December  11,  1902. 
552 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AXD 
COTTA  GE  GA  RDENER . 
being  kept  moist  by  syringing ;  therefore,  supply  enough  to 
moisten  the  soil  through  to  the  drainage,  for  surface  sprinkling 
does  very  little  good. 
Trees  often  have  very  weakly  blossoms  and  fail  to  set  in 
consequence  of  water  being  given  at  the  tops  instead  of  to  the 
roots.  If  there  be  a  superabundance  of  blossom  buds  remove 
those  on  the  under  side  of  the  shoots  by  drawing  a  gloved  hand 
the  reverse  way  of  the  growths.  This  will  materially  assist  the 
swelling  of  the  remaining  buds.  If  there  are  any  traces  of  aphides 
fumigate  or  vapourise  the  house  on  two  or  three  consecutive 
evenings  before  the  trees  are  much  advanced  in  colour,  always 
before  the  petals  unfold,  and  the  atmosphere  must  be  dry,  or 
the  moisture  will  be  condensed  on  the  cooler  surfaces  of  the 
flowers,  and  they  will  be  discoloured  or  injured. 
Second  Early  Forced  House.- — If  the  trees  are  very  early 
varieties,  as  Alexander,  Waterloo,  and  Early  Louise  Peaches, 
with  Cardinal  and  Preeoce  de  Croncels  Nectarines,  ripe  fruit  may 
be  had  at  the  end  of  April  or  early  in  May  by  starting  at  the 
new  year,  but  if  the  trees  are  second  early  or  midseason  varieties, 
such  as  Hale’s  Early,  Early  Alfred,  Dr.  Hogg,  Rivers’  Early  York, 
A  Bee,  Stirling  Castle,  Dymond,  Royal  George,  Grosse  Mig- 
nonne,  Crimson  Galande,  Noblesse,  or  Alexandra  Peaches, 
Early  Rivers,  Lord  Napier,  Rivers’  Early  Orange,  Stanwick 
Elruge,  Elruge,  Humboldt,  Drvden,  Violette  Hative,  or  Pine¬ 
apple  Nectarines,  the  fruit  will  not  ripen  until  May  is  well 
advanced  and  during  June.  This  must  be  taken  into  considera¬ 
tion  by  growers.  In  either  case,  and  the  trees  not  having  been 
forced  before,  the  house  should  be  closed  at  once,  fire  heat  only 
being  used  to  exclude  frost,  the  trees  being  sprinkled  occasion¬ 
ally,  or  on  fine  days  in  the  morning  and  afternoon,  allowing  time 
for  them  to  become  fairly  dry  before  night.  Keeping  the  trees 
constantly  dripping  with  water,  especially  at  night,  enfeebles 
the  blossoms,  and  is  provocative  of  wood  bud  rather  than  blossom 
bud  development.  Do  not  allow  the  temperature  to  exceed 
50deg  in  the  daytime  without  full  ventilation.  Trees  previously 
forced  will  not  need  the  preparatory  treatment,  but  start  readily 
at  the  accustomed  time.  Supply  water  or  liquid  manure  to 
inside  borders,  and  protect  outside  with  a  few  inches  thickness 
of  leaves  and  litter  on  top  to  keep  them  from  blowing  about. 
Succession  Houses. — Where  the  roof  lights  are  moveable  it 
is  much  the  better  plan  to  remove  them,  and  expose  the  trees  to 
the  elements  for  the  winter.  This  is  inimical  to  many  insects, 
and  the  trees  are  insured  rest  and  thorough  moistening  of  the 
border.  Trees  with  thoroughly  ripe  wood  are  never  injured  by 
the  severest  weather.  Even  the  latest  and  unheated  houses  are 
best  treated  in  the  manner  described,  often  having  the  effect  of 
causing  trees  to  retain  their  buds,  which  cast  them  under  fixed 
roofs,  and  the  blossoms  are  generally  finer  than  on  the  trees  that 
are  kept  constantly  evaporating  from  the  young  wood  through 
the  time  they  are  at  rest  under  fixed  roofs,  or  where  they  are 
subjected  to  alternating  rests  and  excitements  where  plants 
are  grown  in  the  house.  The  fogs  and  damps  of  winter,  with 
the  drenching  rains  and  snow,  suit  Peaches  on  well  drained  soil, 
the  trees  being  invigorated  and  the  soil  enriched.  If  the  houses 
have  fixed  roof  lights,  ventilate  to  the  fullest  extent  in  all  but 
very  severe  weather.  Proceed  with  the  pruning,  bringing  matters 
in  respect  of  cleaning  the  house  and  trees  to  as  speedy  a  con¬ 
clusion  as  possible. — St.  Albans. 
- - 
Meteorological  Observations  at  Chiswick, 
Taken  in  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Gardens  at  Chis¬ 
wick,  height  above  sea  level  24  feet. 
Date. 
Temperature  of  the 
Air. 
Temperature  of 
the  Soil. 
At  9  A.M. 
CD 
1902. 
November 
and 
December. 
!i 
v  > 
At  9  A.M. 
Day. 
Night 
c 
*3 
At 
1-ft. 
deep. 
At 
2-ft. 
deep. 
At 
4-ft. 
deep. 
i-i  - 
12  |  £ 
«  £  2 
&  a)  rt 
u 
5 
Dry 
Bulb. 
Wet 
Bulb. 
43 
0Q 
OJ 
A 
to 
£ 
-*3 
CD 
a> 
ts 
o 
a 
JEg 
<D  ° 
Sunday  ...30 
E.N.E. 
deg. 
46-8 
deg. 
46-2 
deg. 
471 
deg. 
45-2 
Ins. 
0-22 
deg. 
45-3 
deg. 
46-5 
deg. 
48-5 
deg. 
44  0 
Monday  ...  1 
E.S.E. 
44-9 
44-3 
49-7 
44-0 
0-11 
45-9 
46-8 
48-7 
43-2 
Tuesday...  2 
N.W. 
47-1 
44-6 
50-1 
44-3 
— 
46-0 
470 
485 
34-0 
Wed’sday  3 
S.S.E. 
57-3 
35-9 
38-4 
31-5 
— 
43-4 
46-9 
48-5 
221 
Thursday  4 
N.N.E. 
30  3 
29-5 
34-7 
28-2 
— 
40-6 
46-0 
48-5 
22T 
Friday  ...  5 
N.N.E. 
31-5 
310 
32-8 
25-1 
— 
38-7 
44-8 
48-5 
15.3 
Saturday  6 
E.N.E. 
32-0 
31-6 
32-3 
29-1 
— 
37-9 
439 
48-2 
28-0 
Means  ... 
386 
37-7 
40  7 
35-3 
Total. 
033 
425 
46-0 
48-5 
,  29'8 
With  the  exception  of  one  day  (Tuesday,  3rd),  the  weather  during 
the  pas':  week  lias  been  very  cold  and  cheerless. 
*  *  *  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. 
BACK  NUMBERS’  (H.  S.). — We  do  .not  remember  any 
special  articles  on  the  subject  to>  which  you  refer,  in  our  last 
volume,  and  time  is  much  too  precious  for  us  to  search  through 
each  issue. 
HEATING  GLAZED  VERANDAH  (W.  G.).-  For  heating  the 
verandah,  not  more  heat  being  required  than  sufficient  to  keep 
out  the  frost,  a  portable  hot  water  apparatus,  oil  being  used 
as  fuel,  would  suit.  The  “Reliable  Hot  Water  Boiler,”  with 
product  pipes  over  water  pipes,  thus  utilising  all  the  heat  of 
burners,  is  the  most  likely  to  answer  your  purpose.  It  is  made 
by  W.  Cooper,  Limited,  751,  Old  Kent  Road,  London,  S.E.,  who 
would  give  estimate  on  your  stating  dimensions  of  verandah,  with 
rough  ground  plan  as  submitted  to  us. 
PLUM  TREE  GUMMING  (H.  J.).— Gumming,  or  the  exuda¬ 
tion  of  sap,  arises  from  a  variety  of  causes;  in  your  case  it  is 
probably  as  you  suggest,  the  result  of  the  summer,  assuming 
that  your  trees  are  not  excessively  vigorous.  Like  yourself,  we 
have  known  fruit  trees  much  injured  by  shooting  bullfinches  in 
them,  and  you  afford  evidence  that  practice  is  not.  necessary  in 
reducing  the  number  of  these  birds,  since  you  have  entrapped 
fifty-eight  of  them  this  autumn.  Perhaps  if  you  were  to  describe 
your  method  it  might  be  useful  to  others. 
MANURES  (H.  S.). — The  chief  constituents  in  chemical 
manures  are  nitrogen,  potash,  and  phosphoric  acid  in  the  shape 
of  sulphate  of  ammonia  or  nitrate  of  soda,  muriate,  nitrate,  or 
sulphate  of  potash,  and  superphosphate  of  lime  or  bonemeal.  The 
advertised  fertilisers  contain  those  constituents  blended  better 
than  you  can  probably  blend  them  yourself,  and  are  used  by 
most  of  the  leading  cultivators.  Urine  contains  all  those  ingre¬ 
dients.  It  is  excellent  as  a  manure,  but  must  only  be  given  to 
plants  when  growing,  and  in  a  diluted  state.  One  of  the  most 
fertilising  of  liquid  manures  is  composed  of  Cabbage  leaves  and 
other  vegetable  refuse,  putrefied  in  the  urine  from  a  house  or 
stable,  and  diluted  with  three  times  its  quantity  of  water  when 
applied.  If  mixed  with  bleaching  powder  (chloride  of  lime)  there 
will  be  no  offensive  smell.  Gypsum  mixed  with  it,  or  a  little 
oil  of  vitriol  poured  in,  adds  to  its  utility  as  a  manure,  as  it 
prevents  the  escape  of  ammonia  during  putrefaction.  Instead 
of  adding  three  times  the  quantity  of  water,  it  would  be  safer  with 
more  than  twice  that  quantity  for  the  majority  of  plants  in  pots, 
and  then  would  not  benefit  all,  regardless  of  kinds,  root  action, 
and  soil.  If  you  will  send  your  postal  address  we  will  endeavour 
to  answer  your  other  question. 
SCALE  ON  PEACH  TREES  (H.  G.).— The  brown  scale  in¬ 
festing  Peach  and  Nectarine  trees,  Lecanium  persicse,  does  not, 
so  far  as  we  are  aware,  “  descend  to  the  earth  ”  in  winter,  but 
it  passes  that  period  in  the  egg  state  beneath  the  scale,  and  in 
the  spring  hatches  out,  being  a  small  whitish  woodlouse-like 
creature,  and  after  a  few  days  fixes  on  a  part  of  the  bark,  through 
which  it  pushes  its  beak,  and  by  means  of  which  it  abstracts 
nourishment  from  the  tree,  grows,  and  forms  over  itself  a  scale¬ 
like  covering,  hence  the  term  scale.  It  is  not  easily  destroyed 
in  the  winter  time,  simply  because  the  eggs  are  not,  reached  by 
an  insecticide,  or,  if  reached,  not  killed.  The  best  time  to  assail 
the  pest  is  in  the  spring  time,  or  when  the  fruit  is  set  and  com¬ 
mencing  to  swell,  then  syringing,  or,  for  economy  of  material, 
spraying,  with  paraffin  emulsion,  6oz  to  three  gallons  of  water, 
and  repeat  at  intervals  afterwards.  As  a  winter  dressing,  4oz  of 
commercial  caustic  soda  may  be  placed  in  a  bucket  half  filled  with 
water  and  3oz  of  pearlasli  added,  stirring  until  dissolved,  then 
dilute  to  four  gallons  with  water.  Meanwhile,  dissolve  4oz  of 
softsoap  in  a  little  hot  water,  and  when  dissolved  add  to  the 
four  gallons  of  caustic  alkali  solution,  and,  well  stirred,  it  is 
ready  for  use.  Apply  with  a  clean,  half-worn  paste  brush,  it 
sufficing  to  merely  wet  all  the  wood,  and  not  use  too  lavishly,  or 
the  wood,  especially  young,  will  be  injured.  It  must  be  applied 
when,  the  trees  are  quite  dormant,  and  should  be  kept  as  much 
as  possible  from  the  hands,  preferably  protected  by  rubber  gloves. 
This  will  destroy  the  eggs  of  scale  reached,  and  also  eggs  and 
larvae  of  tlirips  and  red  spider. 
