April 16. 1904. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
3:31 
The Gloucester Fruit Market will be closed for the season 
; after Monday, the 25th inst., and reopened at the beginning of 
August next. 
* * * 
Valuable Potatos. —Mr. W. Harrison, auctioneer, of Lin¬ 
coln, has sold jirivately a small Eldorado Potato weighing a 
little over 2 oz. for the sum of £22 5s., and also 7 lbs. of 
Sutton’s Discovery for £7. 
* * * 
Richakdia with Coloured Leaf. —Mr. Shea exhibited a 
specimen of R. elliottiana, with the leaf half yellow and half 
green, art; the meeting of the Scientific Committee of the R.H.S. 
on the 5th inst. The question as to the cause was raised • but at 
present there is no known explanation. 
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 
The Editor invites enquiries for reply in this column. These 
enquiries may cover any branch of gardening. Questions should be 
gut as tniely as possible, and ■written on one side of the paper only ; 
a separate sheet of paper should be used for each question. 
Renders nre also invited to give their follow gardeners the benefit 
o* 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, London, E.C. 
Seedling Tomato Plants Failing. 
I have this year experienced unusual difficulty in the raising 
of Tomato- plants, owing to some.form of disease in the stem 
causing them to fall over at the neck. I enclose some of the 
affected stems for inspection, and shall be glad of any informa¬ 
tion through your columns as to what it is and how to prevent 
it. (W. B.) 
At first sight we thought your plants were affected by die 
sleepy disease of Tomatos, but we fail to find any evidence of 
fungus inside the stems, which appear to be built up of 
healthy tissue. We are inclined to think the ailment was 
brought about by Pythium debaryanum, the “ damping-off 
fungus,” owing to the damp and sunless character of the 
weather we have been having until within the last few days. 
This fungus attaches itself to the outside of young seedlings, 
and soon causes their destruction. An abundance and con¬ 
tinuance of moisture, with lack of sunshine, is favourable to 
the depredations of this fungus. The best way of combatting 
it would be to maintain a slightly higher temperature by means 
of fire heat, at the same time giving top ventilation to dry 
up the moisture, during the early and middle part of the day 
at least. Tomatos at this early period of the year require very 
little moisture, and are usually very easily affected by lack 
of ventilation. By attending to these details we think you will 
i overcome the difficulty. 
Pear Leaves and Flowers Blistered. 
Please would you examine the enclosed flowers and leaves 
taken from orchard-house trees, in 12-in. pots for the last 20 
years. Potted in good turf, treated with Cross’s fertiliser, and 
top-dessed twice a year. Please give the cause and the remedy 
(.through the columns of your valuable paper. (N. D. W.) 
Your trees are very badly affected with Pliytoptus Pyri. a 
small mite, which causes what is termed Pear-leaf blister. We 
have never seen Pear leaves so badly infested with the mite, 
nor have we previously seen blister’s on the calyx of the flower. 
It has nothing to do with any potting nor top-dressing. The 
trees have got attacked some time or other, possibly years ago, 
by the mite,, which has been increasing ever since. The mite 
lives in the interior of the buds through the winter, and pierces 
the leaves at a very early stage, laying eggs therein. The hot- 
nouse treatment seems to favour the development and in¬ 
crease of the mite. The chief remedy is to pick off and burn 
oarlly-mfested leaves, but if the whole of the foliage is so had 
as the specimens you sent, it would mean that you would have 
o pick off all the leaves on the trees. The latter would push 
agam, but we fear they would not he entirely clean, although 
the mite would be greatly checked. According to the experi- 
ments of some of our correspondents, they have been able to 
reduce the number of mites, and even to make the trees almost 
clean by persisting for a year or two with this plan. The 
eaves must be burnt while still quite young, with the mites 
trJiw'-t lf i , ls , ^Possible or inexpedient to go to all this 
rW - “ S° u d be necessary to get fresh trees, after entirely 
rciymg the present lot, and after thoroughly fumigating the 
house with sulphur, to destroy any mites which may be pre¬ 
sent. Of course, you would have to get fresh soil for potting. 
Best Way of PropagatiDg Rhododendrons. 
Our collection of Rhododendrons contains some very choice 
and beautiful varieties, which my employer desires to increase. 
Is it possible to do this by cuttings in heat, or what course 
would you advised (Rhododendron.) 
To perpetuate a good variety of Rhododendron, it must be 
propagated by laying or grafting. The former is the easiest 
plan, and may he carried out at any time now or during the 
summer. The plan is precisely similar to that of Carnations. 
Of course, you would require stronger pegs to keep down the 
shoots that are cut or tongued. A little depression should be 
taken out, and seme fresh peat put in, in which to layer the 
branches. They must bj left on the. parent plant until well 
rooted, which can be ascertained by inspection about a twelve- 
month hence. Another method is to graft the fine varieties 
of Rhododendron on to young plants of the common R. pon- 
ticum. These should be in pots, so that the grafting may be 
done indoors. The usual method is to cut the top of the stalk 
in the form of a wedge, with the thin portion at the apex. Then 
the graft is cut in the form of a saddle, so as to fit the wedge 
of the other. The union is then tightly bound with raffia, and 
kept in a fairly moist house until the union is completed. 
Pruning Newly-planted Roses. 
I have been advised not to prune our newly-planted Roses 
the first season, till they get better established. Do you think 
it would make any difference one way or the other? (W. 0.) 
We should consider it more necessary to prune newly-planted 
Roses than those which are established. Roses that have been 
lifted always have their roots more or less mutilated, and, that 
being the case, they are unable to keep the shoots and stems 
plump right up to the tips. Very frequently these show dis¬ 
tress by becoming dried up. On the other hand, if you prune 
the Roses at the usual time, say about the end of March or 
first week of April, there would be less demand upon the roots 
for moisture, and the shortened shoots would he more in keep¬ 
ing with the mutilated roots. By the time the roots begin to 
get active, good shoots would then be produced from these 
shortened back ones, and by the end of the season most of them 
would have made growths of good size, having little sign of 
any recent transplanting. We should, therefore, prune them 
at once in the way proper to the particular kinds you have in 
hand. 
Bracken for a Fernery. 
I hare a collection of hardy Ferns in the open, and would like 
to add the Bracken on account of its distinctness. Would there 
he any difficulty in establishing it? (J. M. S.) 
Provided you dig up a piece of the underground stem with one 
or more buds on it when starting to grow, you should have no 
difficulty in establishing it by planting in soil composed partly 
of peat and sand—that is, if the natural soil is in any way heavy 
or inclined to clay. We should put you on your guard, however, 
against planting it where it would be .likely to- come in contact 
with any other Ferns. When once the Bracken gets established 
it runs under the roots of any other kind of Ferns coming up, it 
may be, in the centre of them, and gradually crowding them out 
for want of light and air. Even if you wish to- get rid of the 
underground stems, you will find a great difficulty without up¬ 
rooting the plants already established. A good plan would be 
to make a prepared site for the Bracken, building a sort of box 
with concrete, bricks, or even slates, so as to confine the under¬ 
ground stems to-a given space, This wall must be kept thoroughly 
close with cement to keep the underground stems or rhizomes 
from escaping. 
Sowing Spruce and Scotch Fir. 
What is the usual means adopted for sowing the seeds of such 
hardy Conifers as Spruce and Scotch Fir? Should they be sown 
m lines or broadcast? (R. W. J.) 
1 lie usual method is to thoroughly dig a piece of ground of a 
light- sandy loam, rather than that which is inclined to clay. The 
situation should be dry and well drained. The soil may then be 
thoroughly broken up with the spade in digging it, then levelled, 
and raked over very fine on the surface. It should then he marked 
on in beds about 4 ft. wide, and of any. length required. This 
allows the ground to be weeded without treading on the beds. 
Sow the seeds broadcast and evenly over the ground some time 
during the present month. The seeds can then be covered by 
finely pulverised soil taken from the alleys between the beds, 
tins requires a, little experience and care, but a man who is- well 
acquainted with the spade would have no difficulty in covering 
le seeds by this method. You can even employ old pottinv 
bench soil, sifting it before using it for covering the seeds? 
