between them after they have grown out 
3 or 4 feet, and nowhere nearer than a foot apart, cutting any side 
growths, but not spurs, to about an inch of their base. The branch- 
pruning should precede or immediately follow the root-pruning. It will 
be useless, however, doing any of these things unless the ground is kept 
firm and not more than hoed or pointed over as far as the branches 
extend, nor ought the ground to be cropped with vegetables to a similar 
distance. 
Xiyclum europseum (P. IF.).—This is the name of the plant of 
which you send a fruiting spray. The hedge, which you say is full of 
it, must be highly ornamental. The glistening scarlet fruits, three- 
quarters of an inch long, and three eighths of an inch thick, are pro¬ 
duced in pairs almost close together all along the spray. The shrub is 
a native of the South of Europe, but appears to have become naturalised 
in some parts of this country. Loudon in his “ Encyclopaedia of Trees and 
Shrubs ” describes it as “ valuable for covering naked walls, as it grows 
with extreme rapidity, and flowers and fruits freely in almost any soil or 
situation. Established plants in good soil will make shoots 10 or 12 feet in 
length in one season, and the plant when trained against a house or high 
wall will reach the height of 30 or 40 feet, as may be seen in some courts 
in Paris. Trained to a strong iron rod to the height of 20 or 30 feet, and 
then allowed to spread over an umbrella head, it would make a splendid 
bower. Its shoots would hang down to the ground and form a 
complete screen on every side, ornamented from top to bottom with 
ripe fruit, which is bright scarlet or yellow, and very showy; with 
unripe fruit, which is of a lurid purple ; or with blossoms, which are 
purple and white.” 
Cucumber Plant Diseased (P. L.). —The portion of stem and root 
is badly infested with root-knot eelworm (Anguillula radicola, or 
Heterodera radicicola of Miiller). It was first discovered by the late 
Rev. M. J. Berkeley in this country, and was figured by Mr. W. G. Smith 
in the Journal of Eorticulture of July 26th, 1877 ; but it was known to 
gardeners as the “ sudden collapse ” disease many years previously, and 
was treated of by the late Mr. R. Fish from a practical point of view. 
The eelworms in yoUr specimen are mainly confined to the root portion 
—deformities and nodules, and are quite beyond calculation in number. 
A few only were found in the stem, and those in the portion which had 
been buried in the soil. The eelworms are in all stages, from the egg or 
cyst onwards, and are remarkably fine specimens. They are able to 
subsist on decaying tissues, and perhaps find enough decomposing matter 
in the soil to live upon and even multiply in after the destruction of the 
host plants. This is mentioned because the eelworms are said to live 
several years in a passive state, and become resuscitated on the crop 
they thrive upon being again grown on the same ground. We find, 
however, that the eelworms soon collapse on a dry glass slide, even 
whilst under microscopic examination, and we cannot accept the dictum 
that they have the power of resuscitation. Besides the eelworms we 
found an innumerable host of other bodies in the stem portion. They 
are bacterial, and in a fully active state ; but what part they play in 
the disease we are unable to say on account of the decayed condition of 
the tissues of the plant. There is no remedy for either the eelworms or 
the bacteria known at the present time, though there are many sub¬ 
stances which will kill both, but they are fatal to the hosts as well as 
the parasites. The only thing we can suggest is to burn every part of 
the plants, clear out the soil and fermenting material, if any, and coni- 
mence again with fresh soil and plants. If you use turfy loam char it 
slightly over a wood fire before use, or in other words, heat the sods so 
that the outer surface while they are on the fire is hotter than the hand 
can bear. The eelworms have been introduced with the soil, the 
manure, or water, generally the two first. 
Diseased and Scabbed Potato (Ji J.). —The tuber is in a very 
deformed, diseased condition, a veritable hotbed of disease-producing 
micro-organisms. The Potato proper is infested by the mycelium of the 
Potato fungus (Phytopthora infestans), the spiral threads enclosing the 
resting spores being well pronounced, and also the threads or mycelium 
of Fusisporium Solani, and is the early condition, Periola tomentosa, 
from which the Fusisporium at length arises, for there is neither the 
outgrowths (spores) nor resting spores. The latter fungus F. (Hypomyces) 
Solani is considered to be the cause of “ dry rot ” in Potatoes. The 
other parts of the tuber are badly scabbed, and some parts in a state of 
decay bordering on putrefaction and swarm with Bacterium navicula 
and Baccillus amylobactor, whilst the exciting cause of the worts is 
due to the mycelium of the scab fungus (Tubercinia scabies), and the 
“ fruits ” are distinctly visible (under the microscope) emerging through 
the stratum above the mycelium. There is also the spawn of some 
fungus outside the scabbed portion of the tuber, visible to the naked 
eye, but we failed to discover with a powerful lens the insects you found 
with a pocket lens, yet we have no doubt of your having seen them. 
They are probably Lipeira femetaria. It is very common and may be 
found in damp earth throughout the year, feeding upon Potatoes, 
Carrots, or other roots, especially where distorted or scabbed. The pre¬ 
ceding is not all, for the tuber had been eaten by some grub, and, strange 
as it may seem, that part bad not been molested by any of the micro¬ 
organisms. The gnawing had manifestly been done by the grubs known 
as “leather jackets” or larvas of Tipula oleracea or daddy longlegs. 
You ask what we recommend to p^-event a recurrence of the trouble 
next year. First of all a change of ground for the Potatoes, or if that is 
inconvenient dress the land now with fresh gas lime, using 28 lbs. per 
rod (30j square yards), spread it evenly on the surface and leaving it 
there for a month or six weeks, then you may manure the ground if 
necessary, dig and throw it up roughly for the winter. In March, or 
earlier if the ground is in good working order, level it with a fork, apply¬ 
ing a dressing of quicklime at the rate of a peck per rod, and point in 
lightly. At the time of planting use the following chemical manure : 
Mineral superphosphate, 2 cwt.; kainit, 1 cwt. ; sulphate of iron, J cwt. ; 
mixed, sprinkling it all over the ground at the rate of 2^ lbs. per rod, 
before covering up the sets. If the ground is not manured in autumn, 
add 1 cwt. of nitrate of soda powdered to the above mixture, and employ 
3} lbs. per rod of the full mixture. A change of seed is imperative. 
Chemical IVXanures (A1 J.). —What is the use of our advising 
you if you do not test the advice, but instead suggest some other 
formula as better than the good and simple one we recommended of 
ingredients easily procurable ? If you wish to have a mixture adapted 
with scientific exactitude to your soil you must send a sample of the soil 
to an agricultural chemist, and ask him for a quantitative analysis. 
He will then tell you, as we could, the proportions of lacking ingredients 
to add for rendering the soil fertile. This you will find a costly process, 
and in our opinion it would be of no practical use in your case ; still 
there are persons who like to indulge in the luxury of scientific investi¬ 
gation, and are willing to pay for it, and in this reference we have no 
objection to others doing what we should not do ourselves. If you like 
to use costly potassic nitrate, or in other words nitrate of potash, or, as 
you request it in “ plain English,” saltpetre, as a manure, you can 
substitute it for kainit; but as you seem particular about “ plain 
English,” it will save you and ourselves some trouble if you will try and 
make your questions plain and your object comprehensible. You did 
not mention the subject of fruit trees cankering in your former letter, 
but simply asked for a general manure for “ crops, fruit trees, &c.” 
How could we know the “ &c.” meant canker ? The convenient symbol 
may mean anything or nothing, and is far too glibly used. The most 
careful men and best writers never use it, and you do not often see it 
in the letterpress of the Journal of Horticulture. It appears you had 
the canker of fruit trees in your mind when writing, and signified the 
same by an “ &c.” We gave an answer to the question that you really 
