TO CORRESPONDENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVII, Issue 20620, 19 July 1930, Page 5 (Supplement)

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

" Whatatutu."—ln transplanting cis;ht to twelve-year-old apple and pour trees, prune them hard back and lift them with soon root j M. Street, Waiuku.—The specimen is the egg receptacle of tho praying mantis (Mantis tenodera inteimedia), a friendly insect that should be protected and cncouinged. S.L., Ellerslie.—Without a heated house caladiutns aro very difficult to winter. 'J he bulbs require to be kept in a semi-moist condition. Jf allowed to get dried up. they aro liable to decay. M.A.R., Frankton.—Your primrose flowers lmvin?: a base of green leaves or petals, with the /lower in the eel:'re, is probably a freak, or it may be the variety i'.latior duplex. :> curious garden form, ,v:tL a petaloid calyx. A.11.W., Akaroa.—feii'di trees with the brown rot should be sprayed with Bordeau:: mixture when the buds arc swelling and 115 am when the fruit lias set and the Irnvra aro developing with soluble sulphur, '2;ib. to •J,") gallons of water. J?orcr." Mount Eden.--Painting over tho portions of icmou trees where the borer is detected with bilumenous pnint is the simplest and Lest method for borer trentmcr.t. Warm the paint beforo brush i.g it 011. It dries very quickly. " Strawberries," Hamilton. Strawberry chimps may be divided and replevied, sis it is too late in tiie year to leave them until next autumn. Suitable fertilisers at this season are blood and bone, with boneilour in equal parts scattered around the planio when the plants are flowering. Guano in Email quantities or sulphate of ammonia may also be used. " Old Subscriber," City.—Tho original species are natives of the Mountains of Europe, Asia, the Malayan Archipelago, and Xorth America. The Himalayan and Hikkim species are among the grandest. Camellias are indigenous to China and Japan. Magnolias nro natives of Japan, China and the Himalayas. The rest, i.re Xorth American. Tho tea plant belongs to the same order as the camellia and is a native of China. "Enquirer," Ivumeu.—-The name of shrub, according to the flower, is Clianthus puniceus. but not the true colour, which should bo scarlet, and white. Suitable native fiowcr seeds to send to England include Clianthus puniceus, Arthropodium cirrhatum (tho rock lily), varieties of veronicas, the different varieties of leptospermunis (ten-trees), Liberlia ixioides, walenbcrgia, Clematis indivisa, and gualtheria, also parsonia and others. E.C., ifelensVille.—The black sooty or smutty deposit 011 the lemon trees is caused by the honey dew. a sugary _r.nbstai.ee secreted by scale insects and discharged by tnem as a fine spray. This always appears 011 neale-intested trees. Spray with the caustic soda-alkali solution at a strength of from -ioz. to r.L caustic r.oua lo ihc gallon of water, with 2oz of soft soap added, or with any other leliable scaler i'.h\ to kiil the scale Also cleanse tho foil use. " Liliaceae," Grcenhitlie.—Water lilies : re represented ly several genus, nymohaeas being the most extcuuvc. About J?m. is a suitaule depth for a lily pond. A full exposure to the sun and light is recommended. Ponds shaded by high tea-tree would be unsuitable. A large puiul about a • ham square, with an Jin. outlet, should be \ei,> suitable. Having amide space, arrange the varieties about 10ft. apart. A good pool to keep the kinds separate is to place them in baskets of rich soil and submerge them or plant them in tubs or barrel-. '* Dessert," Onehuir'a. ■l' or 'thiee be.-i varieties of dessert apples- early, me'iem •ii d late—in Gruvenstcm ,vou have ch-m-ii 11,0 best early, instead ol .Northern hp", which taken too long to fruit. .1.-. h"m is more suitable, and for the h.u-keeiur Salomo is one of the best for home garden. Early Almond is an old Iviglish apple, described as 0:1 cof the lnrwst and 'nest culinary apples. It is cultivated 111 Kssex and Berkshire. Five-crowned _ I'lppui is nil excellent lute-keeper, :crvieeaolo 'or both dessert and culinary purposes. A.M., Warkwortli.—The name of the fleshy leaf ts Uoya carnosa tho wax-l.ower, a native of Queensland. Suitable varieties of annuals to plant in narcissus when the bulbs are dormant, for' summer flowering an , : —Phlox Druinmondii, leathered cockscomb and petunias. from your description of beauty stocks the leaves, being contracted and crinkled, are infested wiin aphides. Two or three sprayings with liisliurst's compound applied lukewarm, or black leaf IC, will kill the aphis. The plants take some time lo recover after a bad attack.

J. McC., U'nihi'.nae.—To kill ivy on (lie sides of a building or growing up trees, cut through tint main ntcilia at Ihe im?o. If covering a hank, grub the plants tip. J lie causu of hazel nuts not hearing is due to want of proper fei tilisation Tins male or poller, bearing catkins appear in advance of t In- female (lowers. Tho presence of the former is essential for seeurine fertilisation. In mixed plantations some of the ma'o catkins are present at the same time as tho females, otherwise tilC pollen must be saved for pollenatius purposes to ensure fruiting. " Cactus," Horopito. -The leaf of IJpiphvllmn cactus appears to ho Quite health". Its non-llowering must be due to improper cultivation. Tho soil in which it is potted should be a sandy loam, with a little leal mould or turfy loam and mortar rubbish. (1 ood drainage is necessary, and the size of the pots should be in proportion to that, of the plants. Grow tho plants auielcly until the autumn, when they should be kept route dry, giving only sufficient water to prevent any shrivcllimr. When the plants nro estnblished in fairly large, pots, do not disturb the roots. Apply a top-dressing of pood soil. In this way they may bo grown ou for years and flower regularly. Kefoi.