May 16, 1903. 
THE GARDENING WORLD, 
435 
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS. 
The Editor invites enquiries for reply in this column. These 
enquiries may caver any branch of gardening. (Questions should be 
put as briefly os possible, and written on one side of the paper only ; 
a separate sheet of paper should be used for each question. 
Readers are also invited to give their fellow gardeners the benefit 
of their experience by sending supplementary replies. 
Replies cannot be sent by post, even if a stamped, addressed 
envelope is enclosed , and the return of specimens cannot be undertaken. 
Anonymous communications are treated in the usual editorial manner. 
Address letters: The Editor, ‘‘The Gardening World,” 37 and 
38, Shoe Lane, Lcndon, E.C. 
Diseased Peach Leaves (Northern). 
The leaves you sent us are badly affected with what is known 
as Silver Leaf, which is now stated to be due to the effects of a 
fungus named Stereum purpureum. This fungus usually enters 
by the roots or some portion of the tree below ground, and 
possibly at some damaged or decayed portion. It is stated that 
if a portion of the branches or trunk of the tree be injured so as 
to expose the living tissues the fungus may enter in that 
way. In any case it is stated that, it can pass up or down the 
stem, though possibly more rapidly in an upward direction. 
The leaves you sent us were very badly affected, the cuticle of 
the leaf in some cases being ruptured, thus showing that the 
disease is in an advanced stage. Science may possibly discover 
a means of sterilising the soil, or, in other words, destroying the 
fungus in it, but the difficulty lies in the fact that the tree is 
already far gone before the presence of the fungus in the interior 
of the tissue can be detected, and as it lives in the interior there 
is then no possible means of cure. When once the tree has 
become badly affected there is no hope for it, and all those trees 
that we have seen affected with the Silver Leaf disease have ulti¬ 
mately died. Even if you cut off the diseased leaves that will 
not affect the fungus in the interior of the branches, lour tree 
may ripen some fruit, but even that is doubtful if all the lea'es 
are as bad as those sent. The only thing you could do with it 
is to dig out the soil from the border, importing fresh material 
and planting a young tree in the autumn or winter, provided 
the present one dies. 
Double Richardia (W. Birkenshaw}. 
We thank you for the photograph of the twin spathed 
Richardia. They are now fairly common, and it has been 
figured in a fairly recent volume of The Gardening World. 
Apparently yours was a very perfect specimen, and the plant 
itself was well flowered, considering the small'size of the poc. 
We should be pleased to return the photograph if you desire us. 
We should have reproduced it if we had not so recently done 
so in the case of another. 
Slugs in a Barley Field (Tomas). 
The specimens you sent us are'those of the milky . lug 
(Agriolimax agrestis, also known as Limax agrestis). It is one 
of the most common of all, and this year you are not the only 
sufferer, there being a plague of slugs in various parts of the 
country, owing to the moist character of the weather. " ) 
destroy various farm crops and also Turnips and Peas, both m 
gardens and fields. Some people have reared different broods 
of young ducks and put them into gardens, but in your case that 
would hardly be practicable, seeing that your crop is now 
destroved. However, it would be a good plan to try some of the 
remedies before ploughing down the remains of the crop. Quick¬ 
lime dusted over the whole of the ground during dry weather 
would be a good remedy. By dry weather we mean that it 
should remain dry until the lime had taken effect upon the 
slims. Very often the latter throw off their coat when lime is 
first applied, and form a new coat and recover. A portion oi 
the lime might, therefore, be reserved for repeating the dusting 
soon after because they seldom recover a second dusting, app it 
so quickly after the first one. Other remedies are wood ashes, 
charcoal, and soot, any or all of which may be applied, as in 
addition to being injurious to the insects they are fertilisers. 
Salt has also been used at the rate of four or five bushels to the 
acre. Lime-water has also, been used instead of quicklime, an 
the application repeated in the same way. Nitrate of soda, dis¬ 
solved in water, is considered an excellent remedy, but in y° lu 
case, seeing that no crop is available to utilise it, it would e 
wasted, and is rather an expensive manure. (hi the whole, we 
think quicklime or lime-water would be the best to apply m your 
case, giving two applications at least before ploughing the land. 
By the time the next crop is up we shall probably have drier 
weather, and the crop may have a chance, owing to that and to 
the diminished numbers of the enemy. We think fallowing a 
rather slow and wasteful process, and could hardly recommend it 
Repotting Azaleas (Pete). 
The best time to pot Indian Azaleas is after they have finished 
flowering, and are just commencing fresh growth, because they 
soon get established in the fresh material. The time of year 
depends upon the time that the growth is being made, which will 
vary according as the plants have been flowered early or late. 
If your plants are just commencing to make growth now after 
having flowered, you should repot them at once. A good compost 
would consist of one half good fibrous peat, and the other half 
of fibrous loam, leaf soil, and sand in equal proportions. Mix 
this equally, not breaking it up too finely. Drain the clean pots 
carefully, and pot firmly, using a thin piece of wood, particularly 
in the case of those that do not require a large shift. By this 
means you can make sure that the space between the pot and 
the old ball of soil is well filled up with the fresh material, 
and at the same time made firm. After potting put the plants 
in a warm house, water with a rosed watering-pot to settle the 
soil, after which little watering will be necessary for some 
time ; but keep the atmosphere of the house moist, warm, and 
the plants well syringed, to encourage them to break freely into 
fresh growth. 
Points of Peach Leaves Decaying (Scottie). 
After looking carefully over the leaves you sent us we fail to 
find any evidence of fungus in them, and there is no evidence 
of an attack by insects. We consider it is due to scalding, or 
something very similai-. Peach leaves under glass always hang 
downwards, and when they are syringed, all the water runs to 
the tips. The superfluous moisture drips away, but the tips 
of the leaves remain moist for a long time, and as far as we 
could see the decay of the tips of the leaves is due. to that fact. 
You must remember that young leaves are relatively delicate, 
and when grown under glass they are in a confined atmosphere 
quite different to that out of doors. There has also been a great 
lack of sunshine, and the temperature has frequently been too 
low, and we think the decayed tips of the leaves are due to some 
or all of these disadvantages in conjunction. 
Food for Goldfishes (Scottie). 
We believe that Goldfishes would eat a variety of food, though 
at the same time they may be dainty in particular cases. A 
very safe kind of food would be the larvae of ants, otherwise 
known as ants’ eggs. These are sometimes obtained from the 
corn chandler. We believe they would eat raw meat, but it 
should be cut up in small pieces, and always used in the fresh 
state, not salted. They also eat bread crumbs readily, but we 
believe that much of this soft food is not good for them. We 
have also seen them nibbling the growths of Conferva growing 
on the edges of the tank. They also occasionally feed upon 
other green matter, so that you could supply them with a variety 
of material. In our experience, however, clean water, frequently 
renewed, or through which a current of water is continually 
passing, would be better for them than a great quantity of soft 
food of*any kind. In any case, we should be careful not to over¬ 
feed them' either with bread or raw meat. If the tank had been 
somewhat larger they would have been able to find in it all the 
food they would require, as a rule. It depends very much upon 
the number of fishes you keep in the tank, and its size. If any 
reader knows of more suitable food our correspondent would be 
pleased to learn of the same. 
Peat Moss Litter (F. H. L.). 
There is not much nourishment in peat moss that has not been 
used as litter in order to get soaked with the drainings of the 
stables. We understand, however, that you desire it more par¬ 
ticularly to save the use of peat, and help to lighten your heavy 
clay soii. It may be used for that purpose, and we see no reason 
why you should not, but its-only object would be to make the 
clay lighter and more suitable for the fine roots of the Rhododen¬ 
drons.'" We should advise you to dig out the natural soil to some 
depth, retaining the best of it; that is, from the top spit, to ioim 
part of the new compost. To this top spit add the peat moss 
litter breaking-the latter down into moderate-sized lumps, so 
that it may be more easily distributed amongst the fresh oom- 
■post. You may add . leaf mould, as you say, m considerable 
quantity, and if not too much decayed it will be all tne more 
