758 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
December 5, 1908. 
earlier than usual, owing to the heat and 
drought of the past summer. Then fol¬ 
lowed rain, and that, together with the 
warm nature of the ground, caused the 
Turnips to commence a second growth, and 
the toughened skin, not expanding rapidly 
enough, burst open. Tubers 5 in. to 6 in. 
in diameter are rather large for table use. 
A better plan would be to make several 
small sowings at intervals of three or four 
weeks, rather than one large sowing at that 
early period of the year. The early sow¬ 
ings could then be used as soon as ready. 
It is different with late varieties of Turnips 
with firm flesh and grown in the field. 
Contributory causes we should imagine, 
would be the great changes of weather 
during the past season, the rich soil, and 
the fact that the White Turnips at least 
were sown too early, or, in other words, 
rot used when they were in their best con¬ 
dition. You should think over the earli¬ 
ness or lateness of your district, and make 
a last sowing to stand the winter just in 
time for the tubers to reach proper size by 
the beginning of November. If you have 
th v fungus known as Ambury or Finger and 
Toe, every scrap of diseased root you can 
find should be collected and burned, and a 
good dressing of gas lime given to the soil 
at least two months before you sow or plant 
anything in it again. 
3438. Preparing to Grow Carrots. 
I want to grow Intermediate Carrots for 
exhibition. Will you please tell me the best 
way to proceed to prepare a bed and get 
it in the best condition for sowing the seed 
in spring. The soil is deep, but rather in¬ 
clined to be heavy. I can get plenty of 
farmyard manure. Would that be suit¬ 
able? (A. G. Parsons, Lines.) 
Your best plan would be to trench the 
ground 2^ ft. deep and use only the more 
decayed or fermented portions of the 
manure near the bottom of the trench. Some 
use liquid manure during winter, pouring 
this on to the ground at various times so 
that the soil will get enriched thereby. If 
you adopt this course, however, you should 
cease to use it by the end of January, so 
that the soil could get dry and sweet be¬ 
fore the time of sowing. Sand or fine, 
gritty matter would improve the mechanical 
condition of the soil by mixing it well while 
trenching. In order to get good exhibition 
roots — that is, smooth and straight, in such 
a soil it would be necessary to use a large 
drbber for the purpose of making holes in 
the soil at 12 in. or 15 in. apart in the lines, 
and then to fill these holes with a prepared 
compost consisting of sifted soil, sand, leaf- 
mould, and a good proportion of wood 
ashes. The latter, of course, you would 
obtain by burning prunings and other rub¬ 
bish during winter. 
FRUIT. 
3439. Best Situation for Black 
Currants. 
I wish to plant some Black Currants, and 
will be glad of your advice as to the best 
situation for them. I have a rather damp 
place at the bottom of the garden and a 
high fence looking north. Would they do 
best on the fence, where it is a little shady, 
or do they like sun? (H. R. Green, 
Kent.) 
Black Currants would grow even in a 
swamp or with their roots in water, but 
they will thrive and flower better where 
the soil is fairly deep and well drained. 
The damp situation would, no doubt, suit 
Black Currants, provided there is no stag¬ 
nant water in the subsoil, and if the soil 
is thoroughly prepared.before planting. If 
you wish to have a large plantation of them 
this would be the most suitable situation 
for the best croo and largest berries. On 
:he fence the Black Currant would give a 
fair return of fruit, but Black Currants in 
this aspect are chiefly valuable for the late 
supply that they would furnish. If you 
desire a long succession, you could plant 
in both the situations. 
the end of June. This is the best remedy 
for the Mite that has yet been found, and 
would destroy any 7 Mites which might have 
been overlooked when you were taking off 
the swollen buds. 
GARDEN ENEMIES. 
3440. Ssason of Winter Moth. 
What, in your opinion, is the proper sea¬ 
son for the Winter Moth to ascend the 
Apple Trees, as I have been told they will 
continue to come up till the end of Decem¬ 
ber. Would I have to keep the grease bands 
going till then? (H. R. Green, Kent.) 
There are at least three Moths that climb 
fruit trees for the purpose of laying their 
eggs there, so it depends as to what species 
of Moth you have got as to the necessity of 
keeping the grease bands going for any 
given time. For instance, there is the 
Winter Moth (Cheimatobia brumata), which 
ascends the trees from the middle of Octo¬ 
ber till the end of November; the Mottled 
Umber Moth (Hybernia defolraris) ascends 
from October to the end of December. It 
all depends upon the weather as to how 
long they will continue to come up. For 
instance, a spell of frost might keep them 
back for some weeks. The aberve two at¬ 
tack fruits of various kinds, besides the 
Apple. If you have any Plums in your 
garden, it is just possible that the March 
Moth (Anisopteryx Aescularia) might be 
present. That, of course, rises in Mar.h. 
Your best plan would be to' keep the grease 
bands fresh upon the trees in order to de¬ 
tect whether any moths are climbing them. 
Examine the bands frequently to see 
whether moths are still coming up. If y 7 ou 
have no Plums in your garden it would be 
well to keep the grease bands fresh till the 
end of December at least, and if only the 
Winter Moth is present, that should cease 
ascending the trees after November. 
344t. Black Currant Mite. 
I have recently bought two dozen Black 
Currant bushes, but am now told by a pro¬ 
fessional gardener that they are infested 
with Black Currant Mite. As my garden¬ 
ing friends tell me that there is nothing 
wrong with the busheS I am enclosing a 
few cuttings for y 7 our inspection. An 
answer in your “Enquire Within” column 
v/ould greatly oblige, ak I am loth ta 
destroy them. (Bt.ackmite, Middlesex.) 
The specimens you sent us were certainly 
infested with the Currant Gall Mite, a 
microscopical creature named Phytoptus 
Ribis, belonging to the mite family. You 
can easily detect the presence of the. Mite 
by the large globular and fat looking buds 
upon the shoots. Those buds which are 
long and narrow or short and not much 
swollen are at present free from the Mite. 
You cannot, of course, see the creature with 
the naked eye, as it is so small that there 
may be hundreds in each of those large 
buds. They do not multiply very rapidlv 
in certain gardens, while in others they 
ruin the bushes. If you resolve to plant 
them, you should carefully cut off all of those 
swollen buds, gather them into a paper bag 
as you cut them and take them to the stoke¬ 
hole furnace. The Mite is best attacked 
when it is shifting its quarters from the old 
buds to new ones. Those which contain 
Mites never produce leaves or fruit, but just 
keep alive until the young buds are about 
fermed. Then, from about the middle of 
May to the middle of June the Mites are 
busy shifting their quarters. You could 
then thoroughly dust the bushes with a dry 
mixture of two parts of sulphur to one of 
lime. The bushes might be syringed to 
make the powder adhere to them. Another 
method of employing it is to mix those two 
ingredients in water and spray the bushes 
with it. This might be done at intervals of 
ten days from about the middle of May to 
SOILS AND MANURES . 
3442. Artificial and Farmyard 
Manure. 
I would like information as to the rela¬ 
tive merits of artificial and farmyard 
manure. My garden consists of heavy 
clayey lcam, has been neglected, and I am 
desiring to bring it into better heart. It 
would be easier to use one of the advertised 
fertilisers than to use farmyard manure for 
the beds and borders. Will you advise me 
on the subject, and as to the quantity per 
square yard to be used. The borders and 
beds are generally planted with hardy- 
perennials, Lilies and Roses Is there any 
means of stopping the worms throwing up 
casts in the gravel walks close to the grass 
edges? The walks are very carefully swept 
clear of leaves,, but the worms are very- 
numerous. The garden is of several years’ 
standing, and the soil looks good where 
any tilling has taken place. The subsoil 
is rather heavy, yellow clay (W. H. S. ; 
Surrey.) 
Artificial manures are suitable for use in 
practically all kinds of soil, as the all¬ 
round ones, that is, the general manures, 
contain three or four most essential ele¬ 
ments of plant food that should be added 
to a soil. Farmyard manure, seeing that 
it consists of decayed plants, might be con¬ 
sidered an all-round manure, but it is often 
so badly made that much of its virtue is 
lost. It is, nevertheless, a valuable manure 
for certain purposes, not merely for fertilis¬ 
ing the soil, but to improve its mechanical 
condition. Rank manure would be applied 
to heavy soils to lighten them and well de¬ 
cayed or fermented manure would be used 
in light shallow soils in order to make them 
hold the moisture better during the summer. 
About 1 oz. to 2 oz. of artificial manures 
to the yard would be quite sufficient as a 
rule, but it all depends upon what that 
manure is. Most manure merchants, we 
understand, furnish directions with the 
manure as to the quantity to be used. The 
Lilies and Roses should not, of course, be 
disturbed at the present time beyond digging, 
up the soil lightly 7 with a fork. The arti¬ 
ficial manure may be given in the form of a 
top-dressing when making their .growth. 
The presence of worms would indicate a 
rich soil, so that if present in large numbers 
the soil should be rich in humus, which sup¬ 
plies the worms with food. These animals 
have often proved troublesome in grass walks 
as well as the edges of gravel ones. You 
can get them to come to the surface by water¬ 
ing the infested soil with lime water. Put 
a peck of lime in a barrel of water, let it 
stand for twenty-four hours, giving the bag 
a shake now and again. Then allow the 
sediment to settle and use the clear water. 
With .a rosed can water the infested ground, 
and, if worms are in it, they will come to 
the surface, 'when they can be swept up. 
Sttong briny or salt water is sometimes used 
for the same purpose, but it would be more 
dangerous for live edgings and possibly for 
the grass if used very strong. 
3443. Treatment of Garden Soil. 
How would you treat a garden soil that 
has been planted for several years with Pota- 
tos only and last summer gave very few 
tubers to the root, but plenty of stems 4 ft. 
long? It is a good, dark soil, but full of 
worms. Do you think thK had anything 
to do with the poor crop? i would be glad 
to receive your advice. (P. C. Woods, Here¬ 
fordshire.) 
It would appear that your garden has 
merely been dug and furnished with plenty 7 
