TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Auckland Star, Volume XIX, Issue 177, 28 July 1888, Page 9 (Supplement)

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

JJbai.y Hug on Vixks (" C.R ")—You will have a gnort deal (if double to jfet rid of it. t!et nil I liv vino-rod* dunned of all superfluous hark. nmlamilyllio folluwhiß mixture:-Jloil halfa pound of lobu'.-co in one iiiuirt i-C water. .Slruinoir I liv liinior. Tn thitwutd one pound of B>il|ilinr, out: pound noil sunn, hnlf-an-ounco of Paris Kiyon. I'lnoc the whole of Ihe ivRrcaMicnt.1! in two KallwiK of wutrr, aitcl Hiillieiuia clay and cow manure .so as to make a lliick p»ste. Paint tho vines with this mixtun'. See llmt every part v .rood coiitin:?, also get It (lone before Uie viuea show any siyiis of buds swelling. Aft ßl . Hm vines ore drt'SHCtl all wood work in thu l.oiuo sho.ild receive a thorough eleanin({. Aa the spring advances a few will be sure to make iheir appearance. These should be killed at once, not giving them time t«i increase. Occasionally the vines should be syringed witli a WinoKiassful of Ammonia mixed in three gallons of wati r. It. can be tot under only by constant attention and killiuß it whenever it makes its appearance

Aucli'and Royal Horticultural Society. Tnii Committee of the above Society have decided to hold Camellia Exhibitions in Novrmarkot, Auckland and l'onsouby

during tliia winter. The Newmarket show is to be hold on tho 12th of August, Auek" land on tho 25th August, Ponsonby on the Bth September. For the ditl'eronb shows there have been three tub-committees elected to work up details and mnko them a success in each district. The exhibition.^ though called camellia shows, will also bo open for tho exhibition of all classes of garden produce—fruit, flowers and yogotablcs. A theno exhibitions the different nrticlcg etajiod usually beeoma tho property of the Soeioty, unless when specially resierre'J. After the exhibition ia cloned the exhibits are sold by auction and the proceed* retained for giving prizes in the »pring and autumn. Holding exhibitions in tho suburbs is a new departure by tho Society, and I believo will do a great deal to fostor a botter taste for horticultural work. Tho subcommittees appointed for Newmarket and Ponsonby are each now trying to get «pa little onthuiiasm in each district, so u.i to try and niako the show in their district the beat of tho sorioi. It is only to be hoped that the ladies will tako up the matter in a spirited manner ao as to make the diff«rent exhibitions lucceißful.

To Destroy Codlln Moth*. All apple growers know the oxtenfc ot iniury to the apple that may be accomplished by this pest of the farm, and will hail with delight any remedy that promises to bo destructive of this enemy to fruit. In a re•cont csaay on " How to Combat the Codliu Moth,". by 8. J. Rundel, of Michigan, is described a mode of proceedings which In declared to bo effectual. Mr Rundol sayo it is no guesswork, but it a recital of experience that hail rewarded him with tho best applon he orcr saw. Ilia practice has boon to procuro pint basins with bail ; these are hung übout tho orchard andlilled with about a j>ill of rain irator eweotoned with molasses a»d sufficient vinegar added to give it the aroma of a ripe apple or cidor smell, which attracts the mo'thl to their destruction. Sorghum molasses it preferred to any other. To determine tho time to put out the basins, hang ono upon a tree with tho liquid in it, and us soon us ono or two are caught put out as many as is desirable just •t dusk, and in the morning the moths will bo found in tho liquid ; this should be ehangud every two or threo days, When the early crop of moths aro destroyed the [mains may bo removed until August, when the operation must be repented. A practice in New York state of using orchard-; for pasturages for piga, whereby all tho apples stung by the mo'h that fall to the ground aro dovoured, ha» sorted ft good purpose, as tho much improved fruit has yearly attested. Somewhat similar to Mr Riindcl's practico has been that of John Mclntyro, ;as reported ill tiio "Canadian Horticulturist," forAlnyof last year. His method has bce-i to use whey in place of tho preparation named. Tho whey was placed in open vessel* lillcd to within two inches of Iho brim, Mid set about two feet from the ground, and, says Mr Mclntyro, "since I havo used tho whey trap I have never seen a worm in an apple." The odour of tho whey must be seen to. Either of the methods can be easily put into practice, and we hope that its efficiency will be tested and reported upon, although tho authors of both systems seem 10 be very confident that they arc thoroughly efliciont.

Pruning Citrus Trooa, (Continued.)

If a budded tree is desired, bud into the best portion of the seedling stock tho fall aftor the fourth year's growth, and cut all the needling stock away to within six inches of the bud. Allow no other bud to grow »a.vo . the . one insorte-t, and in one xeiißpn this wiil groivfiro orseYen feck high. Transplant when this bud Ir one year old. Drive & .stake by the tree, and tie tho'troe to tho atake. ; that is, U tho tree is crookod or too-plim;■*■•.»»pporfc itself erect. Tho »amo i'mtriictiou's for pruning apply to both seedlings-and budded trees. Wo have now a beautiful, tall straight stock to build a tree upon. This straight *tock is vory important, for without it we c»nnot make a handsomo and symmetrical tree. If tho bud is put into a seedling stock only two or.throe years old we will not got a handsome itoek to build a trco upon j it will bo low and scrubby and is difficult to priino properly. But in any caso obsorvo tho following rules for pruning young trees: Allow "iho branches all to grow unmolested for three year», at least. Do not pull off the buds which come from the tree above the point of onion of bud and stock. Below this tho suckers should bo romorod. The hotter way, however, is to wrap paper around the tree from the ground up about eight inches. Do this when the treo is first set in orchard. This prevents the sucker* and unnecessary buds from growing, and also protects tho trco trunk from tho sun and gophers and rabbits. If you dosiro your trees to form a head about throe or four feet high—which, howover, 1 do not recommend—you should not pull or break off tho young shoots which will grow thick all along tho tree trunk from tho paper to the top of tho young treo, but allow thorn to grow until the foliago thoroughly protects tho body of , tho troo ; say lot there branches grow to bo about two foot long ; then cut off the ends ef these low brandies and cut repeatedly as they grow, but at no time cut them away a* the body of tho troo is exposed to tho sun. Remember, too, that the moro folingo you have on tho treo, the hotter will bo the growth. If you want to spoil and dwarf your tree, just, keep those low branches trimmed off to tho height you want the top or head of (he treo. lour troe will not grow at all, or but little, for several years, and, while your neighbour, who allowed his trees to have their free will in growing, has boon getting profits from hi* orchard, you will still bo trying to mako your trees grow a« nature never intended them to grow. I much prefer the branches to put out near the ground—say about eight inches above—and from that height to the top of the treo tho branches should put out at regular intervals from the trunk. Tho lowest branches will droop to tho ground the first season. They will bo tho first branches to bear fruit and will bear two or three crops before nature is through with them. These low branches will, not grow much aftor the sooond or third year, but tho growth will be upon branches higher, which, like the first, will droop and overshadow tho lower or first branches. This will bo ftboub tho third year; thoti is tho timo to bogin tho uso of tho shears. Cut away such branches from the bottom and inside of the tree top as nature seems to bo through with, and which do not appear to be vigorous, and arc usoless in affording either fruit or protection to the tree. It will not require an expert to discover which they are. But in no caso cut away a vigorous branch just to make the tree look pretty, or to make the top high enough to plough under. j As the trees grow older these same instructions should be observed. As the trees ' grow taller and larger, and the towering j branches overshadow and dwarf the lower ones, and as these lower ones cease to bear fruit, they may be thinned out. Take » principal branch, for instance, and follow it outward from the trunk, and you will find many small laterals which nature seems trying to choko to death. These are the first members of this principal branch, and in their timo bore tho fruit and foli&go, bub now have been superseded by larger and more vigorous ones — and these o!d ones should now be cut away—but at no time thin the body .of foliage so that an open window is left that the sun may shine through upon the inner branches or trunk of the tree. . I

(To be Continued.)