May  II,  189.9. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
383 
APPLES  AND  AMERICAN  BLIGHT— FRUIT 
TREES  ON  “OWN  ROOTS.” 
Herewith  I  send  extracts  from  a  letter  received  this  week  from 
Ulr.  Palmer,  Auckland,  New  Zealand.  Mr.  Palmer  and  myself  are 
•quite strangers,  except  that  we  both  belong  to  “The  Journal  ”  brother- 
hood,  and  I  think  it  very  kind  of  him  to  write  me  such  an  interesting 
■letter.  1  scarcely  need  say  I  have  written  thanking  him  and 
accepting  his  offer  of  cuttings,  and  shall  get  them  worked.  If  we  c.rn 
qnly  get  one  good  all-round  variety  to  resist  the  “  blight,”  and  at  the 
«ame  time  be  a  good  stock  to  work  others  on,  it  will  be  the  very  “  finest 
Apple  on  earth”  (vide  INIerry weather).  Some  parts  of  Mr.  Palmer’s 
letter  are  omitted,  as  they  are  substantially  the  same  as  his  letter  in 
the  Journal  of  IMarch  30th  last. — John  Eitle,  Weston-super-Mare. 
EXTBACT.S  FROM  MR.  PaLMER’S  LETTER. 
I  Was  mnch  interested  in  reading  your  letter  in  the  Journal  of 
Horticulture,  December  22nd,  1898,  especially  that  portion  on  American 
blight.  I  have  been  a  resident  in  the  hlorth  Island  of  New  Zealand 
for  upwards  of  forty  years,  and  from  my  first  landing  have  taken  great 
interest  in  fruit  culture  and  horticulture  geuerally.  When  first  I  came 
tt  )  this  country  very  few  of  the  Apples  grown  would  resist  the  American 
i)light  for  any  length  of  time,  both  root  and  branch  being  covered  with 
it.  I  turned  my  attention  to  finding  a  remedy,  but  could  not  succeed. 
The  great  difficulty  was  with  the  roots.  Noticing  the  Irish  Peach 
Apple  was  not  attacked,  I  thought  if  I  could  get  it  on  its  own  roots, 
and  still  find  it  clean,  it  would  answer  for  a  stock,  and  the  greatest 
difficulty  overcome  by  having  the  roots  clean,  using  something  on  the 
branches  that  would  keep  the  aphis  in  check  for  the  time  being.  I 
found  the  Irish  Peach,  as  far  as  the  roots  were  concerned^  to  answer, 
but  it  was  not  a  very  suitable  stock,  especially  for  strong  growing 
varieties. 
About  this  time  a  gentleman,  Mr.  Lippi'alt,  came  out  from  the  Old 
Country  and  brought  with  him  a  number  of  Apple  and  other  fruit 
trees.  After  they  had  been  planted  some  time  the  Apples  were 
j^ttacked  with  the  blight,  root  and  branch.  But  amongst  them  one 
variety  remained  perfectly  clean  as  far  as  the  branches  were  concerned, 
but  the  stem  below  the  graft  and  the  roots  were  atta'^ked.  The 
variety  was  the  Northern  Spy,  and  I  believe  the  first  of  that  variety 
brought  to  New  Zealand. 
1  procured  some  grafts  from  Mr.  Lippiatt  and  grafted  them  on 
peces  of  roots  of  the  Irish  Peach.  Most  of  the  grafts  grew  strongly, 
and  on  taking  them  up  at  the  following  planting  time  we  found  that 
all  the  grafts  had  thrown  out  a  mass  of  fibrous  roots  from  themselves, 
which  at  once  convinced  me  the  Spy  would  bo  a  suitable  stock  for 
other  varieties  of  Apples,  This  happened  about  thirty  years  since. 
About  that  time,  Mr.  Laing,  I  think,  of  Balhratt,  Australia,  discovere  1 
ihat  the  Winter  Majetin  Apple  was  also  a  resistant  variety,  and 
propagated  it  largely.  I  obtained  some  plants  from  him,  but  owing  to 
its  strong,  straggling,  fibreless  roots,  I  have  discarded  it  as  a  stock. 
Shortly  afterwards,  someone  in  Australia  discovered  the  Spy,  and  found 
it  the  better  stock,  and  I  believe  to-day  no  other  is  generally  used  in 
that  countr}'. 
I  know  how  difficult  it  is  to  introduce  any  change  into  old 
countries,  nor  have  I  any  interest  in  recommending  the  Spy  as  a 
stock,  further  than  trying  to  benefit  others.  Some  years  ago  I  was 
accused  by  one  of  the  correspondents  of  the  Journal  with  sinister 
ftiotives  in  so  doing.  The  writer  said  that  my  motive  in  recommending 
it  was  that  I  was  aware  of  its  unsuitability  for  the  English  climate, 
and  if  its  use  was  adopted  it  would  leave  an  opening  for  the  Australian 
grown  fruit.  Seeing  that  our  seasons  are  opposite  to  your  own,  and 
aft  the  time  our  fruit  reaches  you  your  markets  are  generally  deficient, 
I  cannot  see  where  his  remarks  apply. 
I  also  see  in  one  of  the  Journals  a  controversy  about  fruit  trees  on 
their  own  roots.  Few  people  have  tried  more  experiments  in  that  way 
than  I  have,  and  I  feel  sure  it  is  a  subject  that  wants  more  ventilating. 
By  grafting  or  budding  we  force  a  plant  to  grow  on  a  root  that  may 
not  be  congenial  to  it,  whereas  on  its  own  roots  it  adapts  itself  to 
circumstances,  producing  roots  according  to  its  nature.  I  am  not 
making  this  statement  without  foundation,  as  in  numerous  instances  I 
have  found  it  to  be  correct. 
The  two  best  Pear  orchards  of  which  I  kno\v,  the  trees  are  growing 
On  their  own  roots,  having  originally  been  worked  on  Quince  roots  and 
planted  rather  deeply,  below  the  junction.  Last  winter  during  a  gale 
of  wind  one  of  the  largest  trees  blew  over.  There  was  no  sign  of  tap 
er  deep  penetrating  roots,  yet  the  land  was  a  rich  alluvial  deposit.  The 
original  Quince  roots  were  still  alive,  but  did  not  appear  to  have  made 
much  progress.  Last  year  from  this  Pear  orchard,  some  three  acres  in 
extent,  about  £300  worth  of  fruit  was  sold.  I  know  of  numerous  fruit 
■trees  on  their  own  roots  doing  and  bearing  better  than  the  same 
varieties  alongside  grafted  on  foreign  roots.  I  am  not  setting  it  down 
as  a  bard  and  fast  rule. 
There  is  another  thing  I  would  like  to  mention  with  respect  to 
Apples  and  the  woolly  aphis,  and  that  is  the  raising  and  selecting  of 
eeedling  varieties  that  are  not  subject  to  attack.  I  think  I  could 
select  at  least  twenty  seedling  varieties  that  are  perfectly  free  from 
attack,  most  of  them  of  superior  quality.  If  you  would  like  a  few 
cuttings  I  should  be  glad  to  send  y.m  some.  Leaving  here  in  the 
month  of  June  they  reach  England  in  the  budding  season,  wh^n,  by 
taking  off  a  very  thin  slice  of  bark  with  the  bud  and  inserting  it  as  it 
is  in  a  free  growing  stock,  very  few  will  fail  to  grow  freely  another 
season.  A  short  time  since  I  received  clean  cuttings  from  Meisrs. 
Bunyard  &  Co.  I  inserted  buds  in  the  way  mentioned,  and  many  of 
them  have  shot,  nor  do  I  see  a  failure.  Should  j’ou  feel  interested  in 
what  I  have  written,  I  shall  be  much  pleased  ;  also  if  you  will  take 
the  trouble,  shall  be  glad  to  hear  from  you  in  the  meantime. — W.  J. 
Palmer,  Government  Pomologist,  North  Island,  New  Zealand. 
[  W e  are  very  much  oblige  1  to  Mr.  Ettle  for  his  letter  and  enclosure. 
Mr.  Palmer’s  interesting  letter  was  written  some  time  before  ho 
penned  his  communication  on  “  Northern  Spy  Apple  for  Stocks,” 
which  appeared  on  page  258,  March  30th  of  the  present  year.  Wo 
are  gratified  to  know  that  many  friendships  have  been  made  through 
the  “  brotherhood  of  the  Journal,”  and  not  a  few  of  many  years’ 
duration  and  mutual  advantage. 
Mr.  Palmer  is  evidently  a  close  observer,  and  quick  in  turning 
suggestive  hints  to  account.  Finding  no  American  blight  on  the 
branches  of  the  “first  tree  of  Northern  Spy  Apple  brought  into  New 
Zealand”  from  England,  but  “the  stem  below  the  graft,  also  the 
roots  attacked  ’’ — ie.,  the  stock  supporting  the  clean  Sp}',  he  com¬ 
menced  experiments,  with  the  eventual  result  of  the  Northern  Spy 
becoming  the  generally  used  stock  in  New  Zealand,  because  from 
some  scientifically  unexplained,  yet  very  practical,  reason  the  varieties 
established  on  it  were  free  from  attack  by  the  ruinous  woolly  aphis. 
We  may  perhaps  hear  more  from  Mr.  Palmer  on  this  subject. 
On  another  point  in  Mr.  Palmer’s  present  letter  we  should  like  to 
dwell  for  a  moment.  Though  we  do  not  remember  a  writer  in  our 
columns  stating  that  “  Mr.  Palmer  was  aware  of  the  unsuitableness  of 
the  American  Spy”  (as  a  stock  presumably)  “for  the  English 
climate,  and  if  its  use  was  adopted  it  would  leave  an  opening  for 
Australian  grown  fruit”  in  English  markets,  we  have  no  hesitation  in 
saying  that  such  a  sentence,  having  regard  to  existing  facts,  now 
represents  nothing  more  or  less  than  a  case  of  “antiquated  diplomacy.” 
We  do  not  know  an  English  fruit  grower  worthy  of  the  nam^  who 
deplores  the  importation  of  Australian  Apples  when  he  has  no  fruit 
of  his  own ;  but  we  do  know  of  home  growers  who  purchase  the 
Australian  produce  readily  enough,  and  would  be  rather  sorry  than 
otherwise  if  it  were  not  obtainable.  As  a  matter  of  fact,  the  most 
skilled  of  British  fruit  growers  are  wisely  adapting  themselves  to 
circumstances  more  and  more,  and  troubling  themselves  less  and  less 
about  impoitations  from  anywhere;  and  certainly  those  who  trouble 
the  least,  and  work  on  the  most  intelligent  lines,  appear  to  be  the  most 
success-ful. 
Relative  to  the  resuscitation  of  the  ancient  practice  of  growing 
Apples  and  Pears  on  their  own  roots,  we  have  nothing  to  say  at  present 
beyond  our  reaiiness  to  publish  records  of  experience  from  home  or 
colonial  cultivators.] 
PREVENTION  OF  THE  CARROT  MAGGOT. 
In  m  >ny  gardens  it  is  almost  impossible  to  grow  good  Carrots  on 
account  of  the  grub  which  so  persistently  attacks  them.  Such  has 
been  the  case  for  several  seasons  at  Cragside. 
Last  year  an  old  man  wlio.had  been  successful  in  growing  Carrots 
advised  Mr.  H.  Hudson  to  try  “  Sunlight  ”  soap  as  a  preventive,  the 
plants  to  be  syringed  once  a  week  during  May  and  June,  at  the  rate  of 
8  gallons  of  water  to  1  lb.  of  soap.  _  . 
In  the  first  week  of  August  last  I  saw  the  C^'rrots  growing  in  the 
gardens  at  Cragside  to  which  the  mixture  had  been  appli-d.  A  finer 
and  healthier  crop  it  would  be  impossible  to  see. 
In  the  month  of  September,  at  the  Alnwick  Horticultural  Society, 
Mr.  Hudson  exhibited  samples  of  the  same  Carrots,  with  which  he  won 
the  first  prize.  The  specimens  shown  were  remarkably  well  formed, 
clean,  and  beautiful. 
As  this  prevention  is  easily  applied,  and  not  costly,  it  is  to  be  hoped 
many  readers  of  “  our  Journal,”  in  different  localities,  will  lest  it 
during  this  season,  and  report  later  on. 
Many  of  them  use  “  Sunlight”  in  other  ways,  as  it  has  been  adver¬ 
tised  in  these  pages,  and  it  will  please  them  still  more  if  it  help  them 
to  secure  clean  crops  of  Carrots.  It  should  be  tried  also  against  the 
Onion  maggot.  Tne  great  thing  is  to  act  in  time. — N.  N. 
Freesias  Out  op  Doors. — I  am  sending  you  a  few  Freesias  that 
have  been  grown  outside.  The  bulbs  were  planted  [last  September 
on  a  south  border,  and  have  not  been  protected  in  any  way  from  frost. 
I  cut  my  first  blooms  on  the  5th  of  December,  1893,  and  I  daresay  I  shall 
be  able  to  cut  the  last  about  the  end  of  the  present  mpnth.  Of  course  the 
earlier  ones  were  grown  under  glass, — ARTHUR  I.EWIS,  Cappoquin,  co, 
Waterford.  [The  spikes  sent  by  our  correspondent  were  producing 
numerous  flowers  of  excellent  substance  and  delicious  fragrance.] 
