TO CORRESPONDENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXV, Issue 20130, 15 December 1928, Page 5 (Supplement)

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

" Hortense," Kaitaia.—No. '1 is Melia nzudarach,. an exceedingly haiftlnome flowering !tree, native of tropical Asia, but quite hardy hero. It grows to a height of 40ft. Its fragrant?, lilac flowers are produced in much-branched panicles at the extremities of the brandies. It belongs to tho order Meliacem. It is also a nativo of. Australia. No. ' 2 (tho rose) was too withered to identify. The scraggy jacaranda may bo partially cut back to mako it. grow more bushy. Tho Dielytra spectabilis (bleeding heart) reunites a cooler climate to grow it successfully. Tho same applies to the Lily of, the Valley, which may bo grown in a cool,'shaded southerly aspect. 11.L.. Matala.—The incisions on the bark of apple tree causing wound is caused by the cicada, of which there are two forms, one a little larger than the oilier. 1 hey are commonly, but erroneously, culled locusts. With the exception of piercing the b4rk to deposit their eggs, they do little damage. Woolly aphis always deposits its eggs and forms n. colony where the bark is damaged. Ito Burbnnk plum: The podshaped or mummified, deformed fruits are chiefly duo to stagnation in tho trees. with limo sulphur or the caustic soda alkali solution, full strength. Prima some of tho old Wood to produce new growth, and in sprig, when tho flower-buds appear, spray with Bordeaux (G-4-10 formula). Liberally fertilise with a dressing of nitrate of soda when flower-buds appear.

T.Mc., Dannevirke.—To bring worn-out garden,soils into a state of fertility it is necessary to restore some of the humus that has been extracted by continual working. - Deeply trench tho area to bring up some of the lower soil. If obtainable, dig in strawy manure and leaf rubbish; nlso apply a liberal dressing of kainit, which is a cheap and economical form of potash. After the digging and manuring sow in blue lupins or prairie grass, to be dug down during the winter. A further top-dressing of basic super is advisable. In the treatment of small garden plots trenching and adding leaf rubbish or turfy loam and kainit is a quicker method. 8.C., Taupaki.—Boronias. brachysemas. chorizemas eutaxias, Genista floribunda, Grevilleas and Kennedyas are all natives of Australia, and. with the exception of bm'onias (ord. rutaceoe), Kennedyas and genista (ord. fabacete). Grevillias (ord. proteace®), all belong to tho naturol order legumiiiosoo. Diosmns and barosmas belong to order rutijcese, and are natives of tho Cape of Good Ifopc; choisya (order rutacese), Mexico; Polygala. cordiflora also came from the Cape, as does dalmaisiana, ji garden hybrid. Knightiu. excelso, or New Zealand rewarewa, belongs to tho order proteaceoo. Metrosideros floribunda I do not know. The leptospermums you name are forms of the New Zealand species scoparium order mytoeceas).' Seven species of Grevilleaß belong to New Caledonia. Shall be glad of picture of new Brazilian caladiums. D.K., Ponsonby.—Ochna multiflora (manyflowered) is the name of the pretty dwarf free-flowering shrub. It is a . native of Sierra Leone. It is slow-growing. The flowers are very quaint and are followed by black scedlike berries, contrasting with the bright.crimson receptacles. 8.C.5., Nuhaka.—Names of specimens are: —No. 1: Feijoa se'lowiana, an evergreen fruiting shlub from South America. ( No. 2: Hypericum, or common St. Johns wort. No. 3: Polygonum repens, a Japanese species.

S.M.. Kcmuera.—Name of showy flowering tree from which you Bend » branch laden with beautifully-fringed white flowers, is HlwocnrpiiH cyaneus, nil Australian species that succeeds well here. Being in full flower at. this season, it is n. desirablo evorgroen tree. It bears u profusion, of showy blue 'berries, giyjjig a dccorativo value throughout'tho year. Mrs. J.D.T.. Tutuaiiui.—Bloom of rose Lady Mary Elizabeth. opening out in perfect condition in the morning but with edges of tho petnls withering in tho afternoon, is no doubt caused by very bright afternoon sunshine following a rainy morning. Some varieties of rosea fudo much moro quickly than others, .T. IJ.. Mount Eden.—The minute white insects belong to the group of mites, being the. species that livo upon dead or decaying organic matter nnd in damp, shady soils. They dislike sunshine. They do not affect healthy, strong-growing crops as much as you infer. Treating the soil before cropping with lime find sulphur, or with product No. 1. watering growing crops occasionally with fiitralo of soda at a strength of lot. to tho gallon of water, and applying a dressing of lime, soot nnd sulphur, or lib. of nitrate of soda per *lO square yards, will rid tho soil of theso mites.

Ghalten Bacon, Greymouth.— !No. 1, Sileno inflota (bladder champion): 2, Knlmia latifolia (calico bush), nativo of Canada, etc.;, 4, end of January and early February should correspond with July in California; 5, Scottish soot is ordinary soot: G, paper ashes contain about half as much potash, propoitionately, ns does kainit: 7, do not .take off shoots from rhododendrunis until next autumn; 8, daphnes may bo propagated either by cuttings or layers. Ivepos.