292 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  4,  1901. 
Disbudding,  and  the  shoots  that  are  to  succeed  those  now  fruiting 
having  been  properly  attended  to,  there  will  not  be  any  more  growths 
than  are  necessary  for  next  year’s  bearing,  the  extension  of  the  tree,  or 
for  attracting  the  sap  to  the  fruit.  Gross  shoots  are  best  removed,  as 
they  appropriate  an  undue  amount  of  sap,  often  fall  a  prey  to  gumming, 
and  cause  unequal  vigour  in  the  branches  of  the  tree.  Pinch  laterals 
at  the  first  leaf.  Shoots  retained  to  attract  sap  to  the  fruit  ought  to  be 
stopped  in  the  first  instance  at  three  or  four  joints  of  growth. 
Endeavour  to  provide  an  equal  distribution  of  foliage  that  will  shade 
and  protect  the  strong  wood  from  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun  as  the 
•season  advances,  as  they  are  liable  to  become  sunburnt  or  dried,  and 
the  channels  that  convey  the  sap  are  thus  contracted.  Besides,  such 
condition  invites  attacks  of  the  Peach-boring  Werberian  moth 
caterpillar.  Avoid  overcrowding  the  foliage,  not  permitting  more 
shoots  than  can  have  full  exposure  to  light  and  air. 
Ventilate  early  but  carefully,  avoiding  depressions  of  temperature 
and  cold  currents.  Thin  the  fruits  where  too  thickly  placed,  not  over¬ 
doing  it.  With  the  trees  in  good  health,  and  not  too  luxuriant,  the 
prospect  of  storing  a  full  crop  of  fruit  is  more  likely  than  when  the 
trees  are  overburdened,  whilst  deferring  thinning  only  takes  so  much 
size  from  those  fruits  that  are  ultimately  allowed  to  remain  for  the 
■crop.  Inside  borders  must  be  duly  watered,  and  may  be  lightly  mulched 
with  sweet,  short  stable  manure,  but  not  too  fresh. 
Trees  Started  Early  in  March. — As  the  blossoming  is  over  recourse 
may  be  had  to  measures  for  the  destruction  of  insects.  Fumigation 
may  be  carefully  practised,  as  the  tender  foliage  and  young  fruits  are 
highly  susceptible  to  injury,  an  overdose  skeletonising  the  leaves  and 
causing  the  fruit  to  fall.  Similar  remarks  apply  to  inseotioides,  which, 
if  used  too  strong,  may  prove  as  injurious  to  the  leaves  and  crop  as  to 
the  insects.  Syringe  the  trees  in  the  morning  and  early  afternoon  on 
fine  days,  whilst  in  dull  weather  an  occasional  syringing,  with  damping 
of  the  paths  and  borders,  will  suffice.  Water  inside  borders  as  required, 
always  affording  enough  when  any  is  needed  to  thoroughly  moisten  the 
mass  of  soil  through  to  the  drainage.  Proceed  with  disbudding 
gradually,  a  little  each  day,  and  observe  the  same  rule  in  thinning  the 
fruit,  rubbing  off  the  smallest  and  badly  placed  as  soon  as  the  most 
prominent  show  signs  of  taking  the  lead.  Ventilate  freely  on  all  favour¬ 
able  occasions,  closing  early  with  a  view  to  utilising  the  sun’s  heat. 
Latest  Houses. — The  trees  in  most  oases  are  in  blossom,  and  this 
profits  by  free  ventilation,  insures  sturdiness  and  high  concentration  on 
the  parts  developing.  Merely  use  fire  heat  to  exclude  frost  and  to  allow 
ventilation  during  the  day.  When  the  anthers  show  turn  on  the  heat 
in  the  morning,  so  as  to  raise  the  temperature  to  50°  by  8  a.m.,  and 
keep  at  that  through  the  day,  with  a  gentle  circulation  of  air,  turning 
off  the  heat  early  in  the  afternoon  so  as  to  allow  the  pipes  to  cool  before 
night  and  the  temperature  falling  to  its  night  minimum  of  40°  to  45°. 
Unheated  houses  or  wall  cases  should  be  very  freely  ventilated  in 
bright  weather,  but  when  the  petals  unfold  it  is  necessary  to  secure  a 
genial  temperature  by  day.  As  a  safeguard  against  frost  the  house  may 
be  closed  rather  early,  enclosing  sun  heat  up  to  65°.  Do  not  use  water 
for  damping  down  after  noon,  and  this  will  prevent  moisture  condensing 
on  the  flowers  though  the  night,  or  a  little  air  will  allow  it  to  escape. 
Scrim  canvas  or  other  material  over  the  roof  is  useful  on  frosty  nights. 
Phenological  Observations, 
Plants  dedicated  to  each  day 
Yellow  Crown  Imperial. 
Cluster  Grape  Hyaointh. 
Wood  Anemone. 
Ground  Ivy. 
Red  Polyanthus. 
Violet. 
Dandelion. 
Next  Week’s  Eveiits, 
Saturday,  April  6th. — Royal  Botanical  Society’s  meeting ;  Sooiete 
Fran9aise  d’Horticulture  de  Londres  meeting. 
Tuesday,  April  9th. — Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Committees  meet  in 
Drill  Hall,  Buckingham  Gate,  S.W. ;  Durham,  Northumberland, 
and  Newcastle  Botanical  and  Horticultural  Society’s  Spring  Show 
(two  days). 
Wednesday,  April  10th.— First  annual  Show  of  Daffodils  and  Spring 
Flowers,  Corn  Exchange,  Ipswich  ;  Shropshire  Horticultural 
Society’s  Spring  Show  at  Shrewsbury. 
Fri. 
5 
April  5th— 11th. 
Fieldfare  last  seen. 
Sat. 
6 
Turnip  fly  appears. 
Sun. 
7 
Blackbird  lays. 
Mon. 
8 
Rook  hatches. 
Tu. 
9 
House  sparrow  builds. 
Wed.  10 
Small  white  butterfly  appears. 
Thr. 
11 
Ringed  snake  seen. 
Trade  Catalogues  Received. 
Clibrans,  Oldfield  Nurseries,  Altrincham.— Garden  and  Conservatory 
Plants,  1901.  J 
Hudson’s  Seed  Depot,  3t,  High  Road,  Chiswick,  London,  W. — Seeds 
Hardy  Lilies,  and  Bulbs. 
F.  R.  Pierson  Co.,  Tarrytown-on-Hudson,  New  York,  U.S.A. — Choice 
Seeds ,  Bulbs ,  and  Plants,  1901. 
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. 
Hyacinths  Casting  Flower  Spikes  (J.  R.  S.). — Your  case  is  similar 
to  that  of  many  others.  The  bulbs  frequently  cause  disappointment  in 
the  throwing-up  of  their  flower  spikes.  In  some  cases  quite  20  per  cent, 
of  them  cast  their  spikes  when  they  appear  from  the  apex  of  their 
respective  bulbs.  The  cause  of  the  flower  spike  being  cast  is  the  forcing 
forward  of  the  embryonic  flower  (as  seen  at  A)  by  the  growth  of  foliage 
from  the  base  B,  the  flower  spike  appearing  before  the  leaf  growth,  and 
it  manages  to  push  its  way  through  the  scales,  which  are  drawn 
together  for  protection  at  the 
apex.  The  growths  from  the 
leaf  bud  are  equally  anxious 
to  reach  daylight  and  strive 
to  push  through  the  apical 
orifice,  and  being  below  the 
pips  of  the  flower  spike  and 
the  thicker  part  of  its  stem, 
the  neck  of  the  bulb  becomes 
choked.  Something  must 
give  way,  and  the  matter  is 
soon  settled  by  the  part  con¬ 
taining  the  most  vigour, 
which  is  the  leaf  growth.  If 
the  bulb-scales  give  way, 
well  and  good  for  the  flower 
spikes;  if  not,  then  the  leaf 
growth  forces  its  way  through 
the  aperture,  throttling  the 
stem  of  the  flower  spike, 
forcing  the  latter  out  of  its 
way  and  snapping  the  con¬ 
nection  of  the  spike  with  the 
bulb  at  point  O.  Presently 
the  lower  part  of  the  stem 
(D)  shrivels,  and  the  leaf 
growths  are  the  better  able 
to  push  the  flower  spike  for¬ 
ward  in  their  growth,  and 
Hyacinth  Casting  its  Flower  Spike,  almost,  if  not  quite  out  of 
the  bulb,  as  shown  in  the 
illustration  at  E.  This  struggle  may  be  seen  among  wild  plants,  such 
as  Scilla  nutans,  the  wild  Hyacinth,  the  flower  spikes  shrivelling  in 
their  sockets,  and  it  is  a  strange  thing  that  it  occurs  more  seldom  in 
shady  and  damp  places  than  in  those  that  are  open,  sunny,  and  dry. 
The  harder  a  bulb  is  grown,  the  longer  it  has  been  out  of  the  soil,  and 
the  more  sun-baking  it  has  received,  the  tighter  will  the  scales  grasp 
the  embryonic  spike  and  so  choke  it  off.  Of  coarse  a  well-ripened  bulb 
keeps  better,  and  is  less  apt  to  fungal  disease  or  attack.  The  only 
remedy  for  such  a  case  as  yours  seems  to  be  to  cut  the  bulb  through 
the  outer  scales  vertically  downwards  from  F  to  G  at  planting ;  taking 
care  not  to  injure  the  flower  spike  and  growth.  By  this  means  you 
allow  room  for  expansion. 
Primulas  Unsatisfactory  (Nemo).  —  On  some  of  the  leaves  there 
are  evidence  of  the  rust  mite,  Tarsonymus  species,  certainly  the  same 
that  attacks  Cyclamen,  Begonias,  Pelargoniums,  Gesneras,  Gloxinias, 
&o.,  but  there  is  not  sufficient  virulency  to  account  for  the  defective 
flowering.  We  should  certainly  remove  the  worst  infested  leaves,  and 
spray  with  tobacco  water,  pursuing  similar  treatment  as  with  the 
Cyclamen,  in  which  we  are  pleased  you  have  greatly  benefited  by  our 
kindly  assistance.  It  would  be  well  to  use  a  little  superphosphate  of 
lime  and  sulphate  of  potash,  two  parts  the  first  and  one  part  the  latter, 
giving  a  pinch  to  each  plant  mixed  with  twice  as  much  soil,  and  afford 
all  the  light  possible,  as  this  seems  all  the  plants  require  to  induce  free 
flowering.  About  as  much  of  the  mixture  as  in  a  pinch  of  snuff 
suffices  for  a  plant  in  a  6-inch  pot,  and  it  must  be  used  at  the  Bide  of 
the  pot,  not  on  or  near  the  collar  of  the  plants. 
Ridding  Grass  Land  of  Coarse  Grass  (Idem). — The  tuft  of  ooarse 
grass  was  not  recognised,  but  appeared  one  of  the  Hair  Grasses,  it  being 
important  to  have  specimen  in  flower  for  identification.  In  case  the 
land  is  not  of  a  limestone  nature,  we  should  advise,  in  the  first  instance, 
a  dressing  of  lime,  5  tons  per  acre,  plaoing  in  small  heaps  convenient 
for  spreading,  and  slaking  with  the  smallest  quantity  of  water  necessary 
