m 
JOURNAL  OP  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
Apfi  *29,  I89f. 
also  eelworms  and  mites.  This  we  consider  the  source  of  infection. 
Nothing  could  possibly  result  from  the  application  of  Thomson’s  Vine 
manure  but  benefit  to  the  Cucumbers  and  prejudice  to  the  micro¬ 
organisms.  As  to  the  baking  of  soil,  we  have  found  that  a  temperature 
over  125°  will  kill  eelworms,  145°  mites,  and  212°  the  Bclerotia  of  fungi. 
Possibly  unbaked  soil  has  been  added  since  the  plants  were  placed  out ; 
in  any  case  the  micro-organisms  were  in  the  soil  and  ruined  the  plants. 
When  the  fungus  or  the  eelworms  have  entered  the  tissues  6f  the 
stem  and  destroyed  the  cambial  cells  the  case  is  beyond  remedy.  For 
saving  the  remaining  plants  we  know  of  nothing  better  than  Little’s 
soluble  phenyle,  1  part  in  96  parts  water  =  1  gill  (J  pint)  to  3  gallons  of 
rain  or  soft  water,  applying  as  in  ordinary  watering,  and  repeating  as 
required.  If  taken  in  time  it  acts  well  against  root-fungi,  eelworms. 
and  mites. 
Insects  on  Peacb  Tree  Branch  (25.  M.  L.).  —  The  insects  on 
the  Peach  tree  twig  are  very  fine  examples  of  the  Filbert  scale  (Leu* 
canium  hemisphericum),  which,  when  full  grown,  and  before  emitting 
cottony  matter  from  beneath  the  scale,  is  a  quarter  of  an  inch  long, 
three-sixteenths  of  an  inch  broad,  and  one-eighth  of  an  inch  deep  or 
high.  It  is  rather  of  uncommon  occurrence  in  this  country,  but  may 
sometimes  be  found  on  Apricot  trees  grown  under  glass,  also  on  Camellias. 
When  the  scale  becomes  mature,  which  occurs  when  the  eggs  have 
been  produced  in  a  cottony  substance  beneath  the  “  shell,”  the  insect 
•  emits  from  the  posterior  end  a  white  flocculent  substance,  and  this  con¬ 
tains  hundreds  of  pale  brown  or  reddish  bodies,  just  visible  to  the  naked 
eye.  In  the  course  of  a  few  days  these  emerge  as  six-legged  creatures 
with  somewhat  long  horns  and  caudal  appendages,  roam  about,  and  soon 
fix  on  a  smooth  part  of  the  bark  of  either  a  young  shoot  or  not  very  old 
wood,  push  in  a  beak,  and  become  fixed  to  the  place  for  life.  To  prevent 
this  you  must  at  once  remove  the  scale  and  eggs  in  the  cottony  matter  ; 
they  may  be  placed  in  an  old  tin  containing  a  little  petroleum,  and 
finally  burned.  Then  to  make  sure  of  any  that  may  have  escaped  in  the 
early  predatory  stage,  apply  an  insecticide,  any  or  all  of  those  advertised 
being  effectual  and  safe  if  the  instructions  are  carefully  followed.  If 
you  prefer  a  home-made  one  place  ljf  lb.  of  softsoap  in  an  iron  pan  with 
a  gallon  of  soft  water,  and  dissolve  by  heating  and  boiling.  When 
dissolved  and  hot  remove  from  the  fire  and  add  half  a  pint  of  petroleum, 
stirring  briskly  till  amalgamated.  Dilute  to  10  gallons  with  hot  soft 
water,  and  when  cooled  to  90°  to  100°  apply  with  a  syringe,  or  preferably 
with  a  spraying  apparatus  for  sake  of  economy.  If  this  be  repeated  in 
ten  days  or  a  fortnight  we  do  not  think  you  will  be  further  troubled 
with  the  scale.  Of  course,  it  may  be  re-introduced,  but  that  must  be 
guarded  against  by  having  the  source  whence  it  came  found  out  and  the 
pest  eradicated  there. 
Foreign  Seeds  (Seeds'). — Canna  indica,  which  few  gardeners  do 
not  know  and  grow,  is  a  very  useful  plant  for  greenhouse  decoration 
and  sub-tropical  or  other  methods  of  summer  gardening.  The  seeds 
should  be  sown  in  heat  in  a  warm  house  or  Cucumber  bed.  When  the 
plants  are  large  enough  to  handle  pot  singly  and  grow  in  a  rich  and 
porous  compost,  such  as  equal  parts  turfy  loam  and  decayed  manure 
with  a  little  peat  and  some  sand.  Csesalpinia  echinata  is  an  ornamental 
Btove  evergreen  tree,  not  much  grown  on  account  of  the  space  required 
and  the  time  the  plant  takes  to  flower.  A  mixture  of  loam  and  leaf 
mould  suits  it.  The  flowers  are  produced  in  racemes,  pear-shaped,  and 
yellow  with  red,  very  beautiful,  as  most  of  the  Leguminosae  are.  The  seed 
should  be  sown  in  strong  heat.  Anona  muricata  is  the  “  Sour  Sop  ”  of 
the  West,  Indies,  a  Btove  evergreen  shrub  or  tree  growing  about  15  feet 
high.  It  thrives  well  in  rich  loamy  soil  mixed  with  a  little  peat.  The 
seeds  grow  readily  if  sown  in  pots  and  plunged  in  a  hotbed.  It  is  grown 
for  its  fruit.  Passiflora  foetida  is  the  Wild  Water  Lemon  of  tropical 
America,  an  annual  or  sometimes,  but  rarely,  perennial.  It  requires  a 
stove.  The  flowers  are  whitish,  the  corona  variegated  with  purple  and 
blue.  Treat  similar  to  Cucumbers  or  Melons.  Abrus  precatorius  is  a 
very  ornamental  and  delicate  much-branched  deciduous  stove  climber, 
the  roots  having  the  properties  of  the  common  liquorice.  The  flowers 
are  butterfly-sbaped,  pale  purple,  and  disposed  in  axillary  clusters.  The 
seeds  should  be  sown  in  heat,  and  the  plant  requires  strong  heat  to 
keep  it  healthy  and  to  flower  it  well.  It  is  called  the  “  Prayer”  plant, 
from  the  Buddhists  using  the  bright  scarlet  seeds,  with  a  black  spot  at 
the  base,  for  making  rosaries.  Sandy  loam  best  suits  it.  Psidium  Guava 
is  a  low  tree,  evergreen,  and  desirable  for  its  aromatic  fruits.  It  requires 
a  stove,  thriving  best  in  a  compost  of  sandy  fibrous  loam  and  a  little 
leaf  mould  or  old  cowdung  with  some  sand.  Perfect  drainage  must  be 
provided.  The  yellow  globose  fruits  are  produced  abundantly  when  the 
plant  becomes  sufficiently  large,  but  seedlings  come  slowly  into  bearing. 
It  is  esteemed  for  its  fruit — the  Guava  of  renown.  Tephrosia  Candida  is 
the  Indian  Hoary  Pea,  a  low  stove  shrub,  flowers  reddish  or  white, 
produced  in  terminal  and  lateral  racemes  rather  copious,  the  standard 
being  very  silky.  It  thrives  in  a  compost  of  sandy  peat  and  leaf  mould. 
Bixa  Orellana  yields  the  drug  called  Annotta,  which  is  prepared  from 
the  red  pulp  that  covers  the  seed,  and  is  used  in  preparing  chocolate,  by 
farmers  for  colouring  cheese,  and  for  dyeing  silks  orange  or  yellow.  It 
is  a  stove  evergreen  tree,  growing  30  feet  high.  Seedlings  are  a  long 
time  before  they  flower.  Sow  in  bottom  heat.  The  flowers  are  peach- 
coloured,  and  borne  in  terminal  clusters  or  corymbs.  A  compost  of 
loam  and  peat  suits  it.  Acacia  glauca  is  an  evergreen  shrub,  5  to  10  feet 
in  height,  and  produces  abundance  of  white  flowers,  stalked,  spikes 
globose,  axillary,  usually  twin.  The  seeds  should  be  sown  in  sandy 
peat  in  gentle  heat.  When  established  the  plants  grow  well  in  a  green¬ 
house.  Desmodium  gyrans,  the  Moving  or  Telegraph  Plant,  a  great 
curiosity,  the  lateral  leaflets  moving  up  and  down,  either  Bteadily  or  by 
jerks,  the  movements  being  most  marked  during  bright  sunshine.  It  is 
a  stove  plant  of  easy  culture  in  a  compost  of  sandy  loam  and  peat.  The 
flowers  are  violet,  borne  in  numerous  racemes  disposed  in  a  panicle. 
The  plant  grows  1  to  3  feet  high.  A  brisk  bottom  heat  is  required  for 
raising  the  seedlings  and  pushing  the  plants  along.  Artocarpus  incisa 
is  one  of  the  noblest  of  the  Nettle  family,  the  True  Bread  Fruit,  a  stove 
evergreen  tree,  growing  50  feet  in  height,  the  leaves  being  2  to  3  feet 
long,  deeply  lobed  or  incised,  deep  green  on  the  upper  surface,  pale 
below.  It  forms  a  very  distinct  and  ornamental  stove  plant.  The 
extraordinary  fruit  is  produced  from  the  axils  of  the 'leaves  in  large 
globular  heads,  and  is  highly  valued  by  the  South  Sea  Islanders  as  an 
article  of  food.  Perfect  drainage  is  a  first  consideration,  as  the  plant 
requires  copious  supplies  of  water,  a  very  high  and  moist  atmosphere,  a 
compost  of  two  parts  rich  loam  and  one  part  leaf  mould,  with  a  free  admix¬ 
ture  of  sharp  sand.  Brisk  bottom  heat  is  required  for  the  germination 
of  the  seeds.  Theveta  neriifolia  is  the  Exile  Oil  Plant,  which  has  linear 
glabrous  shining  leaves  about  3  to  6  inches  long.  It  develops  into  a 
shrub  growing  12  feet  in  height.  The  flowers  are  saffron-yellow,  about 
3  inches  long,  produced  in  sub-terminal  cymes  much  shorter  than  the 
leaves,  and  sometimes  one-flowered.  It  thrives  in  a  compost  of  fibrous 
loam  with  a  little  leaf  soil  and  some  sharp  sand,  in  a  stove  temperature. 
Pitango  Cherry  we  do  not  know — at  least  under  that  name.  Perhaps 
some  of  our  correspondents  may  oblige  with  information. 
Chemical  Manure  for  Strawberries  ( T .  G.). — As  you  do  not 
want  an  expensive  manure,  but  an  economical  one,  and  quickly  acting, 
as  it  must  be  to  effect  the  object  you  have  in  view,  nothing  would  serve 
you  better  than  nitrate  of  soda,  which  should  be  95  per  cent,  purity,  and 
crushed  quite  fine  on  a  hard  floor  before  use.  Apply  1  oz.  per  square 
yard,  or  2  lbs.  per  rod,  taking  care  not  to  scatter  it  on  the  young  leaves 
and  crowns,  especially  when  these  are  wet,  or  it  may  blacken  them.  If 
the  soil  contain  sufficient  phosphoric  acid  and  potash  in  available 
form,  as  we  think  will  be  the  case  from  the  ground  having  been  heavily 
manured,  there  will  be  no  need  to  use  anything  but  the  nitrate  of 
soda  and  the  liquid  manure  you  propose,  which  we  presume  is  that  of 
stables  and  cow  house.  You  may,  however,  if  vou  desire,  employ  the 
following  mixture  Mineral  superphosphate  (37  to  39  per  cent,  phos¬ 
phate  of  lime,  soluble),  3  parts  or  lbs.  ;  muriate  of  potash  (80  to  85  per 
cent,  purity),  2  parts  or  lbs.  ;  nitrate  of  soda  (95  per  cent,  purity),  1  part 
or  lb  ;  mixed,  applying  4  ozs.  per  square  yard,  being  careful  not  to  use 
it  over  the  foliage  or  crowns  of  the  plants.  This  should  be  given  without 
delay,  pointing  in  very  lightly,  or  hoeing  or  raking,  and  when  the  fruit 
is  set  and  commencing  to  swell,  supply  nitrate  of  soda  as  before  men¬ 
tioned.  If  you  supply  proper  moisture  the  crop  ought  to  be,  other  con¬ 
ditions  being  favourable,  a  very  heavy  one,  and  the  fruit  large.  Be 
careful,  however,  not  to  overdo  either  the  manuring  or  the  liquid  applica¬ 
tions,  for  the  plants  can  only  give  superior  fruit  with  abundance  of  healthy 
and  active  roots,  therefore  you  must  exercise  judgment  in  the  use  of 
the  fertilisers,  only  applying  half  the  amount  named  at  a  time  if  the 
roots  are  rear  or  at  the  surface. 
Vine  Crowth  Diseased  (D.  M.  L.). — The  point  of  the  shoot  was 
blackened,  and  more  or  less  covered  with  a  white  mould,  the  downy 
mildew  of  the  Vine  (Peronospora  viticola).  It  is  a  minute  parasitic 
plant,  that  develops  at  the  expense  of  the  tissues  of  the  Vine,  thus 
causing  the  blighting  of  the  leaf  and  decay  of  the  fruit.  It  attacks  all 
the  green  parts  of  the  Vine,  including  the  young  shoots,  as  well  as  the 
leaves  and  bunches,  and,  like  other  fungi,  is  reproduced  by  means  of 
spores.  There  are  plenty  of  these  in  your  specimen,  and  one  of  them 
speedily  divided  in  a  drop  of  water,  and  each  particle  (zoospore)  escaped 
by  an  opening  in  the  spore  wall.  It  moved  about  in  the  water  for  a 
few  minutes  by  means  of  its  head  and  tail  appendages  (hairs  or  cilia), 
rested  on  a  portion  of  leaf,  pushing  a  germ  tube  (like  the  radicle  of  a 
seed),  which  entered  a  stoma  or  transpiration  opening,  and  passed 
entirely  out  of  sight.  It  is  well  to  see  these  things,  and  find  by  frequent 
examination  that  the  tube  continues  to  grow,  divide,  and  push  other 
portions  (hyphae)  hetween  the  cells  of  the  leaf,  forming  the  mycelium, 
readily  seen,  in  a  section,  traversing  the  intercellular  spaces,  and  as 
there  is  little  nourishment  to  be  had  there,  this  mycelium  pushes 
minute  processes  (haustoria)  through  the  cell  walls,  and  absorbs  the 
cell  contents.  After  this  mycelium  becomes  strongly  developed  it 
pushes  growths  outwards,  either  through  the  stomata  or  ruptured 
epidermis,  which  are  the  erect  hyphse  or  fruiting  branches,  and  these 
(conidiophores)  bear  upon  their  tips,  in  a  branched  head,  not  unlike  a 
bunch  of  Grapes,  small  oval  bodies  (conidia)  or  spores.  The  outgrowths 
or  mildew,  visible  to  the  naked  eye,  is  composed  of  these  fruiting 
branches  and  their  spores.  The  latter  are  shed  when  mature,  and 
scattered  far  and  wide  by  every  puff  of  wind.  If  they  alight  on  the  leaf 
or  other  green-part  of  a  Vine,  and  there  is  sufficient  condensed  moisture, 
they  at  once  proceed  to  form  zoospores,  and  these  to  act  on  their  own 
account,  as  before  described.  It  is  well  to  note,  however,  that  the 
“  fruit  ”  only  develops  under  favourable  atmospheric  conditions,  such  as 
warmth  and  a  soft  glow  of  moisture,  hence  the  mycelium  may,  as  in 
your  leaf,  exist  in  the  affected  parts  of  the  Vine  for  some  time  before 
the  outward  manifestation  of  its  presence  or  mildew  occurs.  In  the 
diseased  tissues  another  form  of  spores,  called  “  resting,”  are  produced, 
and  in  these  the  fungus  passes  over  from  year  to  year.  As  regards 
treatment,  the  infested  parts,  so  far  as  these  are  browned  or  blackened, 
should  be  cut  away  and  burned,  and  the  Vines  dusted  with  any  of  the 
advertised  fungicides  in  powder,  such  as  anti-blight  and  fostite,  using 
a  bellows  apparatus  and  the  least  possible  coating.  We  give  a  -fuller 
reply  than  usual,  as  the  downy  mildew  or  brown  rot  is  becoming  too 
prevalent  in  this  country. 
