May  26,  1904. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GABDENER. 
463 
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.  In 
naming  plants  we  only  undertake  to  name  species,  or  well- 
marked  varieties,  and  only  six  on  any  one  occasion.  Florists’ 
flowers  we  do  not  name. 
AMMOXIACAL  CARBONATE  OF  COPPER  SOLUTION 
(F.  M.  M.). — In  our  reply  last  week,  page  441,  carbonate  of 
ammonia  is  given  liy  inadvertence  in  tiie  second  formula  instead 
of  carbonate  of  copper,  the  latter  ])eing  the  proper  article. 
CARRYING  OVER  LILY  BULBS  (S).— What  care  should 
Lilium  Harrisi  bulbs  have  that  are  left  over?  Will  it  pay  to 
keep  them  over?  They  have  from  five  to  fifteen  blooms,  and 
have  not  been  forced  with  bottom  heat ;  would  it  be  l)est  to  cut 
them,  or  let  them  die  down? — [The  be.st  tiling  to  do  with  the 
Inlies  is  to  cut  the  flowers  and  sell  them,  and  throw  the  plants  op 
the  rubbish  heap.  It  does  not  pay  to  keep  Lily  bulbs  over  from 
one  year  to  another.] 
VARIOUS  (Mrs.  C.,  Duns,  N.B.).— In  the  case  of  the  Black 
Currant  budmite,  we  would  refer  3’on  lor  information  to  the 
leaflet  published  liy  the  Board  of  Agriculture  and  Fisheries,  4, 
Whitehall  Place,  London.  Simply  apply  for  it,  and  it  will  be 
.sent  in  a  few  days.  All  the  leaflets  of  the  Board  are  free.  Ask 
for  a  list  of  them.  Then,  the  culture  of  Celeriac  is  easy,  and 
follows  that  given  to  Celery.  Place  your  frame  plants  out  in 
brakes  in  June,  each  plant  1ft  from  its  neighbour.  As  the 
stems  are  not  required,  it  is  unnecessary  to  blanch  them  (except 
the  lower  portion),  so  that  the  plants  need  not  be  grown  in 
trenches  as  with  ordinary  Celery.  All  side  shoots  and  side 
roots  should  be  removed  during  the  season.  The  stems  may  be 
left  in  the  ground  during  winter,  or  they  may  be  lifted  and 
stored  in  dryish  soil  like  Carrots  and  Parsnips.  Regarding  your 
third  question,  we  think  you  ought  to  find  a  plentiful  supply  of 
.seeds  of  the  plant  called  “  Good  King  Henry  ”  by  the  roadsides; 
at  least,  it  was  plentiful  in  the  IMelrose  district  in  our  youth. 
Or  apply  to  a  good  .seedsman — any  of  our  advertisers — or  your 
own  local  seedsman. 
MELON  PLANT  FOR  EXAMINATION  (G.  G.  C.).— The 
nlant  was  found  affected  by  the  “sleeping  disea.se”  fungus 
(Fusarium  lycopersici),  which  is  easily  seen  on  cutting  its  stem 
through  just  above  its  junction  with  soil.  Though  usually 
attacking  Tomatoes,  it  is  not  uncommon  in  the  case  of  Cucum¬ 
ber  and  IMelon  plants.  The  leaves  droop,  and  the  .stem  col¬ 
lapses.  The  root  is  attacked  first,  gradually  extending  to  the 
lower  part  of  the  stem.  The  fungus  is  capable  of  leading  a  sapro¬ 
phytic  mode  of  life,  and  from  this  iia.sses  to  a  parasitic  one. 
There  is  no  remedy,  and  the  only  preventive  appears  destroying 
the  fungus  in  its  saprophytic  stage,  this  being  effected  by  the 
free  admixture  of  lime,  or,  better,  by  sterilising  the  soil. 
The  mj'celium  appears  to  be  destroyed  by  the  use  of  lime,  and 
in  consequence  the  plants  are  not  attacked.  It  should  be  used 
some  time  in  advance  of  the  soil  being  used  for  Melons,  as  the 
causticity  of  the  lime  is  not  favourable  for  IMelon  growth. 
Sterilising  the  soil  by  exposing  to  a  temperature  of  about 
ISOdeg  not  only  destroys  the  mycelium,  but  also  the  resting 
spores  of  the  fungus. 
MELON  PLANjT  GONE  OFF— TOMATO  LEAVES  (G.  S.). 
— The  plant  is  quite  sound  at  the  roots,  but  the  stem  is  in  a 
decayed  state.  This  is  due  to  what  is  known  as  Melon  bac- 
teriosis,  this  being  indicated  by  a  decay  of  the  stem  in  close 
proximity  to  the  root,  and  the  whole  plant  withers  and  dies. 
Examination  shows  that  the  decomposing  tissues  teem  with 
bacteria.  The  disease  was  first  investigated  in  the  United 
States  and  it  was  found  that  by  inoculating  healthy  plants  with 
the  virus,  the  germs  olitained  were  abundantly  able  to  intro¬ 
duce  a  rapid  decay  into  Cucumbers  and  Melons.  Numerous 
other  experiments  were  nearly  all  successful  in  demonstrating 
that  the  diseased  virus  may  be  communicated  by  inoculation  to 
healthy  stems.  So  far,  the  disease  is  but  little  known  in  this 
country,  and  in  the  only  case  that  occurred  with  us,  we  found 
freely  dusting  the  .stems  with  air-slaked  lime  the  best  palliative. 
Perhaps  the  best  treatment  is  to  luirn  without  delay  affected 
plants,  and  dress  the  whole  of  the  surface  of  the  house  with  a 
solution  of  formaldehyde  or  formalin,  one  fluid  ounce  to  a  gallon 
of  water.  In  the  case  of  your  Tomatoes,  there  is  no  disease. 
Probably  there  has  been  some  “spot,”  or  the  plants  may  be 
affected  with  “sleeping  disease.” 
MUSCAT  GRAPES  SHRIVELLING  AT  SETTING 
(J.  \V.  S.). — The  affection  on  the  .stems  of  the  side  branches  of 
the  bunch  is  that  known  as  “  shanking,”  a  term  applied  to 
denote  the  drying  up  of  the  stalks  of  the  bunches  and  berries, 
and  when  it  occurs  at  the  time  of  setting,  is  attributed  to  imma¬ 
turity  of  the  wood  in  the  previous  season.  There  is  not  other¬ 
wise  any  trace  of  disease,  the  leaves  being  quite  healthy,  and  it 
is  very  difficult  in  such  case  to  trace  the  shanking  to  its  true 
origin.  Probably  the  border  is  too  rich,  or  has  been  kept  too 
wet,  hence  to  some  extent  sour,  in  which  case  it  would  be  well 
to  give  the  border  a  dre.s.sing  of  air-slaked  lime,  making  it 
(|uite  white  all  over,  and  the  subsequent  watering  would  wash 
the  lime  more  or  less  into  the  .soil.  Or  apply  a  dressing  of 
tlireo  pai  ts  superphosphate  of  lime,  two  parts  sulphate  of 
potash,  and  one  part  sulphate  of  inagnesia,  irsing  4oz  of  the 
mixture  per  square  yard,  pointing  in  very  lightly.  We  should 
also  keep  the  soil  on  the  dry  side,  only  watering  so  as  to  pre¬ 
vent  the  foliage  from  becoming  limp,  and  thus  securing 
thoroughly  solidified  and  matured  wood ;  the  shanking  would 
not  probably  recur.  If  the  roots  are  at  fault,  either  through 
lieing  in  a  border  which  is  too  rich  or  too  wet  and  sour,  the  only 
remedy  that  can  be  adopted  is  to  take  up  the  Vines  carefully  and 
renew  the  border. 
P.EONY  STEMS  ROTTING  (Constant  Reader).— The 
.specimens  are  afflicted  by  the  di'ooping  disease  of  Pmonies. 
Healthy  looking  plants,  .some  time  before  the  period  of 
blooming,  suddenly  become  limp,  especially  on  hot  days,  the- 
stem  soon  afterwards  droops,  and  within  a  few  days  dies.  If 
the  stem  of  a  diseased  plant  is  examined,  a  very  delicate  white 
mould  will  be  seen  on  its  somewhat  blackened  and  shrivelled 
surface,  just  above  the  ground.  This  is  the  conidial  condition 
of  the  fungus  causing  the  collap.se,  and  is  known  as  Botrytis 
Pmonia?.  Later  on  numerous  minute  black  sclerotia  are  formed 
in  the  tissues,  both  above  and  below  ground,  and  this  stage  is 
known  as  Selerotiniie  Pa?oni£e.  The  Botrytis  produces  num¬ 
berless  conidia  or  .spores,  which,  carried  by  wind  and  other 
natural  agents,  infect  other  plants  in  the  vicinity.  The  sclerotia 
remain  in  the  soil  until  the  following  season,  when  they  produce 
conidia,  which  infect  the  stems  near  the  ground.  The  only  pre¬ 
ventive  and  repressive  measures  are  removing  drooping  stems 
V  ithout  delay  and  burning  them,  thus  preventing  the  spread  of 
the  disease  and  its  continuance.  The  application  of  green 
manure  or  raw  leaf  mould  as  a  top-dressing  should  be  avoided, 
as  it  causes  Pmonies  to  become  infected,  as  the  mulching  of 
rank  material,  even  if  it  does  not  contain  spores,  affords  the 
fungus  a  congenial  matrix  for  its  spores,  and  sclerotia  present 
in  the  ground  or  wafted  there,  in  which  they  reproduce  them¬ 
selves  rapidly,  for  the  fungus  is  capable  of  a  saprophytic  as 
well  as  parasitic  mode  of  life,  and  in  the  spring  seizes  on  the 
tender  stems  of  the  Pieonies,  infection  being  almost  certain  to 
take  place. 
NAMES  OF  PLANTS.  —  Correspondents  whose  queries  are 
unanswered  in  the  present  issue  are  respectfully  requested  to  consult 
the  following  number.  (M.  M.). — 1, next  week;  2,  Ardisia  crenata  ; 
3,  Oestrum  elegans  ;  4,  Davallia  bullata ;  5,  Begonia  sangninea  ;  6, 
Browallia  speciosa.  (Constant  Reader). — The  climbers  are  species  of 
Passifloras,  but  we  must  see  the  flowers.  (A.  L.). — 1,  Aubrietia 
Dr.  Mules  ;  2,  Vinca  radicans  variegata;  3,  Veronica  Hectori ;  4,  Acer 
dasycarpum  ;  5,  Artemisia  tridentata ;  6,  Silene  grandiflorum. 
Meteorological  Observations  at  Wisley,  Surrey. 
Taken  in  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Gardens — height 
above  sea  level,  150  feet. 
Date. 
Temperature  of  the 
Air. 
D 
Temperature 
of  the  Soil. 
At  9  A.M. 
Wind. 
6 
1904. 
At  9  A.M. 
Day. 
Night 
s6 
At 
At 
At 
Kain. 
.2 
Total 
velocity 
cn 
C 
M  ay. 
Dry 
L’ulb. 
Wet 
Bulb. 
Highest 
Lowest, 
0 
1-ft. 
deep 
2-ft. 
deep 
4-ft. 
deep 
9 
5 
24  hour.s 
ending 
9  a.m. 
de?. 
67 
deg. 
61 
deg. 
70 
deg. 
44 
deg 
37 
deg 
54 
deg. 
53 
dog. 
50 
Ins. 
s. 
Milos. 
127 
h.  m. 
10  16 
ATon.  ]6 
63 
55 
73 
40 
32 
65 
64 
60 
— 
S.E. 
207 
8  0 
57 
53 
66 
65 
54 
67 
55 
60 
— 
W. 
2  >6 
8  17 
Wed.  18 
66 
51 
C2 
46 
41 
66 
55 
£1 
— 
s  w. 
257 
ThurslO 
53 
fO 
62 
41 
34 
£5 
£5 
51 
— 
\y . 
71 
13  4' 
Fri.  20 
68 
49 
61 
35 
27 
55 
55 
52 
0-71 
E. 
E. 
250 
1  i  iiS 
Sat.  21 
47 
46 
61 
46 
43 
64 
54 
62 
0  01 
74 
Means 
56 
El 
64 
44 
38 
£5 
54 
51 
Total 
0-72 
— 
177 
8  44 
