TO CORRESPONDENTS.

Auckland Star, Volume LIX, Issue 267, 10 November 1928, Page 6 (Supplement)

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

KOWAN (Epsom) sends a specimen of , / Polygala grandhv, and -wishes to know .why ;it is. dying,-and: if there is any v'remcdy? Also .'.the name :of the red flower enclosed Polygala grandis is one of those shrubs that die from some kind of a bacterinl disease, suddenly and without any apparent reason. Yon can do .'nothing to - save it, as the trouble is in the roots. Dig it out and. burn it. The red flower is Tritonia speciosa, or . Ilia ; speciosa. ■ ■ ':,'.; T.II. (Ponsonby) writes: (1) Will you tell • me" if the pear tree (leaves enclosed) is self sterile? (2) The plum tree (leaves enclosed) has bloomed six years in succession, but no fruit develops. Can yon tell me the reason?—(l) You cannot tell if a pear tree is self fertile or not by. the leaves. (2)- I cannot tell you why, the tree does not fruit, it may be due in I the variety. In. any case if it has flowered for six years without setting any fruit, I should say the best cure is the axe. If the pear and the plum do i not set fruit, the best way is to get . rid of them and get varieties that are known to do well. Unless you know the •variety one is at a loss to know how to account for the non-fruiting. S.G. (Whakatarie) sends a cutting out of .a catalogue, and asks if the plant called i ' "The Beautiful Russian Violet" is safe to plant, or would it become a nuisance? —The name and the illustration are very misleading. Scilln Sibcrica is an early: flowering - bulb, bearing small blue and white flowers, on small spikes, about six ; inches, high. There are two or three flowers on each spike. Ido not see how '•' -It could become a nuisance, as its habit of growth is similar to the snowdrop. ..It is certainly a native of Russia, but has no connection whatever with the violet, and you would be.well advised to keep your money and spend it with firms that, at' the least, keep within reasonable bounds when describing their goods. You can purchase plenty of Scillas in this country. '...-. ..-'■':'■ N.W. (Jit. Albert) . sends three specimens ■■/of foliage, and asks the following questions:—(l) How 'to: control blight on I Satsuma pluui? .: -'. (2)\ How .to control ' insect on apple leaf? (3) Is the disease .on apple leaf fireblight?—(l) The leaves • sent are affected with silver blight. Cut out-the branch below. where the leaves 'show this silvery "appearance. If the whole tree is attacked it can be cut right out. -Burn all wood and roots at ;.,. once .as the disease grows on the. dead wood and produces fresh spores to infect other trees. Spraying is of little or no . .use against it. (2)- Spray with limesulphur solution one part to fifty parts water. (3) It is not fireblight. The . spraying with lime-sulphur, as recommended above, will control it. H.W. (Avondale) asks several questions re strawberries! (1) When to mulch' (2) •What manure to use? (3) What.mixture ' -.for: spraying?.-- .(4) When', to plant? (o) When to spray? - (6) Solution .to .use for red spider?—Strawberriesj»ar'e planted 'May and: June. Boned*St superphosphosphatc, sulphate of potash is used ■ before planting. Blood and bone is used 1 - after planting an .'■ application being applied ■ about, once every six- weeks. Spraying is done.at.intervals from plnnt--1 ing to fruiting time. How often depends '. on whether the plants are blightetT'or not.. Lime sulphur-solution'is used for ■ spraying.- Mulching is -done about September or October, when the'first fruit is setting. Bed spider is controlled -with lime sulphhr 1 solution, but as a rule it is not troublesome until midsummer, and by. that time the fruit is nearly off. Iu any case once, the- plants are in fruit sprnyirig.is out of the question. The ■' control • of. red ■' spider: on strawberry plants by spraying is a very. dtflScult ..gob. --• . j v -... ? ; -. ." ; •■■* : ; _'■■....■. writes:! have a'se'emi ingly healthy., passion-.. fruits vine, three , years old, and covered with flowers, hut they are all, falling off and leaving' no fruit.; Last..year-the same thing happened, and very few. fruits . set. Can yon tell mo why this''is so. Also can you toll me how: long a passion vine .lasts?—l cannot tell you exactly why ,: your passion .fruit does not set, but it is duo In some measure to' excessive growing and flowering. Often when a vino flowers profusely it fails" to*, set well, nlthough this usually corrects itself later on -when flush of the bloomingis over. You can do nothing to correct it, nlthough I oxpect it will correct Itself [ lator on. A passion Tine may, last for j niany yenrs if .in ; favourable soil. and position, but tho usual span is,,flve;to 1 ten years. . .

J.G. (Otahuhu). sends a specimen of slug for identlfleatloii? —I cannot tell you the correct name, but they are found in decaying rubbish. They are harmless to vegetables. . • K. (To. Papapa) sends two specimens for identification?— The large flower is the staminate flower of."Kreyclnetia Banksii," or, as it is commonly known, "Kiekle." The other is one of the native orchids , "Pterostylis-Banks'*." T. (Xgnruawahia) asks: "(1) Do geraniums require any manure? Would they benefit by mulchings'of cow manure? (2) What is an easy, harmless solution to remove moss from rhododendrons?—fl) Geraniums certainly respond to manure, but I have always found that if too much manure is used they take disease very, badly. They will grow and do well • without manure, and' in what are apparently poor dry soils. In wellmanured soils they grow fast and make big plants, but suffer badly froni disease. (2) Lime-sulphur solution is best. The best way would be to make it double strength and apply it to. the stem with .1 paint brush. ROUGH" Als'D READT (Walpapakauri). writes:. (1) Fair quantity of grapes set, sprayed with stone lime and red lead: leaves and fruit and small twigs all black, seem scalded. Will they recover? Can anything: be done to improve mat- ,. ters? (2) French beans; the leaves are full of holes, some leaves turning yellow. What causes it, and the remedy, if any?— (1) There is no question 'that the vines are scalded, when you used.stone lime and red lead as a spraying mixture. Arsenate of lead* is the only form in which lead can be safely applied to foliage. Stone lime is no use on foliage. Liine : sulphur solution is a mixture mnde by. boiling lime and sulphur together. » Ton can do nothing to improve matters. The vines" themselves may get over it. (2) The holes in the leaves may be due to heavy storms of rain or hail--. The yellowing of the leaves is nlso due to wet, cold ground. Better weather will cure the trouble. •'.■■'- WORRIED (Te Aroha) asks: Re tomato plants. Would having the soil too damp when pricking out cause disease? Should the plants be watered directlv after pricking out, or left for a day or so. Some people advocate spraying, others soaking for a few. minutes, and others say they should be left for a day or so before', watering?—lt is largely a case of weather conditions, at the same time the soil they are planted in should be moist, not wet. If the weather is'dull or the plants can.be stood in the shade for a, day or so, then watering can be left, but if bright weather is on and the soil is. dry, the plants would suffer if left without watering. Keep them always .on the dry; side, but they must have sufficient water to keep them going. ;. After all it is a case of disease, and if the soil and plants were clean you would not be worried. Damp soil will aggravate but not originate the disease, and you should try to.get rid of the disease .by using clean soil, disease free seeds and plants. ."_. -~.'.' T.F.. (Ts Papapa) sends some Madonna lily buds, snd : asks what causes them to go brown at the base ?—The disease is due to'a nionld (Botrytis elliptica). It attacks several species of liliuni. Rustcoloured'patches occur on the leaves and bulbs, as if they were burnt. If the buds i' are not completely destroyed, the flowers become imperfect and distorted, and. the whole plant has-a blighted appearance. It could be held in check by. spraying \- with lime-sulphur solution. Once it *.., has appeared on a clump of lilies it can ■<J ; be taken for-gran ted that it will appear year after year unless' methods are - taken to control the disease. All dead stems and leaves should be gathered •and burnt, and as soon as the bulbs ' begin to push up their growths spray with lime : sulphur solution one.part to seventy- ' five parts water.. As the stems grow and i make.new leaves' other sprayings should ' be given,, and as soon ns the flower buds ■ show these .should' be sprayed. So far '.■ little notice has been taken of the ! ..disease and methods of control have not ; '.; been tried., !. • .

SPRING FLOWERING SHRUBS. • When the flowering currants, forsythia, dentzia, lilac, snowball tree and such like.* spring ; flowering shrubs go out of flower they should receive any pruning irequired. These plants produce their flowers on, wood formed during the previous summer, hence to have good blooms , it - is necessary to induce an .abundant production of, vigorous shoots, and the'; only ;■ way is by '•' pruning in spring .or early ; summer directly after flowering.;'; :":.:■- ..:-.• > , ; -.TT '■"".;:'■■'■