JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER.  juiy  19,  1900, 
“  Bust  on  Asparagus  {A,  G.  (?.). — As  you  do  not  mention  the  page  on 
which  the  preparation  recommended  for  the  cure  of  rust  in  Asparagus 
appeared  we  are  unable  to  refer  to  it,  hence  cannot  tell  where  it  may 
be  obtained  and  aflSrm  as  to  its  efficacy.  The  article  on  Asparagus 
disease,  by  Mr.  Abbey,  appeared  in  the  Journal  of  Horticulture, 
November  14th,  lt<95,  page  452.  The  treatment  therein  set  forth  has 
proved  very  satisfactory,  the  preventive  procedure  being  the  only  one 
of  material  use,  the  liquid  or  Bordeaux  mixture  acting  better  than 
dusting  with  the  preparations  containing  sulphate  of  copper. 
"Wireworms  Infesting  Newly  Broken  Up  Ground  (W.  TT.). — When 
the  ground  is  cleared  of  the  crops  it  may  be  dressed  with  fresh  gas 
lime,  applying  half  cwt.  per  rod,  4  tons  per  acre,  spreading  evenly  on 
the  surface,  and  leaving  for  a  month  or  six  weeks.  Before  digging  in 
the  manure  may  be  applied.  If  inconvenient  to  use  gas  lime,  dress  the 
land  with  mustard  dross,  IJ  cwt.  per  acre,  it  being  distributed  evenly 
over  all  the  ground  and  left  for  the  rain  to  wash  in.  It  can  be  used 
after  the  ground  has  been  manured  and  dug,  but  is  preferably  applied 
to  the  surface  some  time  in  advance,  as  wilh  the  gas  lime.  Another 
dressing  is  that  of  kainit,  5  cwt.  per  acre,  this  being  applied  after  the 
ground  has  been  manured  and  dug,  and  of  the  three  is  the  most 
beneficial  to  the  crops  that  are  to  be  taken,  and  is  still  more  so  if  basic 
cinder  phosphate  be  also  applied,  10  cwt.  per  acre.  The  combined 
dressing  has  considerable  manurial  value,  and  is  good  against  pests. 
The  handsome  Melon  is  most  promising  in  flavour,  and  has  great  depth 
of  scarlet  flesh. 
Diseased  Steins  and  Leaves  of  Lilium  candidum  (Anxious). — The 
specimens  are  badly  infested  with  a  minute  fungus,  Botrytis  vulgaris. 
The  plants  may  be  sprayed  with  a  solution  of  potassium  sulphide, 
commonly  called  liver  of  sulphur,  1  oz.  to  three  gallons  of  water,  but 
this  will  only  prevent  the  disease  spreading.  Black  bodies  about  the 
size  of  Kadish  seeds  are  imbedded  in  the  scales  of  the  bulbs.  Such 
bulbs  should  be  destroyed.  Good  results,  however,  have  followed 
steeping  the  bulbs  for  half  an  hour  in  a  solution  of  corrosive  sublimate, 
1  oz.  to  6J  gallons  of  water.  The  article  is  a  terrible  poison.  If  you 
prefer  the  bulbs  may  be  steeped  a  similar  time  in  potassium  sulphide, 
^  oz.  to  a  gallon  of  water.  As  a  disinfectant  for  the  land  use  gas  lime, 
1  cwt.  per  rod,  leavirpg  on  the  surface  a  month  or  six  weeks  before 
digging  in.  The  Lavatera  is  affected  with  the  same  disease  as  the 
Liliums,  and  the  seedling  Carnations  are  infested  with  spot  fungus. 
Spray  them  with  a  solution  of  sulphide  of  potassium,  1  oz.  to  3  gallons 
of  water,  give  more  air,  or  the  plants  more  room. 
Leaves  of  vines  Turning  Yellow  (T.  M.  H.).  —  The  leaf  is  not 
affected  by  any  parasite,  but  appears  thin  in  tissue  and  indifferent 
in  green  colouring  matter  or  chlorophyll.  Possibly  this  may  have  arisen 
from  defective  nutrition,  and  that  in  two  ways — one  by  the  roots  being 
attacked  and  more  or  less  injured  or  destroyed  by  the  larvae  of  insects 
or  allied  pests  piesent  in  the  turfy  loam,  a  not  unusual  occurrence,  and 
one  commonly  overlooked.  The  other  is  that  of  the  soil  not  yielding 
the  nutritive  elements  sufficiently  fast  for  the  requirements  of  the 
Vines,  or  from  there  being  some  deficiency  in  the  constituents.  As  you 
do  not  appear  to  have  used  any  manuie  or  other  fertiliser  supplying 
nitrogen,  and  this  being  the  most  important  factor  as  regards  growth, 
though  others  are  essential  or  must  be  present,  we  advise  a  top-dressing 
of  the  following  mixture  ; — Superphosphate  of  lime,  nine  parts;  nitrate 
of  potash,  five  parts;  and  sulphate  of  lime,  seven  parts,  mixed,  using 
4  ozs.  of  the  mixture  per  square  yard,  pointing  very  lightly,  or  if  the 
surface  be  rather  rough  work  in  moderately,  having  previously  made 
the  soil  moist  by  the  required  watering.  In  the  course  of  a  fortnight 
apply  a  dressing  of  soot  and  air-slaked  lime  in  equal  parts  by 
measure,  using  half  a  pound  of  the  mixture  per  square  yard  and 
pointing  in  lightly.  Soot  is  an  excellent  article  for  giving  colour  and 
health  to  the  foliage,  and  the  lime  acts  well  on  the  organic  m'atter  of 
the  turfy  loam.  It  would  also  be  advisable  to  allow  the  laterals  to 
extend  a  little  as  an  incitant  to  root  action,  but  not  allowing  them  to 
interfere  with  the  light  to  the  principal  leaves. 
Kenovating  Bowling  Green  (IF.  A'.).— Constantly  brushing  lawns, 
except  in  late  autumn  and  winter,  is  not  good.  Applying  sand  will 
have  no  beneficial  effect,  but  bone  dust,  wood  ashes,  soot,  and  fine  loam 
ought  materially  to  benefit  the  turf,  especially  when  a  dressing  is  given 
during  the  spring  months.  The  plan  that  ought  to  have  been  followed 
earlier  in  the  season,  say  about  February,  consists  of  going  over  the 
turf  with  an  iron  rake  to  loosen  the  surface  and  clear  away  any  moss 
that  might  exist,  pulling  out  or  digging  up  all  coarse  weeds.  Then 
apply  a  dressing  of  thoroughly  decayed  manure  and  fine  loam,  spreading 
it  over  the  entire  surface.  After  several  weeks  rake  the  surface 
again,  and  sow  a  good  dressing  of  soot.  In  April  the  residue  should 
be  raked  off,  and  the  entire  lawn  left  smooth  and  even  ready  to  receive 
a  sowing  of  renovating  lawn  seed  at  the  rate  of  1  bushel  per  acre. 
Spread  a  light  sprinkling  of  fine  soil  over  and  roll  at  once,  but  the 
weather  should  be  dry.  It  is  late  now  to  follow  this  plan.  The  next 
best  plan  adapted  for  the  present  time,  especially  during  moist 
weather,  would  be  to  give  a  dressing  of  1  oz.  of  nitrate  of  soda  and 
2  ozs.  of  superphosphate  to  the  square  yard,  or  a  dressing  of  the  best 
Peruvian  guano,  1  oz.  to  the  square  yard.  Shortly  after  either  of  these 
dressings  sow  some  fine  grass  seeds  at  the  rate  mentioned  above.  We 
would  recommend  these  methods  before  lifting  the  turf  as  suggested. 
Any  good  seedsman  will  supply  a  proper  mixture  of  lawn  seeds  for  the 
purpose.  It  will  be  necessary  to  keep  the  soil  moist  if  dry  weather 
sets  in,  so  that  the  seeds  may  germinate.  Do  not  cut  the  grass  so 
closely.  Set  the  machine  a  little  higher,  and  leave  the  cut  grass  on 
the  ground.  This  applies  if  you  do  not  sow  seeds.  Mowing  should  not 
be  done  for  some  time  on  newly  sown  lawns. 
Non-earthing  Potatoes  (T.  A.  C.  C  ). — The  effect  of  not  earthing-up 
Potatoes  is  that  the  crop  matures  earlier,  and  a  considerable  per¬ 
centage  of  the  tubers  are  liable  to  push  the  eye  end  through  the  soil 
and  become  green,  when  they  are  unwholesome.  In  some  districts 
Potatoes  are  grown  on  the  bed  system,  the  sets  being  planted  or 
dibbled-in  about  6  inches  deep,  and  the  beds  are  not  earthed.  When 
placed  so  deeply  there  are  few  green-ended  Potatoes,  the  earthing  being 
a  necessity  of  the  ridge  or  row  system. 
Wallflower  Cuttings  (Idem). — Wallflower  cuttings,  or  rather  slips, 
inserted  now  in  a  shady  border  and  kept  moist  will  root,  or  a  consider¬ 
able  number  of  the  slips.  It  is  a  practice  seldom  resorted  to,  as  the 
double  as  well  as  the  single  varieties  are  much  better  raised  from  seeds. 
Cuttings  made  of  the  young  wood  will  root  freely  under  a  hand-glass, 
inserting  in  sandy  soil,  keeping  moist  and  shaded  until  rooted. 
Genista  capitata  ( W.  Bahy). — This  is  an  attractive  h^rdy  little  plant  of 
shrubby  habit  that  flowers  early  in  the  season,  and  concerning  its 
usefulness  there  can  be  no  question.  A  variety  of  Genista  umbellata 
has  been  named  capitata,  and  is  distinguished  from  the  species  by  the 
silky  hair  clothing  the  branches  and  leaves,  and  it  is  said  to  be  a  native 
of  Mogador.  The  leaves  are  trifoliate,  while  the  bright  yellow  flowers 
(fig.  16)  in  compact  terminal  heads  are  very  freely  produced.  This 
species  is  a  native  of  Barbery,  being  found  on  dry  hills.  A  Genista 
quite  distinct  from  this  is  seen  in  some  gardens  under  the  name  of 
umbellata.  It  has  been  assigned  a  place  among  the  varieties  of 
G.  lusitanica,  a  spring  shrub,  native  of  Portugal. 
Destroying  Cabbage  Fly  Maggots  (C.  B.  B.). — The  maggots  are 
difficult  to  deal  with  in  heavily  manured  ground.  We  have  found  lime 
warer  very  effective  against  the  maggot  if  taken  in  time,  each  plant 
having  a  good  soaking  poured  close  to  the  stem.  The  evil  is  that  of 
the  infestation  not  being  discovered  until  the  plan's  are  almost  if  not 
q  lite  destroyed.  You  may  water  the  plants  with  a  solution  of  Little’s 
soluble  phenyle,  a  fluid  ounce  to  a  gallon  of  water,  keeping  the  ^lution 
from  the  foliage.  As  a  preventive  the  ground  should  be  dressed  with 
fresh  gas  lime  at  the  rate  of  ^  cwt.  per  I’od,  spreading  evenly  and 
leaving  a  month  or  six  weeks  before  digging  in.  It  should  be  applied 
in  the  autumn  or  late  winter,  always  when  the  land  is  bare,  and  never 
over  the  roots  of  fruit  trees. 
