October  17,  1895. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
369 
-  Georgia  Pear  Crop. — The  Pear  crop  in  Georgia  is  this  year 
the  largest  on  record.  It  will  exceed  300,000  barrels,  which,  placed  end 
to  end,  would  form  a  line  150  miles  long.  The  contents  amount  to 
§00,000  bushels,  representing  in  weight  about  30,000  tons. 
-  Vine  Pests  in  Australia. — Another  Vine  pest,  says  “The 
Australasian,”  has  been  reported  from  South  Australia.  At  the  Pyap 
branch  bureau  examples  were  tabled  with  soft  spongy  excrescence,  at 
the  butt  inside  of  which  were  found  small  white  grub.s.  The  General 
Secretary  said  the  malady  had  been  noticed  on  Vines  growing  on  land 
which  has  occasionally  an  excess  of  water,  but  similar  excrescences  and 
grubs  have  been  seen  on  Vines  where  no  irrigation  has  been  applied. 
At  present  no  curative  measures  can  be  suggested. 
-  Water  for  Plants. — Some  interesting  and  curious  results 
have  been  announced  by  a  French  man  of  science,  M.  Gain,  as  a 
consequence  of  his  experiments  on  the  individual  requirements  of 
particular  plants  in  the  matter  of  water.  M.  Gain  says  that  there  is 
an  alteration  in  the  requirements  of  plants  for  water.  Continuous 
deprivation  or  continuous  supply  of  water  are,  of  course,  contrary  to  the 
physiological  requirements  of  plants,  but  it  is  not  generally  known  that 
plants  which  are  supplied  with  water  at  the  two  critical  periods — viz,, 
the  commencement  of  the  unfolding  of  the  leaves  and  the  beginning  of 
the  flowering  period — and  at  no  other  time,  did  as  well  as  those  provided 
with  a  continuous  supply  of  water  during  the  whole  period  of  vegetation. 
M.  Gain  also  says  that  on  damp  soil  a  plant  yields  smaller  seeds,  which 
consequently  tend  to  bring  about  the  degeneration  of  the  species. — 
(“  The  Morning.”) 
-  The  Michaelmas  Daisy. — This  North  American  Starwort 
first  assisted  to  illuminate  the  British  parterre  about  the  year  1633,  it 
having  been  brought,  says  the  “  Rural  World,”  direct  from  Virginia  by 
John  Tradescant,  jun,,  who  visited  the  New  World  for  the  express 
purpose  of  collecting  plants,  his  father  having  founded  a  garden  of  the 
first  consequence  in  those  days  at  Lambeth,  and  being  also  appointed 
gardener  to  King  Charles  the  First.  Botanists  have  named  this  species 
Aster  Tradescanti,  in  compliment  to  his  memory  ;  but  it  has  obtained 
the  more  familiar  name  of  Michaelmas  Daisy  from  its  flowering  about 
that  season  of  the  year,  and  the  corollas  being  radiated  and  nearly  of 
the  size  of  the  common  Daisy.  It  grows  from  3  to  5  feet  in  height,  and 
is,  therefore,  not  calculated  for  the  small  flower  garden,  excepting  to 
form  a  shelter  and  background  to  the  more  tender  autumnal  flowers.  It 
affords  the  bees  a  late  and  almost  a  last  resource. 
-  Callicarpa  purpurea. — This  shrub  is  just  beginning  to 
justify  its  generic  name  by  the  beauty  of  its  clustered  berry-like  drupes 
which  appear  in  the  axils  of  every  leaf.  As  seen  in  American  parks 
just  now  the  branches,  often  3  feet  in  length,  arch  over  almost  to 
the  ground  under  the  weight  of  violet  coloured  fruit,  and  this,  together 
with  its  clean  light  green^foliage,  makes  the  plant  worth  using  in  parks 
or  large  places,  wherever  it  is  desirable  to  produce  special  autumn 
effects.  The  flowers  open  in  mid-August  here  ;  they  are  lilac-purple, 
but  small  and  inconspicuous,  although  rather  interesting,  on  account  of 
the  time  when  they  appear.  This  shrub,  which  grows  to  a  height  of 
4  or  5  feet,  is  a  native  of  Asia,  but  there  is  an  American  species  of  the 
genus  found  from  Virginia  southward  along  our  coasts.  It  is  not  hardy, 
says  an  American  journal,  as  far  north  as  New  York,  but  where  it  will 
thrive  its  violet  coloured  fruit  is  even  more  handsome  than  that  of  its 
Asiatic  relative.  Callicarpa  purpurea  can  be  raised  from  seed,  which  is 
produced  abundantly,  and  it  will  grow  in  almost  any  soil  and  with  the 
simplest  treatment. 
-  Tilia  AMERICANA. — Our  native- Basswoods,  says  an  American 
contemporary,  have  been  less  frequently  planted  than  some  of  the 
species  of  western  Europe,  and  yet  they  are  most  desirable  trees  for 
streets  and  parks.  In  good  soil  they  grow  rapidly  and  attain  large  size  ; 
the  foliage  is  abundant  and  rich,  deep  green  in  colour ;  the  flowers 
are  delightfully  fragrant,  and  much  sought  by  bees,  and  they  suffer  less 
from  insects  than  the  foreign  kinds.  A  Washington  correspondent 
writes  that  the  trying  weather  of  the  past  summer  has  also  demonstrated 
the  superiority  of  Tilia  americana  over  the  European  species  for  street 
shade  trees.  While  all  have  suffered  more  or  less  from  the  drought,  the 
European  species  lost  many  of  their  leaves  before  the  weather  began  to 
tell  on  the  native  one.  Besides  this,  it  was  scarcely  touched  by  cater¬ 
pillars  in  that  city,  while  the  others  have  suffered  very  considerably. 
The  southern  species,  T.  heterophylla,  is  rather  smaller  ;  a  graceful  tree 
with  a  pyramidal  head,  with  larger  flowers  than  those  of  T.  americana, 
while  its  leaves,  which  are  silvery  white  beneath,  give  it  a  singular 
beauty,  It  is  perfectly  hardy  here. 
-  Protecting  Trees  from  Sun  Scald.  —  More  fruit  and 
shade  trees,  says  a  transatlantic  journal,  are  believed  to  be  killed  by 
sun  scald  than  from  all  other  injuries.  Cornstalks  furnish  a  simple 
means  of  shade  and  also  protect  from  rabbits.  Split  each  cornstalk  in 
two  and  place  the  flat  side  against  the  trunk,  using  two  or  three  loosely 
woven  ties  when  the  trunk  is  surrounded.  Prof.  Samuel  B.  Green 
believes  that  the  trees  are  scalded  in  early  spring  as  well  as  in  the 
summer  and  fall,  so  the  protection  should  remain  on  the  trees  through 
the  year.  He  recommends  inclining  fruit  trees  to  the  south-west  when 
planted.  The  trunks  may  be  shaded  by  boards,  woven  laths,  close 
wire  screen,  burlap  or  thick  paper,  and  the  crotches  covered  with  hay 
rope.  A  bunch  of  corn  fodder  may  be  tied  around  the  tree. 
-  Canker  in  Fruit  Trees. — A  correspondent  writes  to  a  con¬ 
temporary  : — It  may  interest  those  who  are  troubled  with  this  disease 
in  Apple  trees  to  know  the  result  of  an  experiment  made  last  winter  at 
Gunton,  with  a  view  to  its  extermination.  A  row  each  of  Lord  Suffield 
and  Potts’  Seedling  Apples  in  bush  form  were  affected  with  this  malady, 
so  much  so,  indeed,  that  there  was  scarcely  a  clean  branch  visible  in 
any  one  of  the  trees.  Soluble  paraffin  was  mixed  with  dry  powdered 
clay  and  made  of  the  consistency  of  paint,  being  afterwards  well  rubbed 
into  the  affected  parts  with  a  rough  painter’s  brush.  The  result  was 
that  all  the  diseased  portions  healed  up,  and  at  the  present  time  the 
trees  present  a  very  healthy  appearance.  No  doubt  canker  is  often 
encouraged  by  the  roots  being  in  an  unsuitable  medium,  but  some 
varieties  are  prone  to  canker  in  any  soils  and  when  well  treated,  hence 
the  value  of  the  above  remedy. 
EXHIBITION  QUALITY  IN  POTATOES. 
It  is  very  evident  that  we  are  yet  a  long  way  from  the  Millennium 
so  far  as  relates  to  consistency  as  well  as  wisdom  in  flower  show  judging. 
What  the  publication  of  the  code  of  judging  now  in  course  of  prepara¬ 
tion  may  ultimately  lead  to  it  is  difficult  to  say.  Much,  doubtless, 
depends  on  how  far  that  code  may  be  regarded  as  a  text  book  by 
judges  and  committees,  but  the  need  for  some  such  code  and  general 
acceptance  of  its  requirements  seem  to  be  as  great  as  ever. 
Recollecting  how  very  effective  in  creating  better  ideas  with  respect 
to  Potatoes  at  exhibitions  were  the  old  International  Potato  shows,  and 
also  how  a  remarkable  development  in  form,  quality,  and  general  excel¬ 
lence,  even  at  those  shows,  grew  with  them,  1  was  hardly  prepared  to 
find  such  astonishing  Potato  exhibits  as  were  seen  recently  at  an 
important  vegetable  show  at  Reading.  True,  the  show  was  one 
organised  by  Mr.  Fidler,  who  is  great  in  Potatoes,  for  his  own  trade 
purposes,  but  there  were  all  the  same  representative  collections  from 
Kent,  Hants,  Warwick,  Stafford,  Oxford,  Somerset,  and  other  counties, 
and  the  marked  feature  of  the  huge  collection  of  tubers  was  that  whilst 
some  counties  sent  perfectly  gigantic  samples,  others  sent  those  that 
were  for  size,  evenness,  and  appearance  almost  perfect. 
The  assumption  is  that  very  different  ideas  as  to  judging  rule  in 
various  places,  and  that  there  are  some  where  mere  size  dominates  every 
other  consideration.  No  doubt  it  was  disappointing  to  exhibitors  of 
twelve  dishes  of  giant  tubers,  not  unhandsome  for  their  size,  weighing 
from  16  to  20  ozs.  each,  and  in  their  homes  regarded  as  invincible,  to 
find  that  tubers  barely  one-half  of  their  size  were  placed  in  preference. 
Thus  Kent,  through  an  old  international  exhibitor,  Mr.  Chopping  of 
SIttingbourne,  with  singularly  beautiful  bright  medium-sized  samples, 
was  to  those  who  previously  had  not  seen  such  samples,  a  valuable 
object  lesson  ;  indeed,  it  would  have  been  difficult  in  any  other  vege¬ 
tables  to  have  furnished  more  striking  diversities  than  was  in  this  class. 
Hants  came  next,  for  Mr.  Bowerman  of  Hackwood,  who  was  so  strong 
with  handsome  vegetables  in  other  classes,  had  beautiful  clear-skinned 
samples,  but  generally  lacked  that  marked  distinctness,  which  charac¬ 
terised  the  Kentish  tubers. 
Of  white  kidneys,  Snowdrop,  Reading  Giant,  and  Colossal  ;  of 
coloured.  Edgegote  Purple  and  Mottled  Beauty ;  of  white  rounds. 
Challenger  and  Prizewinner  ;  and  of  coloured,  Lillie  Langtry,  white 
striped  red,  and  Sutton’s  Gem,  purple  fleshed  white,  were  all  very 
handsome.  This  latter  variety  is,  curiously  enough,  a  pure  sport  from 
Vicar  of  Laleham,  and  is  very  distinct  and  handsome,  whilst  Lillie 
Langtry  is  a  seedling  from  the  same  variety.  Fidler’s  Hercules,  a 
strong-growing  round,  has  tubers  marked  much  like  those  of  Lillie 
Langtry.  Mr.  Bresee  seems  to  be  regarded  by  some  growers  as  the  best 
red  kidney,  but  it  is  of  bad  quality.  The  old  International  cropped  up 
under  other  appellations,  and  as  handsome  as  ever. 
No  doubt  Potatoes  do  generally  run  very  large  this  season,  but  then 
if  a  grower  can  pick  out  huge  tubers  that  are  fairly  presentable,  it  is  so 
obvious,  did  he  better  understand  what  is  held  to  be  Potato  quality,  that 
he  could  gather  from  hia  crop  a  far  greater  number  of  very  handsome 
tubers  much  less  in  size.  It  was  interesting  to  learn  that  whilst  the 
competition  in  Potatoes  was  this  year  very  large,  yet  that  quality  was 
on  the  average  much  better  than  last  year.  No  doubt  there  will  be  as 
a  result  of  this  year’s  judging  even  greater  advance,  and  it  is  thus  hoped 
that  size  will  disappear  before  the  advance  of  quality.  The  show  held 
in  the  Corn  Exchange  was  entirely  free  to  all,  was  open  two  days,  and 
was  visited  by  thousands  of  persons. — Specialist. 
