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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
November  1,  1900. 
Trade  Catalogues  Received. 
Xittle  &  Ballaatyiie,  Carlisle. — Forest  and  Ornamental  Trees. 
Vilmoria,  Andrieux  &  Co.,  4,  Quai  de  la  Mi^isserie,  Paris. — Bulbs, 
Strawberries,  Gladioli,  and  Seeds  for  Autumn  Sotuing. 
W.  Watson  &  Sons,  Clontarf  Nurseries,  Dublin. — Hoses. 
TO  CORRESPONDENTS 
e 
*  o 
Fig.  112. — Tomato 
All  correspondence  relating  to  editorial  matters  should  be  directed 
to  “The  Editor,”  \z.  Mitre  Court  Chambers,  Fleet  Street, 
Xiondon,  zs.c.  It  is  reqmsted  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. 
Cladosporium  Disease  in  Tomatoes  (S.  E.  D.), — This  fungus  causes  the 
decay  of  the  fruits.  It  begins  with  a  minute  black  spot,  which  surrounds 
the  small  decaying  style.  The  black  spot  gradually  increases  in  size  by 
new  circles  of  growth,  one  beyond  another  in  the  style  of  fairy  rings. 
The  fungus  growth  at  the  same  time  flattens  the  apex  of  the  fruit,  till 
at  last  the  whole  substance  is  blackened  and  entirely  destroyed  by  the 
Cladosporium.  The  fungus  spreads  from  the  leaves,  also  from  one  fruit 
to  another,  till  at  last  leaves,  stems,  and  fruit  are  all  alike  decayed.  An 
illustration  is  given  of  a  half-destroyed  fruit,  also  a  view  of  the 
assailing  fungus  enlarged  from  the  micro- 
scope  500  diameters.  The  brown  spores 
of  this  Cladosporium  are  often  produced 
in  such  enormous  numbers  upon  both 
sides  of  the  foliage  that  they  fly  from  the 
leaves  in  millions.  If  the  Tomato  foliage 
is  briskly  touched  a  cloud  of  spores  will 
taint  the  air  and  be  distinctly  perceptible 
in  the  mouth  and  lurgs  if  they  are  inhaled. 
Most  of  the  Tomato  fungi  are  in  their 
earlier  stages  quite  superficial,  so  that  if 
remedies  are  applied  in  good  time  re¬ 
covery  seems  to  be  possible.  All  diseased 
fruit  should  be  gathered  and  burned, 
the  house  kept  warm,  dry,  and  well 
ventilated. 
Bringing  Out  the  Scent  of  Dried  Boses 
(A  Qonstant  Reader^ — As  the  petals  or 
so-called  “leaves”  have  been  exposed  for 
some  time  in  bowls  in  the  hall  the  scent 
has  probably  left  them,  the  fragrance  being  of  a  volatile  nature,  aud  is 
not  infrequently  lost  in  the  drying.  In  that  case  nothing  would  bring 
out  the  scent,  and  though  we  have  known  them  refreshed  by  sprinkling 
with  ‘otto  of  Roses”  the  perfume  must  be  added  before  any  can 
come  out. 
Soil  for  Cox’s  Orange  Pippin  Apple  (/?.  C.).— It  does  best  on  a  deep 
loam,  but  well  drained,  of  the  old  red  sandstone  formation,  and  equally 
we  on  the  new  red  sandstone.  It  also  succeeds  on  good  loamy  soils  of 
nearly  all  formations,  especially  on  the  ragstone  of  Kent,  when  overlaid 
by  good  soil.  It  does  not  like  a  cold  wet  soil,  or  the  opposite  extreme 
o  ly,  gravelly,  rr  sandy  soil,  though  this  is  better  than  very  heavy 
land,  as  it  can  be  made  more  suitable  for  the  trees  by  judicious 
mulching.  Any  good  garden  soil,  with  not  less  than  18  inches  to  2  feet 
depth  of  free  working  earth,  and  well  under-drained,  will  grow  this 
Apple  well,  always  provided  the  location  is  suitable,  as  it  does  not 
succeed  well  in  exposed  places  and  in  cold  wet  districts. 
Burning  Sulphur  in  a  Vinery  (J.  B,). — It  is  safe  to  burn  a  moderate 
quantity  of  sulphur  in  a  vinery  where  the  plants  are  removed  and  the 
Vines  at  rest,  but,  though  practised  to  some  extent  by  growers  of 
(xrapes  for  marketing,  is  not  an  advisable  procedure.  About  4  ozs. 
of  sulphur  per  1000  cubic  feet  is  ample,  not  burning  it  all  in  one 
place,  but  in  places  some  distance  apart,  say  9  to  12  feet,  along  the 
ouso.  Instead  of  using  sulphur  we  should  use  nicotine  compound 
or  destroying  the  mealy  bug,  as  it  may  be  vaporised  to  a  much 
greater  extent  than  when  the  Vines  are  in  leaf,  indeed  the  vaporisation 
may  be  doubled,  and  all  the  mealy  bug  reached  by  the  nicotine  vapour 
would  certainly  be  destroyed.  This  is  somewhat  difficult  to  effect  when 
the  V  ines  are  at  rest,  as  the  pest  harbours  in  crevices  and  other  out  of 
^e  way  places,  and  is  difficult  to  reach,  even  by  fumes  or  vapour. 
Why  not  vaporise  with  nicotine  compound  when  the  Vines  are  in 
growth,  taking  care  not  to  give  an  overdose,  but  repeating  a  few  times 
at  intervals  of  about  a  week  ? 
Disease  caused 
LYCOPERSICT. 
doors. 
Dressing  for  Land  Infested  with  Slugs  (Pest). — Gas  lime,  fresh  from 
gas  works,  is  an  excellent  application  to  ground  “alive  with  grubs, 
slugs,  and  snails,”  applying,  when  the  land  is  bare  and  preferably  in 
autumn  or  at  least  two  or  three  months  in  advance  of  cropping,  ^  cwt. 
per  rod,  spreading  evenly  and  leaving  on  the  surface  for  a  month, 
then  digging  in  with  a  fork  and  taking  small  spits  so  as  to  mix  evenly 
with  the  soil.  This  should  rid  the  ground  of  the  pests  then  present,  for 
it  must  be  remembered  that  slugs  travel  considerable  distances  in  quest 
of  food,  hence  repressive  measures  are  almost  always  necessary.  The 
gas  lime  must  not  be  used  over  the  roots  of  fruit  trees  or  bushes.  In 
case  of  these  dress  with  freshly  burned  lime,  1  cwt.  per  rod,  placing  in 
small  heaps  convenient  for  spreading,  and  slake  with  the  smallest 
quantity  of  water  needed  to  cause  fall  into  an  apparently  dry  powder. 
Spread  evenly  and  leave  on  the  surface  for  a  day  or  two,  then  dig  in  as 
advised  for  the  gas  lime. 
The  Winter  Moth  (A.  C.  R.). — The  larvae  of  the  winter  moth  do 
much  damage  to  fruit  and  forest  trees  by  feeding  on  the  unopened 
buds.  The  best  way  of  avoiding  their  attacks  is  to  prevent  the  female 
moth  ascending  the  stem  of  the  tree  to  lay  her  eggs,  as  you  appear  to 
have  been  informed.  In  her  “  Manual  of  Injurious  Insects”  Miss  E.  A. 
Ormerod  recommends  that  this  be  effected  by  dipping  a  rope  of  rough 
woollen  rags  or  a  twisted  hay  band  in  a  mixture  of  tar  and  oil,  which 
would  keep  moist  for  some  time,  and  lay  it  on  the  ground  near  the  tree, 
all  round  it,  but  not  touching  it.  As  the  female  moth  is  unable  to  fly 
she  would  be  unable  to  surmount  this.  Probably  a  few  spadefuls  of 
gas  lime  (such  as  has  been  exposed  about  a  month)  thrown  round  the 
stem,  but  not  piled  against  it,  would  not  be  crossed  by  the  moths.  Also 
(where  the  moths  are  known  to  be  numerous)  it  would  be  well  to  try 
shaking  the  boughs  at  night  over  a  cloth.  Destroy  all  boughs  and  twigs 
that  may  be  pruned  late  in  the  winter,  so  that  there  may  be  no  chance  of 
caterpillars  hatched  from  eggs  on  the  shoots  or  buds  getting  up  the  trees. 
Glands  on  Peach  Leaves  (Fruit). — You  ask  whether  the  glands  at 
the  base  of  the  leaves  of  Peaches  and  Nectarines  so  materially  deviate 
in  form,  by  various  causes,  as  to  now  almost  do  away  with  the  reliabUity 
of  the  gland  test  in  determining  nomenclature.  In  the  absence  of  fruit, 
our  reply  is  in  the  negative.  Glands  on  healthy,  fully  developed  leaves 
are  the  same  in  character  now  as  ever 
they  were.  They  are  as  unmistakeably 
round  in  many  varieties  as  they  are 
kidney  shaped  in  others,  while  some 
varieties,  though  these  are  in  a  minority, 
are  glandless.  A  comparatively  few 
Peaches  and  Nectarines  are  indeter¬ 
minate  in  the  matter  of  glands;  for 
example,  they  are  variable  —  usually 
round,  though  occasionally  kidney  shaped 
— in  Alexander  and  Lord  Palmerston 
Peaches  and  Dagmar  Nectarine.  On 
some  leaves  they  are  very  small,  and  a 
pocket  lens  may  be  necessary  for  deter¬ 
mining  their  character,  as  in  the  case  of 
the  Nectarine  Peach.  Glandless  leaves, 
such  as  of  Early  Tillotson,  Noblesse,  aud 
Royal  George  Peaches,  are  considered 
by  many  growers  to  be  tender  and  prone 
to  mildew  infestation,  especially  out- 
Stirling  Castle  (glandless)  is  for  that  reason  often  preferred  as 
a  hardier  form  of  the  last  named  variety.  Experienced  “  fruitmen  ”  in 
nurseries  can  recognise  certain  varieties  of  Peaches  by  the  general 
character  of  the  leaves,  such  as  slight  variation  in  form,  waviness,  and 
serratures,  ignoring  the  glands.  They  are  liable  to  make  mistakes  all 
the  same.  We  can  cite  a  serious  instance  of  this.  In  a  very  extensive 
and  comparatively  new  structure  several  trees  of  a  particular  variety  of 
Peach  were  ordered  from  two  nurseries.  From  one  they  were  true,  the 
other  the  reverse,  and  the  variety  inferior.  Hundreds  of  feet  of  trellis 
were  covered  with  this  in  two  years,  to  the  great  loss  of  the  grower  of 
fruits  for  sale.  When  the  glands  are  observed  and  understood,  also 
another  character  still  more  fixed,  and  certainly  more  obvious,  kept  in 
mind — namely,  “  large”  or  “  small”  flowers,  such  errors  would  be  less 
likely  to  occur.  Very  few  persons  indeed  (if  any)  can  name  Peaches  or 
Nectarines  with  certainty  from  fruits  alone  (though  they  may  make 
good  guesses  at  several),  but  let  an  expert  know  the  nature  of  the  glands 
(if  an\ )  on  the  leaves  and  the  flowers  that  produced  the  fruits  and  he 
will  be  materially  aided  in  identification.  Grosse  Mignonne,  which  you 
name,  has  round  glands  and  large  flowers;  Dr.  Hogg,  kidney  shaped 
glands  and  large  flowers  ;  Stirling  Castle,  no  glands  and  small  flowers. 
Growers  of  Peach  and  Nectarine  trees, '  especially  for  sale,  should 
familiarise  themselves,  by  many  and  close  observations,  with  the 
peculiarities  of  the  glands  of  different  varieties.  This  cannot  be  done 
by  a  mere  passing  glance  now  and  then,  as  if  the  matter  wtre  of  no 
importance.  It  is  a  question  of  “eye  training”  that  enables  a  Chrys¬ 
anthemum  grower  to  name  a  hundred  varieties  of  his  plants  by  tteir 
leaves  alone,  and  it  is  the  same  in  other  small  matters,  including  the 
almost  lightning-like  rafiidity  with  which  the  compositor  will  pick  up 
and  set  in  its  light  place  every  individual  metallic  letter  that  in  the 
aggregate  conveys  this  reply.  It  should  be  said  that  all  the  leading 
fruit  nurserymen  whose  names  are  familiar  to  our  readers  are  most 
careful  in  the  correct  naming  of  their  trees,  and  not  one  of  them  is 
responsible  for  the  serious  mistake  above  indicated. 
BY  Cladosporium 
