64 
Journal  op  horticulture  and  cottage  gardener. 
January  16,  18S6. 
%°  All  correspondence  should  be  directed  either  to  “  Thb 
Editor  ’’  or  to  “  The  Publisher.5'  Letters  addressed  to 
Dr.  Hogg  or  members  of  the  staff  often  remain  unopened 
unavoidably.  We  request  that  no  one  will  write  privately 
to  any  of  our  correspondents,  as  doing  so  subjects  them  to 
unjustifiable  trouble  and  expense. 
Correspondents  should  not  mix  up  on  the  same  sheet  questions 
relating  to  Gardening  and  those  on  Bee  subjects,  and  should 
never  send  more  than  two  or  three  questions  at  once.  All 
articles  intended  for  insertion  should  be  written  on  one  side  of 
the  paper  only.  We  cannot  reply  to  questions  through  the  post, 
and  we  do  not  undertake  to  return  rejected  communications. 
Asparagus  (G.  B.). — We  cannot  give  you  the  desired  information, 
bat  will  make  inquiries.  Yours  is  the  first  question  we  have  received 
on  this  particular  subject. 
Purchasing  Greenhouse  (J.  JR  "). — As  you  signed  an  agreement 
in  which  the  number  of  grates  and  boilers  is  specified,  and  if  you  have 
no  written  evidence  of  the  length  of  piping,  we  suspect  it  would  be 
presumed  in  law  that  the  pipes  were  included  in  the  bulk,  and  that  you 
are  liable  to  be  bound  by  your  agreement. 
Office  (TP.  S.). — We  are  obliged  by  your  references.  Can  you 
remember  the  day  and  about  the  time  of  the  call  ?  We  very  much  fear 
that  our  reply  to  the  other  section  of  your  letter  has  been  lost  in  transit 
to  the  printers.  If  you  will  oblige  by  repeating  the  information  you 
desire,  the  matter  shall  have  careful  attention. 
Orchids  Resting  (Inquirer'). — To  answer  your  query  at  all 
serviceably  is  quite  impossible,  for  your  list  comprises  many  hundreds 
of  kinds,  requiring  widely  differing  treatment  in  respect  of  their  resting 
and  growing  seasons.  Full  directions  as  to  most  of  the  popular  forms  in 
the  genera  you  name  appear  occasionally  in  this  Journal,  and  in  a  general 
way  we  must  refer  you  to  them  for  information.  If  there  are  any  special 
kinds  you  possess,  and  you  are  not  quite  sure  of  the  treatment  required 
by  them,  you  had  better  send  again,  naming  the  species  and  what  you 
wish  to  know  about  them,  we  will  then  do  all  in  our  power  to  help  you. 
lou  may  take  it,  however,  as  a  general  rule  that  the  resting  season  for 
Orchids  is  during  the  winter  months,  and  also  that  new  growth  usually 
starts  in  early  or  late  spring  according  to  the  species. 
Chemical  Manure  for  Vines  (J,  F.  C.). — There  is  no  reason 
why  nitrate  of  potash  (saltpetre)  should  not  be  used  instead  of  muriate 
of  potash  and  nitrate  of  soda  but  that  of  expense.  The  mixture  you 
propose— namely,  3£  lbs.  superphosphate  and  3  lbs.  nitrate  of  potash— 
would  cost  double  that  given  on  January  2nd  without  any  advantage  as 
regards  potash  and  nitrogen,  and  no  better  unless  there  was  an  excess 
of  acid  (hydrochloric)  and  the  soda  acted  deleteriously,  which  would  be 
obviated  by  adding  1^  lb.  sulphate  of  lime  to  the  mixture.  Probably 
the  best,  and  certainly  the  most  expensive  chemical  manure  for  Vines  is 
dissolved  bones,  three  parts  (or  pounds)  ;  nitrate  of  potash,  one  and  half 
part ;  and  sulphate  of  lime,  one  and  half  part,  mixed,  using  1  to  2  lbs. 
to  the  square  yard  as  an  early  dressing  or  when  starting,  and  repeating  at 
intervals  of  three  or  four  weeks,  after  the  Vines  are  in  full  leaf,  during 
the  season,  according  as  the  Vines  appear  to  require  nourishment.  If  the 
Vines  do  not  usually  colour  well  add  half  pound  sulphate  of  magnesia  to 
the  mixture. 
Chemical  Manure  for  Fruit  Trees  ( S .  S.)  —The  following  has 
been  used  with  considerable  success  by  our  advice  : — Bone  superphos¬ 
phate,  four  parts  (lbs.  or  cwts.)  ;  muriate  of  potash,  one  part ;  sulphate 
of  ammonia,  half  part;  sulphate  of  magnesia,  quarter  part;  mixed. 
Use  4  ozs.  per  square  yard  from  the  stem  to  1  foot  beyond  the  spread  of 
branches,  or  broadcast  over  all  ground  7  lbs.  per  rod,  10  cwts.  per  acre. 
If  chalky  supply  nitrate  of  soda  instead  of  sulphate  of  ammonia.  Apply 
early  in  the  spring,  and  if  more  growth  is  wanted  supply  £  oz.  per 
Bquare  yard,  ^  lb.  per  rod,  80  lbs.  per  acre  of  sulphate  of  ammonia  (if 
loamy),  or  nitrate  of  soda  (if  chalky)  when  the  fruit  is  fairly  set  and 
swelling,  and  again  when  half  grown.  But  you  want  something  cheap 
and  effective.  The  following  is  the  best  we  have  experience  of  being 
used  for  bush  and  outdoor  fruit  trees  (except  Peaches  and  other  tender 
fruits).  In  the  autumn  or  early  in  the  spring  a  mixture  of  equal  parts 
superphosphate  of  lime  and  kainit  should  be  spread  over  the  ground 
under  the  branches  and  for  a  foot  beyond,  at  the  rate  of  3£  lbs.  per  rod. 
The  ground  should  then  be  pointed  over  and  left  till  spring,  then,  when 
growth  begins,  sow  the  land  with  nitrate  of  soda,  crushed  fine,  2\  lbs.  per 
rod  on  a  dry  soil,  2  lbs.  if  the  ground  be  damp.  The  roots  bv  that  time 
will  have  become  active,  and  they  will  grasp  the  nitrate  for  diffusion  to 
the  growing  parts  as  required.  For  economic  reasons  half  the  nitrate 
only  need  be  given  in  the  early  spring,  reserving  the  other  half  until  the 
crop  is  assured,  then  supplying  it  when  the  fruit  is  fairly  set  and  swell¬ 
ing,  or  withholding  it  if  the  set  is  not  good. 
Black  Currant  Buds  Infested  by  Mites  (J.  P.). — The  buds  on 
the  growths  sent  by  you  are  attacked  by  the  Black  Currant  bud  mite 
(Phytoptus  ribis).  The  mites  swarm  in  the  large  buds  from  the  egg  to 
the  four-legged  creatures.  The  buds,  now  the  size  of  a  Pea,  should  be 
cut  off  and  burned,  leaving  the  small  ones,  which,  so  far  as  we  can 
discover,  are  not  affected.  It  is  possible  they  may  escape  the  attention 
of  the  mites  if  the  buds  now  infested  be  promptly  removed.  We  also 
advise  spraying  with  soluble  petroleum,  which  may  be  procured  from 
most  nurserymen,  following  the  instructions  as  to  dilution,  and  operating 
on  a  fine  day. 
Rating  nurserymen's  Greenhouses  (J.H.  B.). — It  is  certainly 
legal  to  rate  greenhouses,  but  the  following  report  of  a  test  case,  which 
went  before  the  Supreme  Court  in  1887,  may  assist  you  in  getting  a 
reduction  : — This  case  raised  the  question  whether  glass  houses  and 
greenhouses  in  which  fruit,  flowers,  and  vegetables  are  grown  for  market 
are  to  be  rated  at  their  full  rateable  value,  or  only  at  one-fourth  value 
by  virtue  of  sub-sec.  1  (b)  of  sec.  211  of  the  Public  Health  Act,  1875, 
which  provides,  inter  alia ,  that  ‘market  gardens  or  nursery  grounds ’ 
shall  be  assessed  in  respect  of  one-fourth  part  only  of  the  nett  annual  value. 
The  special  case  found  that  George  Purser,  the  appellant,  was  a  grower 
of  fruit,  vegetables  and  flowers,  carrying  on  business  at  Worthing,  and 
describing  himself  as  a  ‘  market  gardener  and  nurseryman,’  and  that  he 
was  the  occupier  of  a  piece  of  land  of  about  1  acre  1  rood  upon  which 
were  sixteen  glass  houses  or  greenhouses  of  various  sizes,  used  by  the 
appellant  for  the  purpose  of  growing  Tomatoes,  Cucumbers,  Grapes, 
flowers,  &c.,  in  the  course  of  his  business.  The  appellant  had  been  rated 
at  the  full  rateable  value  in  respect  of  this  property  under  the  descrip¬ 
tion  of  ‘  greenhouses.’  After  hearing  counsel  on  both  sides  Mr.  Justice 
Day  said  he  did  not  doubt  for  a  moment  that  this  ground  was  within  the 
exemption  and  should  be  properly  rated  on  the  one-fourth  scale.  His 
Lordship  considered  this  a  market  garden.  It  was  a  place  used  to 
garden  in,  and  gardening  was  a  term  commonly  applied  to  agricultural 
production  of  any  kind  on  a  small  scale.  His  Lordship  could  not  see 
that  the  garden  was  less  a  garden  because  it  was  wholly  or  partly  under 
glass,  or  otherwise  protected  from  the  weather,  or  because  it  had  walls  or 
a  roof.  It  was  still  a  garden,  and  in  this  case  it  was  a  market  garden, 
because  it  was  used  for  producing  fruit,  flowers,  and  vegetables  for 
market.  Mr.  Justice  Wills  was  of  the  same  opinion,  and  the  rate  was 
ordered  to  be  amended  accordingly. 
Blind  Chrysanthemum  Buds — Mite  and  Mildew  (S.). — 
The  buds  have  had  the  embryonic  florets  eaten  off  by  3ome  pest ;  hut 
though  we  examined  every  bud,  we  only  found  one  larva  and  an  egg  of 
the  Chrysanthemum  bud  mite  (Phytoptus  chrysanthemi).  This  is  later 
than  we  have  hitherto  detected  this  species  of  mite  on  Chrysanthemums. 
We  received  some  buds  that  must  have  been  infested  in  the  late 
summer,  but  there  was  nothing  to  be  found  beyond  the  devastation 
caused  by  the  microscopic  creatures.  In  your  case  and  in  that  alluded 
to,  the  ovary  part  of  the  flower  head  had  not  been  eaten  out,  nor, 
indeed  all  the  florets,  yet  the  work  was  characteristic  of  the  mites, 
and  we  have  no  doubt  was  caused  by  them.  This  bud  blindness 
has  been  common  in  some  localities  in  the  past  year,  some  growers 
having  lost  25  per  cent,  of  the  buds  “  tasen  ”  for  affording  specimen 
blooms.  The  worst  of  the  mischief  is  that  it  cannot  be  detected  until 
too  late  for  doing  anything,  and  burning  the  buds  has  little  effect  in 
preventing  the  recurrence  of  the  evil,  as  the  mites  migrate  or  have  left 
the  buds  before  it  is  discovered  that  they  are  “deaf.”  We  do  not  know 
of  anything  better  for  preventing  such  attacks  than  occasional  dustings 
of  the  plants  with  flowers  of  sulphur.  This  is  hateful  by  its  fumes 
to  all  mites,  and  seldom  does  harm  to  Chrysanthemums,  but  often 
much  good  in  keeping  them  free  from  mildew.  Perhaps  you  are  not 
aware  that  the  parasite  is  on  your  plants,  or  rather  on  the  buds  of 
those  you  sent  us.  We  did  not  notice  it  with  a  pocket  lens,  but  on 
subjecting  a  section  of  a  bud  to  a  microscopic  examination  two  very 
fine  forms  of  mildew  were  discovered.  There  was  the  familiar 
Chrysanthemum  mildew  (O'idium  chrysanthemi,  Bab.),  but  this 
was  not  nearly  so  interesting  or  important  as  the  Turnip  mildew 
growing  along  with  it,  for  the  sterile  hyphae  of  this  species  (Oi'dium 
balsami,  Mont.)  was  twice  as  stout  and  three  timeB  as  long  in  the  joints 
(septse)  as  that  of  O.  chrysanthemi,  while  the  chains  of  conidia  were 
quite  as  elongated,  but  the  conidia,  elliptical  and  truncate  at  both  ends 
(barrel-shaped),  were  twice  and,  in  some  cases,  three  times  longer,  but 
not  wider  at  the  widest  part  than  broadest  part  of  the  Chrysanthemum 
mildew  conidium.  This  led  to  a  closer  examination  and  the  discovery 
that  O.  balsami  was  only  a  magnified  form  of  O.  chrysanthemi.  Naturally 
this  so-called  species  (it  is  merely  O.  erysiphoides,  Fr.,  on  cultivated 
Chrysanthemums)  is  found  on  the  common  Mu*  wort  (Artemisia 
vulgaris),  while  that  of  0.  balsami  occurs  on  the  leaves  of  various 
species  of  Mullein  (Verbascum);  but,  so  far  as  we  have  observed, 
rarely  in  this  country,  it  being  commoner  on  Burdock  (Arctium  lappa), 
and  in  the  peiithecium  Btage  is  known  as  Erysiphe  Montagnei,  lev., 
while  that  of  0.  chrysanthemi  or  0.  erysiphoides  in  a  similar  is 
E.  Linki,  Lev.  This  has  asci  containing  two  sporiaia,  and  E.  Montagnei 
asci  with  three  to  eight  sporidia.  Upon  these  grounds  O.  balsami  cannot 
possibly  be  referred  to  E.  Montagnei,  and,  unfortunately  0.  balsami 
does  not  produce  perithecia  on  Turnips,  nor  on  any  plant  so  far  as  at 
present  known,  except  it  be  on  Artemisia  vulgaris,  and  if  so  it  (0.  balsami) 
is  only  a  form  of  E.  Linki  in  conidial  condition,  and  not  sufficiently 
developed  to  produce  perithecia  on  its  own  account.  Thus  far  your 
specimen  was  interesting  ;  but  something  more  was  singularly  striking, 
and  that  was  the  presence  of  a  perithecium  on  the  creeping  hyphae  of 
0.  balsami,  where  two  septa  of  separate  hyphee  crossed,  and  this  was  a 
