June  7,  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
489 
des  Jardins  yellow.  Of  the  latter  there  is  a  climbing  and  a  non¬ 
climbing  variety.  The  climber  is  a  rampant  form  of  the  dwarfer 
type.  Reine  Marie  Henriette  should  be  grown  in  company  with  Gloire 
de  Dijon,  as  it  is  almost  a  red  form  of  the  latter,  and  is  a  free  climber. 
Hybrid  Perpetuals  do  not  include  a  large  number  of  climbers,  but 
some  varieties  are  well  adapted  for  wall  and  fence  culture.  Among 
them  may  be  included  Jules  Margottin,  carmine  ;  Glory  of  Waltham, 
crimson  ;  Charles  Lefebvre,  velvety  crimson  ;  Blairi  No.  2,  rosy  blush  ; 
and  Victor  Verdier,  cherry  red. 
Single  Roses  make  splendid  climbers  if  such  varieties  as  Paul’s 
Carmine  Pillar  and  Single  White  are  planted  Good  positions  might 
be  afforded  them  by  the  sides  of  w^alks,  training  the  growths  on  wire 
arches. — Rosarian. 
Diseased  Tomato  Plants. 
No.  1  plant,  with  marks  of  black  on  the  stem  and  also  the  fruit,  is 
infested  in  the  root-stem  with  root-stem  eelworm  (Tylenchus  obtusus), 
but  the  infection  in  the  leaves  and  fruit  is  not  sufficiently  developed  to 
admit  of  identification.  It  appears,  however,  to  be  what  is  called 
“  spot,”  or  “  black  stripe.”  The  eelworm  has  almost  destroyed  the 
bark  and  soft-tissues  portion  of  the  root-stem,  and  the  plant  would  soon 
have  been  destroyed,  though  its  existence  might  have  been  prolonged 
— probably  sufficiently  long  to  ripen  the  fruit — by  earthing  it  up,  so  as 
to  secure  fresh  supporting  roots  from  the  stem  above  ground.  No.  2 
plant,  that  began  to  flag  and  wither  without  any  apparent  cause,  is 
affected  with  “sleepy”  disease  fungus  (Pusarium  lycopersici),  the 
woody  tissues  being  quite  browned  by  the  parasite,  and  this  not  only 
in  the  root-stem,  but  a  considerable  distance  up  the  stem  above  ground. 
Thus,  with  the  supplies  of  nourishment  out  off — for  the  fungal  hyphae 
destroy  the  tissues  or  conduits  of  the  sap — the  plant,  as  soon  as 
girdled  internally,  must  wither  and  die.  The  placing  of  turf  round 
the  stems  of  a  few  plants  that  suffered  similarly,  and  keeping  plenti¬ 
fully  watered,  with  the  result  that  they  have  mostly  recovered,  is  very 
interesting  and  instructive. 
The  leaf  from  a  plant  of  Challenger  simply  implies  a  disguising  of 
the  chlorophyll  or  green  colouring  pigment,  the  white  overpowering  the 
chlorophyll  granules,  and  is  a  sort  of  parasitism,  inasmuch  as  the  white 
lives  or  forms  at  the  expense  of  the  green.  It  is  probably  due  to  the 
excessive  formation  of  some  oxalate,  probably  that  of  lime,  the 
incrustation  on  the  dead  portion  of  the  leaflets  being  certainly  of  a  calcic 
or  lime  nature.  The  case  resembles  that  of  white  variegation  or 
complete  albino,  as  in  white  Celery.  Perhaps  a  little  nitrate  of 
ammonium,  unfortunately  too  expensive  for  general  use,  would  probably 
change  the  colour,  giving  the  chlorophyll  granules  sufficient  energy  to 
overpower  the  blanching  element  or  elements. 
For  the  eelworm  and  also  for  the  sleepy  disease  there  are  no  better 
preventives  than  lime  and  kainit.  As  a  particular  preventive  and 
nutrient  for  the  Tomato,  Mr.  W.  Dyke  applied  2  lbs.  of  basic  slag 
phosphate  and  12  ozs.  of  kainit  per  square  yard,  and  mixed  this  dressing 
with  the  soil  about  a  foot  deep  in  the  early  winter  and  left  it  until  the 
following  spring  or  planting  time  for  the  Tomato  plants,  the  border 
being  previously  turned  over  a  spit  deep.  He  reported  good  success 
in  the  Journal  of  Horticulture  from  the  treatment,  though  not  quite 
absolute  freedom  from  “  sleepy  ”  disease.  As  the  basic  slag  is  nearly 
half  free  lime,  and  this  acts  on  the  organic  matter  upon  which  sleepy 
disease  exists  as  a  saprophyte,  and  then  passes  to  semi  or  complete 
parasitic  state,  the  treatment  is  only  a  modification  of  what  we  have 
frequently  advised.  This  is  effected  as  follows  : — Apply  1  lb.  per  square 
yard  of  freshly  burned  best  chalk  lime,  slaked  with  the  smallest  quan¬ 
tity  of  water  to  cause  it  to  fall  into  a  fine  powder,  then  spread  evenly 
and  dig  in  with  a  fork,  taking  small  spits  so  as  to  insure  an  even 
mixing  of  the  lime  with  the  soil  about  a  foot  deep.  On  the  level  surface 
distribute  8  ozs.  of  best  quality  kainit,  and  leave  to  dissolve  and 
pass  into  the  soil.  The  quantity  of  kainit  as  proposed  for  a  square 
yard  and  the  liming  and  the  salting  should  be  performed  some  time  in 
advance  of  cropping,  at  least  six  weeks,  and  preferably  double  that  time. 
Dig  the  ground  with  a  fork,  and  taking  small  spits  at  the  middle 
of  the  period. 
- - - - 
P  Cornus  Mas. — Though  an  old-fashioned  plant  this  is  not  seen  as 
often  as  it  might  be,  considering  its  value  as  an  early  spring-flowering 
shrub  and  the  ease  with  which  it  can  be  grown.  No  matter  whether 
the  soil  be  sandy  or  clayey,  this  plant  seems  to  thrive  and  flower  freely 
every  season.  It  commences  to  bloom  about  the  middle  of  Februaiy 
and  continues  to  the  end  of  March,  making  a  pleasing  display  with  its 
clusters  of  bright  yellow  flowers,  which  are  borne  in  bunches  of  from 
twenty  to  thirty  enclosed  in  four  rounded  bracts.  In  good  seasons  the 
flowers  are  followed  by  the  pendulous  red  fruits.  There  is  a  good  white 
variegated  form  of  this  plant  which  fruits  even  better  than  the  type, 
and  grows  quite  as  freely.  C.  Mas  can  easily  be  propagated  by  seeds, 
which  germinate  readily  and  soon  form  good  plants.  The  variegated 
form  must  be  either  raised  from  cuttings  or  by  grafting  on  the  type. — C. 
A  Spring  Gapden. 
No  season  of  the  year  is  so  full  of  beauty  as  the  spring,  and  at  no 
other  season  do  we  enjoy  such  a  wealth  of  floral  variety.  When  we 
look  back,  thinking  of  the  days  that  are  no  more,  and  consider  all  that 
they  have  taken  from  us,  and  how  life  has  altered,  yet  with  each 
returning  spring  we  feel  the  lasting  truth  of  the  poet  Keats’  sentiment, 
“  A  thing  of  beauty  is  a  joy  for  ever.”  Such  is  the  garden,  such  the 
face  of  Nature  at  this  season.  It  may  be  some  picturesque  piece  of 
landscape,  some  wayside  cottage  garden,  some  noble  tree  or  shrub,  we 
have  long  known,  and  whose  beauty  is  stili  here  cheering  us  !  Never¬ 
theless,  despite  this  wealth  and  profusion  of  loveliness,  our  gardens  are 
often  lacking  in  hardy  flowering  or  ornamental  shrubs  and  hardy  spring 
flowers.  I  will  therefore  endeavour  to  draw  a  picture  of  an  old- 
fashioned  manor  house  in  the  county  of  broad  acres  as  its  beauties 
were  revealed  to  me  in  the  month  of  May. 
The  sf'Uthern,  eastern,  and  western  grey  stone  walls,  which  date 
back  to  Tudor  times,  were  clothed  with  climbing  plants,  while  the 
northern  front  was  garbed  in  Ivy.  These  are  some  of  the  flowers  of 
May  that  greeted  me  on  the  occasion  of  my  visit.  Clematis  montana 
festooned  in  white  starry  flowers  rambled  about  the  entrance  porch, 
Wistaria  sinensis  hung  luxuriant  and  showing  its  pale  blue  chains, 
Choisya  ternata  bowed  with  fragrant  flowers,  while  the  quaint  catkins 
of  Garrya  e  liptica  lent  an  additional  attractiveness.  A  touch  of  golden 
colour  was  added  by  the  flowers  of  Kerria  japonica  flore  pleno,  the 
leafage  of  the  variegated  Euonymus  japonicus,  and  the  Golden  Ivy. 
On  the  western  gable  Prunus  triloba  fl.-pl.  garlanded  with  soft  blush 
pink,  and  the  white  P.  sinensis  fl  -pi.  displayed  their  loveliness  ;  here 
and  there  the  grey  stone  was  allowed  to  show  its  neutral  tint  to  give 
variety. 
A  few  simple  flower  beds  in  a  sheltered  corner  of  the  lawn  made  a 
charudng  picture,  before  which  many  a  garden  belonging  to  our  stately 
homes  would  pale.  The  central  bed,  7  feet  in  diameter,  had  a  cluster 
of  primrose  Wallflower  in  the  centre,  around  which  in  panels, 
separated  by  the  yellow  leaved  Lamium,  were  Alyssum  saxatile, 
Aubrietia  Leichtlini,  and  Myosotis  dissitiflora.  Two  narrow  scroll¬ 
shaped  beds  were  each  filled  with  blood-red  Wallflowers,  bordered  with 
white  double  Daisies;  while  two  other  scrolls  contained  double  white 
Rockets,  edged  with  red  double  Daisies. 
The  grounds,  though  only  a  few'  acres  in  extent,  were  full  of 
interest  at  almost  any  time  of  the  year.  A  belt  of  Austrian  Pines 
sheltered  them  on  the  north  and  east,  while  an  Ivy  clad  wall  divided 
them  from  the  main  road  on  the  west.  On  the  southern  side  the  lawn 
was  separated  from  the  |  ark  by  a  sunk  fence,  and  bordered  on  the 
outskirts  by  clumps  and  single  specimens  of  flowering  shrubs.  Here  a 
noble  Cedar  of  Lebanon  spread  out  its  mighty  arms.  There  the 
flowering  shrubs  included  a  bush,  6  or  7  feet  in  height  and  as  much  in 
diameter,  of  Pyrus  (Cydonia)  japonica  umbilicata,  which  was  a  glorious 
sight  with  its  pendulous  shoots  clothed  in  rosy  scarlet  flowers.  Cydonia 
alba  and  the  type  were  grown  as  unpruned  bashes,  and  whoever  saw 
them  grown  thus  would  not  train  them  against  a  wall  and  spur  them 
in  as  is  frequently  done.  The  dwarfer-growing  C.  Maulei  was  repre¬ 
sented  by  a  clump  of  three  plants,  whose  branches  were  wreathed  with 
orange-scarlet  flowers ;  while  the  large  white  cup-shaped  flowers  of  a 
fine  plant  of  Magnolia  conspicua  bulked  prominently  on  the  view. 
Several  Japanese  Maples,  though  not  large,  gave  a  rich  glow  of 
colour;  they  were  Acer  polymorphum,  A.  polymorphum atropurpureum, 
and  A.  painiatum  sanguineum.  Here  a  clump  of  Rhododendron 
Cunningham’s  Blush  did  not  belie  its  name ;  there  were  several  fine 
specimens  in  cool  places  of  Azalea  pontica  and  the  Ghent  varieties.  A 
small  bed  of  A.  mollis  looked  charming  with  its  rich  and  glowing 
colours,  and  a  small  group  of  the  feathery  -  leaved  scarlet  Elder 
(Sambucus  racemosa  plumosa  aurea)  glowed  beautifully  in  the  lemon 
yellow  of  its  laciniated  foliage,  blended  with  the  orange  colour  of  the 
emerging  leaves  of  the  crown. 
Passing  to  the  northern  side  of  the  house,  where,  after  leaving  the 
walk,  the  ground  rose  rather  abruptly.  Advantage  of  this  had  been 
taken  to  form  a  rockwork  from  the  gravel  walk  to  a  height  of  12  feet. 
This  rockwork  had  been  formed  by  large  square  slabs  of  rough  stone 
sunk  a  foot  into  the  soil,  and  made  a  step-like  series  of  receptacles  a 
yard  in  width,  and  having  sufficient  depth  of  soil  to  allow  shrubs  to 
flourish.  This  rockwork  was  always  full  of  interest,  and  the  month 
of  May  was  particularly  rich  in  its  display.  Noticeable  was  a  huge 
bush  5  feet  in  diameter  and  of  proportionate  height  of  Genista  prmcox 
albus  literally  weighed  down  with  its  snowy  white  racemes.  Groups  and 
single  specimens  of  G.  praecox  (sulphur  and  yellow)  were  seen,  as  well 
as  G.  scoparia  grandiflora  with  its  golden  flowers.  There,  too,  weie 
masses  of  G.  tinctoria  plena  and  Ulex  europmus  plenus  (doubla  Furze). 
Daphne  Fioniana  was  represented  by  a  bush  4  feet  in  diameter  and  a 
yard  in  height,  every  shoot  bearing  a  truss  of  sweet  scented  flowers, 
while  many  fine-leaved  Ivies  rambled  over  the  stones,  mixed  with  the 
pale  blue  Periwinkle  (Vinca  major)  and  Euonymus  radicans  variegatus. 
