Juno  26,  1902. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
563 
*  All  eorresponclenee  relating  to  e<litorial  matters  shonlcl  be  directed 
to  The  Editor,”  12,  Mitre  Court  Chambers,  Fle^t  Street, 
London,  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. 
GRAFTING  AND  DDDDING  ON  THORNS  (F.).— Be.sides 
the  Medlar  and  Quince,  the  Pear  will  succeed,  but  we  do  not  know 
cf  any  other  fruit. 
HIPPEASTRUMS  (H.  J.). — Messrs.  J.  Veitch  and  Sons, 
Limited,  the  Royal  Exotic  Nurseries,  Chelsea,  make  a  speciality 
cf  these  plants,  more  so  than  any  other  firm  we‘  can  name. 
THICK-NECKED  ONIONs'  (T.  H.  W.).— There  are  various 
causes  contributing  to  this  deformity — one  being  spurious  seed  ; 
another  a  wet,  cold,  or  late  situation  ;  and  another  the  insects, 
only  the  latter  evil  results  in  a  sort  of  bladder-like  formation 
rather  than  a  thick  neck.  In  general,  if  good  seed^  be  obtained 
and  sown  sufficiently  early  on  dry  ground,  and  the  season  becomes 
moderately  dry  and  fine.  Onions  cf  proper  size  and  shape  will  be 
formed,  either  larger  or  smaller  as  the  character  of  the  ground 
and  their  cultivation  is  attended  to.  But  if  the  situation  is 
damp  their  growth  is  prolonged  too  late  in  the  season,  and  a 
number  of  thick-necked  only  half-ripened  bulbs  will  be  the  re.sult. 
In  such  places  a  good  dressing  cf  charcoal  elust  at  the  time  of 
sowing  will  be  beneficial,  in  addition  to  thorough  drainage  and  as 
much  road  sand  as  can  be  had,  or  anything  that  will  tenet  to 
make  the  ground  drier  and  more  porous. 
CELTIVATING  CARNATIONS  (A.  L.  R.).— Carnations 
may  be  grown  well  in  prepared  beds  or  borders,  an  open  but 
sheltered  position  being  chosen,  and  the  ground  ridged  up  ii’^ 
the  autumn  for  exposure  to  the  sweetening  influence  of  winti\v 
weather,  and  the  extermination  of  insects.  At  the  same  time 
a  dressing  of  soot  and  lime,  mixed,  may  with  advantage  be 
well  incoiTiorated  with  the  soil  for  the  destruction  of  these 
pests,  especially  wireworni,  which  is  a  very  troublesome  insect 
in  Carnation  culture.  An  addition  of  leaf  soil  and  sharp  sand 
should  also  be  made  if  the  soil  is  stiff  or  clayey.  The  plants 
should  be  put  out  in  March,  about  1ft  apart  each  way ;  more 
space  may  be  allowed  between  the  lines  if  desirable,  according 
to  the  size  or  shape  of  the  bed.  Keep  the  beds  clean,  and 
when  drj'  thoroughly  watered.  As  the  buds  expand,  occasional 
doses  of  liquid  manure  rvill  be  found  beneficial.  It  will  also 
be  necessary  to  thin  the  buds  if  large  blooms  are  required. 
The  blossom  stalks  require  staking  in  order  to  display  the 
flowers,  and  to  keep  them  from  being  soiled.  Carnations  are 
also  grown  in  pots,  for  which  you  will  find  excellent  instructions 
in  “  Hardy  Florists’  Flowers,”  by  James  Douglas,  who  would  pro¬ 
bably  be  able  to  supply  you  with  a  copy,  as  he  still  is  a  great 
grower,  and,  if  not,  give  particulars  of  one  affording  the  most 
practical  information  on  Carnation  cultivation.  His  address 
is  Edensid^,  Great  Bookham,  Surrey. 
TOMATO  ROOT  AND  STEM  DISEASED  (Puzzled).— The 
root,  as  you  sajq  was  badly  clubbed,  being  affected  in  the  root- 
stem  and  roots  near  it  with  root-knot  eelworm  (Heterodera 
radicicola),  whilst  the  long  wiry  roots  were  Cjuite  clean  and 
healthy,  quite  free  from  knots  or  excrescences,  also  brownness, 
as  occurs  in  cases  of  attack  from  sleeping  disease,  Fusarium 
lycopersici.  The  stem  at  its  junction  with  the  soil  was  clear  of 
the  perforations  in  the  woody  tissues,  and  also  of  the  brown¬ 
ness  that  appeared  higher  up  in  the  stem.  Just  above  the 
collar  there  was  a  deep  crack  in  the  stem,  and  from  this  point 
upwards  the  stem  was  perforated,  or  tunnelled,  vertically,  and 
the  adjacent  tissue  browned.  This  part  of  the  stem  appears  to 
have  been  burrowed  into  by  some  insect,  probably  the  Potato- 
stalk  weevil,  Trichobaris  trinotata,  with  which  the  “  worm  ” 
found  in  the  soil  accords,  and  is  the  first  instance  that  has 
come  under  our  ob.^ervation  in  the  matter  of  the  Tomato  plant, 
as  also  is  the  affection  of  the  stem  by  sleeping  disease  started 
at  the  collar  and  not  from  the  root.  There  is  no  remedy  for 
such  plant  but  to  pull  it  up  and  burn  it  as  soon  as  possible, 
including  the  root  portion.  Beyond  dressing  the  soil  with 
21b  of  basic  slag  phosphate  and  12oz  of  kainit  per  square  yard, 
digging  in  a  spit  deep,  and  after  remaining  a  month  or  six 
weeks  turning  oyer  so  as  to  mix  u-ell.  This  was  first  recorded 
in  the  “Journal  of  Horticulture”  by  Mr.  W.  Dyke  as  preventive 
of  eelworm  attack  and  useful  against  .sleeping  disease.  The 
only  remedy  for  the  grubs  at  present  known '  is  to  plant  as 
soon  as  they  are  found  wilting  and  burn  them. 
BLUE  CORNFLOWER  (H.  J.). — A  somewhat  shaded  border 
where  moisture  i.s  not  lacking,  and  a  good  loamy  soil  exi.rfs,  will 
be  found  best  for  the  culture  of  these  plants,  and  from  which  you 
will  get  the  deepest  coloured  flowers. 
INSECT  TO  NAME  (J.  T.).— The  insect  is  the  well-known 
wasp  beetle.  Clytus  arietes,  and  belongs  to  the  longicome.s. 
The  colour  is  black,  variegated  with  yellow.  The  b-.‘etlo  is 
common,  and  may  be  found  crawling  on  hedges  or  in  gardens, 
where  it  is  often  taken  for  a.  wasp,  on  account  of  its  colouring. 
The  laiwa  or  grub  is  to  be  found  in  dead  wood,  such,  for  example, 
as  old  decaying  posts  and  stumps  of  dead  trees,  your  specimens 
being  from  the  dead  and  dried  rvocd  of  an  Apple  tree,  wdiich,  as 
you  say,  has  been  honeycombed  by  the  insect. 
FRUIT  TREES  BLOSSOMING  ONLY  AT  THE  SHOOT 
ENDS  (,T.  H.  W.).^ — In  general  all  our  hardy  fruits,  as  Apples, 
Pears,  and  Plums,  produce  most  fruit  near  their  extremities,  the 
spurs  bearing  the  fruit  blossoms  being  most  abundant  on  the  wood 
that  is  two,  three,  or  four  years  old,  the  older  portion  of  the  tree 
becoming  less  fruitful,  although  not  entirely  so  if  pruning  be 
attended  to.  In  all  cases  the  wood  of  greater  age  than  that 
alluded  to  bears  more  sparingly  than  that  ivhich  is  younger. 
Training  young  shoots  from  the  centre  of  the  tree,  if  it  is  against 
a  wall,  will  in  a  measure  restore  fruitfulness  in  places  wTiere 
wanted,  but  it  is  not  so  successful  with  open  standards  ;  never¬ 
theless,  much  may  be  done  by  pruning,  .still  in  most  cases  the 
greatest  quantity  of  fruit  and  that  which  is  best  is  produced  near 
the  extremities,  and  ive  see  no  objection  to  this  in  the  ca.se  of  the 
kinds  cf  fruit  alluded  to.  Good  management  ought  to  insure  an 
even  crop  of  Peaches  all  over  the  tree,  and  the  same  may  be  said 
to  be  the  case  with  Morello  Cherries,  Gooseberries,  and  Currants. 
Much,  cf  cour.se,  depends  on  the  health  and  vigour  cf  the  tree, 
the  character  of  the  season,  and  other  features. 
NAMES  OF  PLANTS.—  Corres'pondents  whose  queries  are  un¬ 
answered  in  the  present  issue  are  respectfully  requested  to  consult  the 
following  number.  (Zoo). — 1,  Bliododendron  ferrugineum  var.  myrti- 
folium;  '2.  Collutea  arborescens;  3.  Cornus  mas  variegata;  4,  Veronica 
sp.  ;  5.  Ro))inia  liispida.  (Sot.). —  1.  Pernettya  niueronata  :  2, 
Rhododendron  einnaljarinum ;  3.  Erica cinerea  alba  minor;  4,  E.c.  ])nr- 
purea;  5.  Kalmia  angustifolia  rubra :  6,  Cotoneaster  frigida.  (.1.  B.). — 
1.  Magnolia  ti-ipetala  ;  2.  Buddlea  globosa ;  3.  Cornus  mas  variegata  ; 
4,  Tamarix  tetrandra ;  5.  Begonia  Lafayette.  (F.  S.). — 1,  Iris  sibiriea  : 
2!  Tliunia  (Pbaius)  allia  ;  3,  Rosa  rubrifolia. 
Note  to  Readers. — We  request  those  of  our  readers  who  may 
experience  any  difficulty  in  obtaining  copies  of  this  Journal 
regularly  to  be  good  enough  to  acquaint  us  with  the  fact. 
A  well-known  agricultural  paper  has  a  column  headed 
“Fruits  of  Observation,”  and  it  struck  us  never  had  we 
seen  a  happier  heading.  It  was  a  happy  thought, 
equal  to  anything  ever  suggested  by  F.  C.  Burnand.  We 
never  poach,  so  we  dare  not  adopt  that  title  for  any  of  our 
little  efforts  ;  but  in  the  Journal  of  June  12  we  read  direc¬ 
tions  as  to  the  making  of  Pot-pourri,  and  that  recalled  to 
our  memory  a  brisk  supper  party  of  long  ago,  where  a 
facetious  bachelor  treated  us  to  a  delicious  dish  of  what  he 
called  Pot-pourri,  and  which  proved  to  be  a  mixtiire  ot 
partridges,  mutton  chops,  sweetbreads,  and  other  delight.s. 
Sometimes  a  mixture  of  topics  is  preferable  to  one  dull 
article  ;  it  makes  a  bit  lighter  reading. 
We  hark  back  again  to  June  12.  Note  what  Mr  H.  H. 
Raschen  says  about  turning  “the  decaying  gentleman  farmer 
into  a  fruit-grower  or  nurseryman.  Now,  this  would  be  a 
good  solution  of  the  difficulty  if  it  could  only  be  managed. 
We  know  there  are  many  farmers  who  are  also  keen 
gardeners  so  far  as  their  knowledge  goes  ;  but  they  would 
practicfilly  hcivG  thG  businGSs  to  iGcirn,  <incl  w  nilc  they  weie 
learning  it  and  gaining  experience  in  marketing  there  could 
not  be  anvthing  very  great  in  the  way  of  profit.  Also  to  Vie 
successful  fruit-growers  there  must  be  fixity  of  tenure,  or, 
better  still,  the  fruit  land  must  be  their  own.  We  know  of  a 
case  at  present  where  the  difficulty  of  getting  land  is  in- 
