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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER 
September  5,  1901. 
CORRESPONDENTS 
All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should  be  directed 
to  “  The  Editor,”  12,  mitre  Court  Chambers,  Fleet  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. 
Zephyranthes  Candida  {A.  L.). — You  will  find  this  pretty  bulbous 
plant  useful  for  the  purpose  of  edging  shady  walks  where  there  may  not 
be  an  urgent  need  fer  any  stouter  edging.  In  light  soil,  and  kept 
moist,  you  will  have  a  serviceable  return  of  pure  white,  somewhat 
•Crocus-like  flowers  at  this  season  of  the 
year.  Plant  the  bulbs  3^  inches  deep  in 
the  springtime.  During  winter  it  is 
advisable  to  slightly  cover  the  bulbs 
with  a  protective  dressing,  such  as  leaf 
soil.  Zephyr  Flower  and  Swamp  Lily 
are  colloquial  names  applied  to  plants 
of  the  genus  Zephyranthes. 
is  Magnolia  Lenne  Hardy?  ( J .  C.  S.)' 
— This  variety,  M.  obovata  Lenne  is  a 
hardy  deciduous  shrub,  or  low  tree, 
and  succeeds  admirably  outdoors,  but 
is  all  the  better  for  a  sheltered  situ¬ 
ation,  and  flowers  in  April  or  May. 
We  have  it  very  fine  in  a  position 
sheltered  from  the  north  by  trees  at  a 
distance,  and  also  from  east  and  west 
winds,  but  not  so  near  as  to  shade  the 
Magnolias.  The  soil  is  of  a  loamy 
nature,  inclined  to  be  gravelly,  with  a 
gravelly  subsoil,  and  this  incumbent 
on  chalk  with  flints.  The  plant  would 
be  best  planted  out,  or  if  kept  in 
the  pot  this  must  be  plunged  over 
the  rim. 
Tool  for  Ascertaining  Moisture  of 
Soil — Apple  Trees  with  Holes  in  Leaves 
— Cox’s  orange  Pippin  not  Blossoming 
(C.  C.  E.). — Yes,  there  is  a  tool  to 
take  a  sample  of  the  soil  from  2  to 
3  feet  deep  in  order  to  ascertain  if  it 
be  moist  or  otherwise,  and  it  is  called 
the  “  Subsoil  Tester,”  and  is  an  excel¬ 
lent  implement  for  determining  the 
condition  of  the  subsoil.  It  is  made  of 
wrought  iron  galvanised  with  turned 
hardwood  handle,  price  5s.,  or  nickel 
handle  7s.  6d.,  and  is  sold  by  Messrs. 
Wood  &  Son,  Limited,  Wood  Green, 
London,  N.  The  leaves  of  the  Apple 
trees  full  of  small  holes  when  expanded 
may  have  been  attacked  by  small 
caterpillars  as  suggested,  but  is  more 
likely  the  work  of  beetles  or  weevils, 
especially  as  you  never  found  any 
caterpillars  on  the  trees,  the  other 
pests  being  nocturnal  in  their  feeding 
habits.  Spraying  with  Paris  green 
betimes  would  certainly  have  mitigated 
the  damage,  if  not  prevented  it  entirely. 
The  practice  of  spraying  with  Paris 
green  is  an  excellent  one,  especially 
when  in  combination  with  dilute  Bor¬ 
deaux  mixture,  so  as  to  settle  leaf¬ 
eating  pests  and  also  prevent  fungoid 
attacks.  Spraying  should  oommence 
before  the  buds  unfold,  again  just 
before  the  blossoms  expand,  and  again 
as  soon  as  the  petals  have  fallen, 
repealing  yet  again  in  about  a  fort¬ 
night  or  three  weeks  after  the  third 
spraying.  Perhaps  the  Cox’s  Orange 
Pippin  would  blossom  more  regularly 
if  supplied  with  superphosphate  of 
lime  10  parts,  and  double  sulphate  of 
potash  and  magnesia  5  parts,  adding 
part  sulphate  of  iron,  and  applying 
Zephyranthes  Candida 
4  ozs.  of  the  mixture  per  square  yard  in  the  autumn  after  the  leaves 
have  fallen  and  the  pruning  effected,  extending  from  the  stem  to 
a  little  beyond  the  spread  of  the  branches.  It  should  be  very  lightly 
pointed  in.  Thanks  for  the  note  that  “  Allington  ”  Aople  is  doing 
very  well,  and  promises  to  be  one  of  our  very  best  dessert  varieties, 
though,  in  quality  not  in  the  same  street  with  Cox’s  Orange  Pippin. 
Also  glad  the  Roses  have  been  very  good,  than  which  no  greater 
proof  can  be  be  had  than  of  “  some  5000  persons  honouring  you 
with  a  visit  in  one  week.” 
Good  Effects  of  Thinning  Fruit  Blossoms. — Last  spring  my  Duchess 
Apple  promised  to  be  full  of  bloom,  but  at  a  very  early  stage  I  noticed 
it  did  not  look  at  all  healthy,  and  as  I  did  not  think  it  forward  enough 
for  frost  to  have  affected  it,  I  determined  to  examine  a  truss  of  bloom 
by  thinning  it.  i  think  I  may  say  I  took  away  three  out  of  every  five 
blooms,  and  in  nearly  every  truss  of  bloom  I  discovered  a  tiny  grub  or 
maggot,  which  I  considered  was  quite  sufficient  to  account  for  the 
unhealthy  appearance  of  the  bloom  buds,  although  my  other  trees 
looked  all  right.  I  ventured  to  thin  the  bloom  on  them  at  the  same 
rate  ;  in  all  three  oases  the  result  has  been  most  satisfactory.  I  have 
known  Cox’s  Orange  many  years,  but  have  never  seen  the  fruit  so  fine 
before,  and  my  little  Ingestries  are  quite  big,  and  a  truss  of  bloom 
rut  at  the  present  time.  I  shall  not 
hesitate  to  thin  bloom  again.  I  believe 
every  flower  I  left  set  fruit  in  each 
variety.  I  have  had  much  practice 
in  thinning  fruit  of  different  kinds, 
but  never  to  thin  bloom  before. — 
Alice  Baker.  [Your  experience  is 
very  valuable,  and  the  record  of  it 
cannot  be  otherwise  than  instructive 
and  useful  to  the  many  readers  of  the 
Journal  of  Horticultu* e.  The  “  tiny 
grub  or  maggot”  you  discovered  in 
the  blossom  was  probably  that  of  the 
Apple  -  blossom  weevil,  Anthononus 
pomorum,  which  makes  a  small  hole 
in  an  unopened  flower  bud  by  means 
of  its  little  jaws,  placed  at  the  ex¬ 
tremity  of  the  long  curved  proboscis 
or  snout,  with  which  these  long-nosed 
weevils  are  furnished.  She — it  is  the 
female — then  lays  one  egg  in  the  hole, 
and  with  the  help  of  her  probosois, 
closes  the  opening  ;  she  then  goes  on 
to  another  bud,  and  may  continue  egg- 
laying  for  some  time.  The  larvae,  or 
grubs,  hatch  out  in  about  a  week,  and 
though  the  bud  grows,  and  the  petals 
are  of  the  usual  colour,  the  blossoms 
presently  wither,  and  inside,  in  place 
of  the  stamens  and  pistillate  organs, 
which  have  been  destroyed,  is  found 
a  curved,  fleshy,  whitish,  wrinkled 
maggot,  legless,  with  a  few  hairs,  and 
a  blaok  horny  head.  Thus  the  grub 
destroys  the  blossom  and  the  prospect 
of  fruit.  The  plan  you  adopted  is  an 
excellent  one,  as  the  Apple-blossom 
weevil  grubs  are  not  only  got  rid  of, 
and  future  mischief  prevented  in  the 
following  season  so  far  as  they  are 
concerned,  but  the  weakly  blossoms, 
quite  apart  from  the  “  tiny  grub  or 
maggot”  in  your  case,  are  removed, 
and  as  these  are  not  likely  to  set, 
or  if  setting,  fruit  not  calculated  to 
swell  properly,  the  nutriment  they 
would  appropriate  is  set  free,  aod 
concentrated  on  the  blossoms  and 
embryonic  fruit.  This  is  favourable 
to  a  good  set  and  swelling  of  the 
fruit  in  the  early  stages,  and  it  is 
continued  right  along,  as  there  are 
relatively  fewer  fruits,  and  they  attain 
to  higher  perfection  in  consequence. 
The  fact  of  removing  the  small,  puDy 
blossoms,  and  reserving  the  finest 
and  most  promising,  implies  greater 
advantages  for  the  superior  fruit  si  ¬ 
ting,  and  it  is  a  practice  too  little 
performed,  many  trees  blossoming  too 
freely,  and  often  producing  indifferei  t 
fruit,  for  no  other  reason  than  over- 
flowering,  while  in  some  cases  the 
trees  cast  all  the  “  fruit  ”  through 
exhaustion  in  flowering,  which  timely 
thinniDg  of  the  blossom  in  not  a  few 
instances  would  have  prevented.  By 
all  means  thin  your  blossoms.] 
