August 3, 1895. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
777 
the gardener of the future not only to get a know¬ 
ledge of his profession more quickly, but to turn that 
knowledge to the advancement of horticulture by 
ways and means undreamt of by the gardener of the 
past who may have acquired his knowledge by tradi¬ 
tion as it were, just as his grandfather might have 
done before him. In any case a scientific knowledge 
of the plants with which he has to deal should 
enable him to surmount many difficulties which 
might otherwise seem insuperable. The following 
are the questions put to the students on the 
20th ult.:— 
WRITTEN EXAMINATION, 9 o’clock—11 a m. 
You must only attempt three- questions in Division A 
and, four in Division B. 
A. —Biological Principles. 
1. What do you understand by respiration in 
living things. Of what advantage is respiration to 
plants ? Why will too deeply-placed seeds fail to 
germinate, and why is good drainage so essential to 
success in pot culture ? 
2. During a summer’s day there is a steady flow of 
water from soil to air through the body of any 
actively-growing garden plant, (i.) What organs of 
the plant are engaged in absorbing the water from 
view when making choice of land for the cultivation 
of fruit and vegetables. 
2. Name some of the special advantages gained by 
the trenching of garden ground. 
3 Under what conditions would you use artificial 
manure in preference to farmyard manure in the 
cultivation of Potatos ? 
4. What are the usual methods adopted for the 
propagation of ( a ) ten weeks Stocks ; ( b ) Chinese 
Primulas; (c) Roses ; (d) Apple trees ; (e) Pinks; 
(/) Carnations ; (g) Raspberries ; ( h ) Strawberries ? 
5. Give a short history of the cultivation of either 
the Chrysanthemum or the Cyclamen. 
6. What stocks are used for Apple trees ? Name 
some of the advantages gained by the use of these 
stocks. 
7. How and when is a Vine pruned ? What is 
meant by the term “ pinching ” as applied to the 
Vine ? 
8. What is the object of disbudding Peach trees ? 
State the time or times when this is done. 
PRACTICAL EXAMINATION 11 o’clock—1. 
Division A. 
1. Recognise, by the use of the microscope, the 
specimens marked A and B. Shortly describe C 
and refer it to its proper family. 
FUNGOUS DISEASES OF 
ORNAMENTAL PLANTS. 
Dr. Byron D. Halsted, of Rutgers College, and a 
high authority on this subject, in a paper read at 
Boston on the 26th April, said in substance : If your 
plants are already infested with fungous diseases it 
will be a very hard matter, if possible, to cure them 
by the use of any known fungxide. To keep your 
plants clean you must use preventive, not curative, 
means ; by an intelligent, free, and persistent use of 
fungicides before the fungous diseases attack the 
plants you can keep them away; but let the disease 
once get hold, fungicides can do little more than 
keep it in check. Dr. Halsted said 165 kinds of 
fungous diseases are said to attack the Rose; 
commonest among these are the black spot (Actino- 
nema rosae), powdery mildew (Sphaerotheca 
pannosa), a downy mildew (Poronospora sparsa), 
Rose anthracnose (Gloeosporium fructigenum), and 
Rose leaf blight (Sphaerella rosigena). The Carna¬ 
tion rust (Uromyces caryophyllinus), and the old 
Carnation disease or leaf spot (Septoria dianthi), are 
the most troublesome to this plant. Violets are sub¬ 
ject to two leaf spots (Cercospora violae and Phyl- 
losticta violae). The discolouration at the ends of 
A. J. SWIBFOBD, Photo, Chelmsford,. 
Summer School of Horticulture. 
the soil? (2.) Through what tissues of the plant 
does the water pass ? (3.) Where, how, and in what 
form does the water escape into the air ? (4.) Of 
what use to the plant is this constant flow of water ? 
3. In the operation of budding, what reason would 
you give for the removal of the splint of wood from 
the bud before its insertion in the stock ? 
4. When a branch is cut, what are the conditions 
that influence the most rapid healing of the wound, 
and what means would you adopt to assist the plant 
to attain that end ? 
5. What are the conditions that favour the forma¬ 
tion of flower buds ? Describe the structure of the 
flower of one of the following plants:—(1.) Potato; 
(2.) Pea; (3.) Turnip. What structures go to the 
formation of the fruit in (1) Turnip, (2) Medlar, 
(3) Mulberry ? 
6. Give as full a description as you can of the 
habits of one of the following creatures :—(1) Magpie 
or Gooseberry moth or (2) the winter moth. Com¬ 
pare the described form with the habits of the wire- 
worm. State how a knowledge of their habits would 
suggest to the gardener methods of prevention from 
the attacks of the caterpillars. 
B. —Horticultural Practice. 
1. What particular objects would you keep in 
2. Inspect the physiological experiments at work 
on the table—they are labelled D. E. F. G. H. I. K. 
Select any three of these and say what may be learned 
from the experiment in each case. 
3. What are the chief points to be borne in mind 
in attempting to free the land from such weeds as 
those marked L. M. and N. 
4. What stages of insect life are represented by 
specimens O. P. Q. R. and S. 
Division B. 
1. Prepare a seed bed for Onions. 
2. Drain a seed pan, fill it with compost and sow 
Lettuce seeds. 
3. Transplant a pan or box of seedlings. 
4. Neatly stake and tie six plants. 
5. Make some cuttings of Gooseberries and Black 
Currants. 
6. Prepare and insert the bud of a Rose. 
7. Make two kinds of grafts. 
8. Prepare some Carnations for layering. 
9. Pot half a dozen bulbs. 
10. Pot half a dozen seedlings. 
11. Make three Vine eyes and pot them. 
-- 
Thinning Tree fruits is a privilege that few possess 
this season in the United States of America. 
Eternal tillage is the price of a good garden. 
green-leaved Dracaenas is caused by a fungus) Phyl- 
losticta maculicola). The yellow spots on Palm 
leaves are the work of an anthracnose fungus 
(Colletotrichum kentiae). The damping off of seed¬ 
lings is generally caused by a fungus (Pythium De 
Baryianum). 
The preventive means are, first, to start new 
plants from healthy stock ; secondly, to prevent the 
germs of decay from entering the healthy plants; 
and thirdly, if such are present to check their growth 
as much as possible. Germs of decay enter from the 
soil or the air. The seed bed and cutting bench should 
be germ-free, and to this end all the woodwork of 
greenhouses should be cleaned as frequently and 
thoroughly as possible. A frequent change of soil is 
important. But after these preventive measures 
have been carried out it will be necessary to provide 
fungicides for occasional use in the greenhouse, as 
well as in the orchard and garden as germ destroyers. 
For Roses the mildew may be controlled by sulphur, 
either dusted upon the foliage or heated upon the 
greenhouse pipes. The black spot has been checked 
by Bordeaux mixture, and the ammoniacal solution 
of carbonate of copper. The formula for Bordeaux 
mixture is five pounds of lime and five 
pounds of sulphate of copper in fifty gallons 
