164 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
August  16,  1900. 
Peach  Trees  Flowering  on  Current  Year’s  Wood  (S.  Surrey),— The 
occurrence  is  somewhat  rare,  but  not  altogether  exceptional,  as  we  had 
a  tree  of  Early  York  in  a  house  started  at  the  new  year  regularly, 
which,  for  several  seasons,  produced  some  grand  flowers  in  August  and 
oven  set  the  fruit,  though  this  fell  off  shortly  afterwards.  This  we 
attributed  to  over-maturity  of  the  blossom  buds,  still  it  was  only  some 
of  these  that  developed  into  blossom,  the  majority  of  the  buds 
remaining  dormant  .and  giving  the  crop  in  the  following  year.  In  the 
same  house  were  Royal  George  and  Noblesse  Peaches,  with  Elruge 
Nectarine,  not  any  of  which  blossomed  on  the  current  year’s  wood.  As 
the  Early  York  Peach  was  at  least  a  fortnight  earlier  in  ripening  its 
fruit  than  the  other  varieties,  we  regarded  the  blossoming  as  due  to 
its  earlier  maturation  of  the  buds  and  the  continuance  of  the 
moisture  from  the  other  trees  that  caused  some  of  the  blossom  buds 
■to  develop  into  flower.  As  there  are  hot-water  pipes  at  the  end  as 
well  as  the  side  where  the  tree  is  situated,  the  heat  from  these — more 
than  other  parts  of  the  house — would  certainly  tend  to  the  earlier 
maturation  of  the  buds  and  account  for  some  of  these  blossoming. 
In  our  case,  however,  there  were  no  such  inducement,  the  tree  in 
question  being  most  distantly  placed  from  the  hot-water  pipes.  Such 
peculiarities  are  very  interesting,  and  we  often  wonder  why  they  are 
not  more  frequently  recorded,  as  by  an  exchange  of  experience  the  wise 
are  made  wiser, 
Cuoumber  Roots  Diseased  (A.  J.). — The  roots  and  root  stems  are 
affected  by  the  root-knot  eelworm,  Heterodera  radicicola.  It  is  one  of 
the  most  difficult  pests  to  eradicate  from  houses  once  it  becomes 
■established — in  fact  there  is  no  remedy  for  root-knot  eelworm  once  it 
has  obtained  a  good  hold  of  the  plants,  the  females  having  encysted  and 
been  fertilised.  The  most  effective  article  is  perhaps  Mustard  dross, 
1  oz.  to  3  gallons  of  water,  well  mixing  and  keeping  agitated  whilst 
applying,  about  as  much  of  the  mixture  being  used  as  on  an  ordinary 
watering.  The  Mustard  dross,  however,  is  injurious  to  the  root- 
hairs  of  Cucumbers,  and  must  be  used  with  great  circumspection, 
experimenting  on  a  small  before  applying  on  a  large  scale.  If  the 
plants  of  Cucumbers  are  taken  in  time,  they  may  usually  be  saved  from 
root-knot,  ruot-stem,  and  stem  eelworm  by  the  use  of  Little’s  soluble 
phenyle,  1  fluid  ounce  to  gallons  of  water — I  in  1000,  the  water 
being  sofr,  or  preferably  freshly  fallen  rain  water,  as  this  contains 
some  ammonia  and  also  nitric  acid,  always  applying  slightly  hi;her 
than  the  mean  temperature  of  the  house,  and  in  quantity  equal  to  an 
ordinary  watering,  and  treating  all  the  soil  of  the  bed.  At  the  next 
watering  supply  nitrate  of  soda,  or  preferably,  nitrate  of  ammonia, 
1  oz.  to  6J  gallons  of  water,  having  the  solution  made  at  least  over¬ 
night  before  application.  At  the  third  watering  again  use  the  solution 
of  soluble  phenyle,  and  at  the  fourth  watering  use  the  nitrate  solution. 
Usually  this  suffices,  though  in  some  cases  a  third  course  of  treatment 
may  be  advisable,  and  it  certainly  will  not  do  any  harm  if  resorted  to 
occasionally. 
Fairy  Rings  on  Lawn  (A.  C.). — The  Champignon,  or  Fairy  Ring 
fungus,  Marasmius  oreades,  is  much  in  evidence  this  season,  and  many 
la,wns,  especially  those  on  sandy  and  gravelly  soils,  are  greatly 
disfigured  in  consequence.  The  advancing  mycelium  of  the  fungus 
abstracts  the  soil’s  nitrogen,  and  in  turn  gives  it  back  to  the  ground, 
thus  causing  the  grass  to  appropriate  it  and  assume  a  relatively 
luxuriant  appearance  for  a  brief  period,  followed  by  extreme  poverty. 
On  a  lawn  thus  greatly  disfigured  we  applied  a  good  dressing  of  short 
manure  in  the  autumn,  about  20  tons  per  acre,  2h  cwt.  per  rod, 
spreading  it  evenly,  and  leaving  over  the  winter.  In  February  the  rough 
residue  was  raked  off,  and  the  lawn  dressed  with  a  mixture  of  air-slaked 
lime,  soot,  and  dry  wood  ashes  in  equal  parts  by  measure,  using  a  peck 
of  the  mixture  per  rod.  After  the  first  rain  the  lawn  was  well  rolled, 
and  occasionally,  so  as  to  have  it  in  good  condition  for  mowing  in  due 
course.  The  enrichment  of  the  ground  obliterated  the  fairy  rings  by 
making  the  grass  more  evenly  green  all  over,  though  in  a  dry  time  that 
followed  they  were  more  or  less  visible  by  the  darker  colour  of  the 
grass  where  the  fungus  was  advancing  in  the  ground.  A  dressing  of 
soot,  a  pack  per  rod,  was  then  given  with  a  prospect  of  rain,  and  this 
following  soon  made  all  even  again.  By  periodically  manuring  and 
top-dressing  the  fairy  rings  ultimately  disappeared  It  is  the  poverty 
of  the  soil  that  makes  the  fairy  rings  so  conspicuous,  and  though  they 
may  not  be  entirely  obliterated  much  can  be  effected  to  render  the 
lawn  equally  verdant  all  over.  On  a  similar  lawn,  and  where  manure 
was  objected  to,  excellent  results  followed  the  use  of  a  mixture  of 
fishmeal,  bonemeal,  and  kainit  in  equal  proportions  by  weight,  applying 
7  lbs.  of  the  mixture  per  rod  in  the  early  autumn,  or  not  later  in  spring 
than  February.  In  very  bad  cases  it  may  be  advisable  to  break  up  the 
lawn,  bastard  trench  it,  or  stir  as  deeply  as  the  good  soil  allows,  not 
bringing  up  any  bad  to  the  surface,  and  enrich  thoroughly  with  manure. 
We  have  used  as  much  as  40  tons  per  acre,  or  5  cwt.  per  rod,  half 
applied  to  the  ground  before  bastard  trenching  and  the  other  half  on 
the  trenched  land.  The  trenching  being  done  in  autumn,  and  the 
manure  placed  on  it  during  frosty  weather,  the  ground  will  be  in 
excellent  condition  for  pointing  over  in  spring,  levelling,  firming,  and 
sowing  with  grass  seeds  early  in  April.  It  is  not  necessary  in  such  case 
to  apply  anything  to  destroy  the  fungus,  as  the  rains  of  winter  will 
make  end  of  the  mycelium  through  the  ground  being  broken  up.  It 
may  also  be  mentioned  that  the  advertised  lawn  manures  are  useful 
in  promoting  an  even  growth  of  grass  on  a  lawn  from  the  nutriment 
they  supply. 
Apple  Trees  from  Pips  Losing  Leaves  {F.M.K.). — The  Apple  trees 
from  pips  raised  last  year  and  placed  in  a  greenhouse  without  fire  heat 
for  protection,  subsequently  losing  their  leaves,  will  not  be  seriously 
affected  in  the  roots,  though  the  seedlings  would  be  weakened.  The 
cause  of  the  leaves  becoming  covered  with  farina  is  commonly  regarded 
as  drought,  though  some  consider  a  supply  of  cold  water  at  the  roots 
will  bring  on  an  attack  at  any  time.  The  white  farina  is  really  a 
fungus  named  Podosphaera  oxyacanthae,  in  the  conidial  or  summer  spore 
condition,  and  if  this  parasite  be  destroyed  no  treatment  of  any  kind 
will  reproduce  it.  The  fungus  may  be  destroyed  by  dusting  with 
flowers  of  sulphur,  or  even  more  effectively  and  cheaper  by  syringing 
or  spraying  with  hot  water  at  a  temperature  of  135°,  but  this  in  the 
case  of  trees  in  pots  may  injure  the  roots,  though  it  is  easy  to  lay  the 
plants  on  their  sides.  The  seedling  Hawthorn  is  affected  by  the  same 
fungus,  no  doubt,  it  not  being  uncommon  to  find  Thprn  hedges  quite 
white  with  the  parasite,  which  is  the  chief  source  of  the  infection  of 
Apple  trees.  It  would  be  much  the  better  plan  to  plant  the  seedling 
Apple  and  Hawthorn  in  the  open  ground,  but  you  no  doubt  keep  them 
in  pots  for  a  particular  purpose. 
A  Twin  Bunch  of  Grapes  {Vitis). — As  you  probably  know  there  are 
ways  and  means  of  adding  to  the  size  and  weight  of  a  bunch  of  Grapes 
in  a  clandestine  manner,  and  making  it  something  more  than  a  legiti¬ 
mate  bunch  ;  but  such  fraudulent  attempts  to  deceive  are  happily  rare. 
The  case  you  mention  was,  no  doubt,  a  perfectly  honest  endeavour  of 
the  exhibitor  to  win  in  what  he  believed  to  be  a  strictly  proper  way. 
You  say  the  specimen  had  the  appearance  of  two  bunches  produced  by 
one  eye  or  bud.  It  was,  therefore,  in  all  probability  a  twin  bunch.  The 
matter  was  once  concisely  dealt  with  as  follows  by  one  of  our  corre¬ 
spondents  : — “  A  bunch  of  Grapes  should  grow  from  a  single  eye  and 
hang  by  a  single  stem ;  if  from  a  double  eye  there  will  be  two  stems, 
which,  for  all  intents  and  purposes,  constitute  two  bunches — alias, 
twins  or  monstrosities.”  Still,  if  the  judges  were  satisfied  that  there 
had  been  no  intention  to  deceive  on  the  part  of  the  exhibitor,  they 
would  naturally  hesitate  to  disqualify  him,  in  the  absence  of  the 
supporting  evidence  of  a  scientific  authority.  They  presumably 
decided  on  the  merits  of  the  Grapes,  and  if  the  schedule  announced 
“  the  decision  of  the  judges  shall  be  final,”  it  would  not  be  easy  to 
overturn  the  verdict,  if  there  were  a  desire  to  do  so,  even  if  they 
were  scientifically  wrong.  We  do  not  say  they  were  either  wrong  or 
right,  as  we  have  never  been  able  to  judge  Grapes  from  reading  a 
letter,  however  intelligently  written.  Had  we  seen  the  doubtful 
bunch  we  should  have  known  whether  it  came  within  the  rule  laid 
down  for  guidance  by  the  late  Dr.  Hogg.  It  is  generally  in  accord¬ 
ance  with  the  abo7e  quotation.  We  will  see  if  the  Doctor’s  sketches 
illustrative  of  the  subject  are  still  in  existence. 
A  Grape  Malady  {Smith). — The  berries,  microscopically  examined, 
were  affected  by  the  ”  spot  ”  fungus,  Glmosporium  laeticolor.  It  has  been 
unusually  prevalent  this  season,  and  attacked  the  thick-skinned  Grapes, 
such  as  Alicante,  Gros  Colman  and  Gros  Maroc,  as  well  as  the  thin- 
skinned  varieties  such  as  Duke  of  Bucoleuch,  Muscat  of  Alexandria, 
and  sometimes  Black  Hamburgh.  It  has,  in  attacks  on  green  berries,  a 
close  reserriblance  to  “scalding,”  the  spots  shrinking  and  the  parasite 
appearing  arrested,  but  sooner  or  later  small  pustules  appear  in  the 
affected  part,  and  are  the  pycnidia  of  the  fungus.  There  is  no 
remedy,  therefore  the  injured  berries  should  be  out  away  and  burned. 
As  regards  the  “spot”  appearing  on  many  berries  of  two  Vines, 
while  not  one  berry  out  of  at  least  100,000  others  in  the  same  house  of 
Gros  Colman  are  affected,  the  subject  is  interesting  and  to  some 
extent  perplexing.  But  the  fact  of  the  attacked  sport  being  an  advance 
in  size  of  berry,  with  short-jointedness  of  wood,  there  is  the  attendant 
suscepiibility  to  disease  in  consequence  of  the  exuberance,  in  the  case 
of  fruit  and  in  the  direction  of  fruitfulness — actually  a  concentration  of 
forces—  on  a  particular  bud  in  the  case  of  wood.  The  sport,  though 
an  outcome  of  high  cultivation  in  this  instance,  would  necessarily  be . 
constitutionally  affected,  and  as  a  rule  sports  are  weaker  than  the 
parental  plant,  hence  the  greater  liability  to  attack  of  specialised 
parasites.  But  the  third  Vine  of  the  same  sport  not  being  affected 
rather  upsets  the  constitutional  weakness  principle.  This,  however,  is 
conjectural,  for  we  often  see  certain  berries  on  a  Vine  affected  with 
“spot”  while  others  are  perfectly  clear.  Some  Vines  also  are 
affected  and  others  are  not,  even  in  the  same  house  and  under 
apparently  identical  conditions.  But  there  is  no  doubt  a  difference  in 
these  matters,  too  minute  for  human  understanding,  and  it  is  just  these 
differences  that  mark  the  distinction  between  susceptibility  to  and 
immunity  from  disease.  The  clear  berries  of  a  bunch  of  Grapes  are 
certainly  more  elastic,  stouter  and  disease  resistant  than  the  affected, 
and  the  same  holds  good  with  the  sound  Vine  and  that  more  or  less 
diseased.  These  considerations  require  to  be  taken  into  thought  quite 
apart  from  the  distribution  of  the  parasitic  germs,  for  these  are  broad¬ 
casted  and  ever  ready  to  do  their  work  whenever  a  favourable 
opportunity  offers  and  a  condition  of  “  host  ”  admits.  It  may  be  that 
oae  berry  on  a  bunch  appropriates  more  resistant  matter  than 
another  adjoining,  and  so  also  with  adjacent  Vines,  but  upon  these 
points  science  teaches  us  practically  nothing.  Close  observation, 
investigation,  and  experiment  may  in  time  lead  to  a  solution  of  what 
at  present  seems  more  or  less  mysterious.  There  are  admittedly 
cases  of  disease  in  the  human  family  that  the  most  expert  medicos 
cannot  diagnose  with  certainty,  and  it  would  be  strange  if  there  were 
not  corresponding  analogues  in  the  vegetable  kingdom.  The  limits 
