470 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
May  31,  1900. 
All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should  be 
directed  to  “The  Editor,”  12,  Mitre  Court  Cbambers, 
Fleet  Street,  liondon,  E.C.  It  is  requested  that  no  one 
will  write  privately  to  any  of  our  correspondents,  seeking 
information  on  matters  discussed  in  this  Journal,  as  doing  so 
subjects  them  to  unjustifiable  trouble  and  expense,  and  depart¬ 
mental  writers  are  not  expected  to  answer  any  letters  they 
may  receive  on  Gardening  and  Bee  subjects  through  the  post. 
If  information  be  desired  on  any  particular  subject  from  any 
particular  authority  who  may  be  named,  endeavour  will  be  made 
to  obtain  It  by  the  Editor.  Letters  of  inquiry  must  be  accom¬ 
panied  by  the  names  and  addresses  of  the  writers,  but  these  will 
neither  be  published  nor  disclosed  when  initials  or  noms  de  plume 
are  given  for  the  purpose  of  replies. 
Correspondents  should  not  mix  up  on  the  same  sheet  questions  relating 
to  Gardening  and  those  on  Bee  subjects,  and  it  is  convenient  when 
each  question  is  written  on  a  separate  sheet.  All  articles  intended 
for  insertion  should  be  written  on  one  side  of  the  paper  only  ;  and 
the  name  and  address  of  each  writer  must  be  known  by  the 
Editor,  though  not  necessarily  for  insertion.  We  cannot,  as  a 
rule,  reply  to  questions  through  the  post,  and  we  do  not  under¬ 
take  to  return  communications  which,  for  any  reason,  cannot 
be  inserted. 
Pear  Tree  Shoots  with  Crimson  Spots  (D.  TF.  B.). — A  worse  infection 
of  attack  by  the  Pear  gall  mite,  Phytoptus  pyri,  has  not  come  to  our 
notice.  The  creature  has  taken  a  fancy  in  your  case  to  the  fruit,  and 
the  young  growths  are  also  affected  in  the  wood.  Eemove  as  much  of 
the  affected  points  of  the  shoots,  the  worst  infested  leaves,  and  all  the 
fruit  attacked,  as  it  will  grow  deformed,  but  do  not  defoliate  the  tree 
too  much,  or  the  remedy  may  prove  worse  than  the  disease.  This 
greatly  weakens  the  tree,  causing  the  leaves  to  turn  brown  or  black  and 
fall  prematurely.  Syringe  the  tree  with  a  solution  cf  bisulphide  of 
calcium.  This  is  made  by  boiling  a  pound  each  of  flowers  of  sulphur 
and  quicklime  in  a  gallon  of  water  for  fifteen  minutes,  constantly  stirring 
whilst  boiling.  Then  allow  to  settle,  and  pour  the  clear  liquid  off  for 
use.  If  placed  in  a  stone  bottle  and  tightly  corked  in  a  dark  place  it 
will  keep  indefinitely.  Dilute  with  100  parts  water  for  use,  or  say  a  gilt 
{quarter  pint)  to  three  gallons  of  water,  and  apply  with  a  syringe,  taking 
care  as  far  as  possible  to  wet  the  under  side  of  the  leaves.  Repeat  the 
syringing  if  necessary,  but  usually  one  application  is  sufficient.  In  the 
winter,  whilst  the  buds  are  quite  dormant,  the  trees  should  be  sprayed 
or  syringed  with  a  solution  of  paraffin  in  seven  parts  of  water.  This 
treatment  has  been  found  to  successfully  keep  the  pest  in  check,  acting 
well  on  the  mites  while  in  the  scales  of  the  buds. 
Vaporisation  with  Sulphur  for  Destroying  Red  Spider  in  vineries 
i(R.  A.  C.). — 1,  Place  the  flowers  ot  sulphur  in  the  fumigator  cup  and 
pour  on  water  so  as  to  form  the  sulphur  gradually  into  a  paste, 
ultimately  using  enough  water  to  cover  the  sulphur.  Then  light  the 
lamp.  When  the  water  has  been  heated  to  170°  it  commences  to  give 
off  fumes.  Arrange  the  lamp  so  that  it  does  not  cause  excessive  boiling 
of  the  mixture,  and  on  no  account  allow  the  cup  to  become  dry  or  the 
sulphur  may  burn,  and  give  off  fumes  fatal  to  both  animal  and  vegetable 
life.  It  is  a  process  that  requires  very  great  care,  but  when  the 
vaporiser  is  kept  constantly  at  work  giving  off  mild  fumes  of  sulphur 
vapour,  it  has  been  carried  out,  notably  by  Mr.  Norman  at  Hatfield 
House  with  good  results.  2,  Syringing  of  the  Vines  early  in  the  after- 
noon  and  then  shutting  the  house  is  a  very  old  practice  and  good  for 
checking  the  red  spider.  In  this  process  the  moisture  generated  operates 
well  against  the  pest,  as  it  delights  in  dry  conditions  at  the  roots  of 
the  Vines.  No  injury  is  done  to  the  Vines  if  the  water  used  be  clear 
and  soft,  but  in  most  cases  the  water  contains  so  much  solid  matter  in 
solution  that  a  deposit  is  left  on  the  Grapes,  and  this  tells  seriously 
against  them  for  table  or  marketing  when  ripe.  One  of  the  largest 
growers  of  Grapes  uses  water  from  a  hose  pipe,  and  finds  that  by  com- 
mencing  operations  when  a  few  specks  of  red  spider  first  make  their 
appearance  it  is  the  best  of  all  preventives  and  remedies.  That  it  does 
not  materially  injure  the  Grapes,  the  fact  that  the  bunches  are  disposed 
of  in  the  markets  at  top  prices  testifies.  Care,  however,  is  taken  not  to 
distribute  the  water  at  random,  and  early  steps  should  be  taken  to 
keep  the  Vines  clean,  so  as  not  to  have  recourse  to  drastic  wholesale 
syringing  at  a  time  when  the  Grapes  are  far  advanced  towards  ripening. 
A  house  with  a  southern  aspect  closed  at  1.30  p.m.,  and  everything — 
“  house,  walls.  Vines,  stage,  and  pipes” — thoroughly  wetted,  is  likely 
to  generate  too  much  heat,  running  up  perhaps  to  over  100°,  and  the 
moisture  may  become  condensed  on  the  foliage  and  Grapes,  causing  the 
(leaves  to  become  scorched  and  the  Grapes  rusted.  What  we  mean  by 
early  closing  and  syringing  is  closing  at  the  time  in  the  afternoon  when 
the  sun  will  not  raise  the  temperature  to  over  90°,  or  at  most  95°,  and  then 
well  damping  the  house,  floor  or  paths,  borders  and  walls,  but  not  the 
Vines.  The  moisture  thus  generated  is  very  inimical  to  the  Acari,  and 
on  the  other  hand  beneficial  to  the  Vines.  In  such  cases  it  is  advisable 
to  admit  a  little  air  before  nightfall,  and  to  cease  syringing  the  Vines 
when  the  Grapes  commence  to  change  colour. 
Twigs  on  Victoria  Plum  Tree  Denuded  of  Buds  (Loughhall). — The 
wood  and  bark  of  the  branches  and  spurs  are  quite  healthy,  but  on  an 
extent  of  growth  18  inches  in  length  there  is  not  a  single  bud  left, 
neither  blossom  nor  wood  ;  all  have  been  removed  probably  by  birds. 
On  another  branch  about  a  foot  long  there  appears  only  one  growth 
from  a  wood  bud — the  terminal  one  of  a  spur.  There  is  also  one 
flowered  growth,  the  incipient  fruit  of  which  has  not  set  in  consequence 
of  being  damaged  by  frost.  We  can  hardly  understand  how  the  tree 
could  have  blossomed,  for  the  sockets  of  the  buds  are  quite  brown, 
pointing  to  their  removal  some  time  ago.  If  they  have  been  removed 
by  bullfinches  or  sparrows,  as  we  suspect,  the  only  preventive  is  to 
trap  the  bullfinches  or  shoot  them.  Bullfinches  and  sparrows  may 
usually  be  kept  at  bay  by  syringing  the  trees  with  hot  limewash  made 
thus.  Quicklime  is  formed  into  a  limewash  consistency  with  water, 
or,  what  is  better  than  water,  a  solution  of  sulphate  of  copper,  1  oz.  to 
IJ  gallon  of  water,  first  slaking  the  lime  with  water  into  a  thick  paste, 
and  then  diluting  it  with  the  copper  sulphate  solution.  It  should  be 
applied  whilst  the  buds  are  quite  dormant  and  the  trees  are  dry,  as  it 
will  adhere  to  them,  whereas  if  the  lime  be  not  quite  freshly  burned 
the  limewash  made  from  such  will  be  washed  off  by  the  first  rain.  As 
the  trees  are  making  indifferent  growth  we  should  give  the  ground 
from  the  stems  outwards  to  a  little  further  than  the  branches  extend  a 
top-dressing  of  the  following  mixture:  —  Superphosphate  of  lime, 
12  parts  or  lbs. ;  powdered  saltpetre,  7  part  or  lbs. ;  nitrate  of  soda, 
crushed  fine,  9  parts  or  lbs. ;  and  gypsum,  ground,  9  parts  or  lbs. ; 
mixed  and  applied  at  the  rate  of  a  quarter  pound  to  the  square  yard. 
The  mixture  may  be  applied  in  the  spring  and  autumn,  and  is  one  of 
the  |best  applications  we  have  used  to  enable  the  trees  to  overcome 
canker  and  induce  a  heathy  growth,  especially  in  Apple  and  Pear  trees. 
Apple  Growths  Mildewed  (Idem). — The  young  shoots  are  affected  by 
the  Hawthorn  and  Apple  tree  powdery  mildew,  O'idium  farinosum,  which 
may  be  subdued  by  syringing  or  preferably  spraying  with  sulphide  of 
potassium  or  “  liver  of  sulphur  ”  1  oz.  to  six  gallons  of  water,  repeating 
occasionally.  When  the  foliage  is  very  tender  a  strength  of  1  oz.  to 
nine  gallons  of  water  is  safer,  as  the  Apple,  though  the  hardiest  of 
British  fruit  trees,  is  more  susceptible  of  injury  from  its  downy  foliage 
than  many  other  trees.  We  also  advise  the  ground  to  be  top-dressed 
as  advised  for  the  Plum  trees,  applying  the  mixture  without  delay,  so 
as  to  give  some  benefit  in  the  current  growth  and  make  provision  for 
next  year’s  growth  and  crop. 
Grapes  with  “  Marks  ”  (Cross). — The  depressed  marks  or  patches  on 
the  berries  are  what  is  known  as  “  scalding.”  Some  varieties  are  more 
subject  to  it  than  others,  Lady  Downe’s  being  the  worst,  then  Muscat  of 
Alexandria,  sometimes  Black  Hamburgh,  Gros  Maroc,  and  Alicante.  It 
is  generally  caused  by  a  confined  atmosphere  and  the  sun  acting  power¬ 
fully  on  the  house  before  air  has  been  admitted  to  induce  evaporation 
from  the  berries.  The  berries  are  not  usually  affected  at  so  early  a 
stage  as  in  the  specimens,  though  it  sometimes  occurs.  It  is  that  form 
of  scaldinor  known  as  “  spot,”  not  ripening  or  ripe  “  spot,”  for  it 
appears  when  the  Grapes  are  young  and  swelling  fast.  It  commences 
with  a  small,  irregular,  and  whitish  mark  on  the  side  of  the  berry,  as  if 
it  had  been  bruised  in  some  way.  Afterwards  the  pulp  beneath  dries 
up  and  a  sort  of  contraction  occurs,  the  affected  berry  soon  assuming  a 
one-sided,  irregular  form.  This  “  spot”  is  believed  by  some  cultivators 
to  be  caused  by  sudden  chills,  such  as  having  the  house  very  close  and 
moist,  and  then  suddenly,  on  some  bright  morning,  admitting  the 
external  cold  air  too  freely  and  too  abundantly.  The  “  spot,”  however, 
is  caused  by  the  “  spot  ”  fungus,  Glseosporium  Iseticolor,  in  not  a  few 
instances,  of  which  the  best  preventive  is  free  ventilation,  especially 
in  the  early  part  of  the  day.  The  only  remedy  now  is  to  cut  out  the 
affected  berries  and  burn  them,  though  the  fruits  ”  in  your  case  are 
not  yet  developed. 
Tropaeolum  speciosum  (TF.  R.  Faillem).  —  There  is  often  much 
difficulty  is  establishing  this  fine  climber  in  places  where  both  atmo¬ 
spheric  and  soil  moisture  are  deficient.  It  thrives  best  in  districts 
such  as  the  West  Highlands,  where  there  is  a  heavy  rainfall,  combined 
with  frequent  mists.  These  cannot  be  secured  elsewhere,  and  in  drier 
districts  it  is  necessary  to  plant  the  Tropaeolum  in  a  cool  position, 
especially  one  where  the  roots  and  the  early  growths  are  shielded  from 
the  sun.  A  dry  subsoil  is  very  unfavourable  to  it,  and  we  know  of  gardens 
in  favourable  districts  where  it  fails  because  of  this,  though  it  thrives 
in  others  near  where  there  is  moisture  below.  In  some  places  the 
great  difficulty  occurs  in  the  first  and  second  years  after  planting.  It 
often  makes  little  growth  for  a  year  or  two,  and  then  runs  ahead  with 
great  rapidity.  In  planting  we  advise  you  to  do  so  in  a  cool,  shaded 
position  facing  north  and  east,  and  to  water  the  plants  frequently  until 
the  tubers  have  fairly  taken  hold  of  the  soil  and  the  plants  have  growji 
several  feet  high.  Some  fail  from  keeping  the  soil  too  open,  but  h 
ought  to  be  made  firm  before  and  after  planting  the  Tropaeolum.  If 
must  also  have  something  to  which  it  can  attach  itself  at  first,  such 
as  a  few  twiggy  branches.  It  does  not  dislike  a  gravelly  soil  provide 
