TO CORRESPONDENTS.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXVIII, Issue 20862, 2 May 1931, Page 8 (Supplement)

TO CORRESPONDENTS.

" Inquirer," Ponscnby.—The specimen leaf from tree in your garden iB that of the Carunibium polyandrum or omalanthus, of the order Euphorbiaceae. r This email tree is a native of the Kermadeo Islands. It is a very distinctive species, with beautiful and striking fojiage. It propagates freely from seeds. The tree ill your garden presumably originated from a chance seed.

'* Walnuts," Rotorua.—Defective pollenation must be the cause of your large walnut trees not bearing. Having a Japanese variety growing in close proximity, crossfertilisation should take place. As a lule the Japanese variety is a prolific cropper and a self-fertiliser, bearing when quite young. Planting two or more of the Japanese species might rectify matters. It is the only suggestion the writer can give. G.M.G., New Plymouth.-The variety of celery that you mention is evidently the turnip-rooted celery or celeriac, used for Boups, etc. In earthing up celery, gather the leaves together without removing any and place the earth around the plant. A tie may be placed around each stem to hold the leaves together closely to prevent any loose earth getting into the heart. The disease that attacked your plants last year was the celery fungus, to prevent which spraying with bluestone must be regularly practised.

Devonport.—For the Gravenstein appie 'treo that you intend planting, at the proper time dig a good deep and wide hole. Fill in any grass turf or clippings, and, when planting the tree, apply a good handful of bohedust well mixed with the soil "Work the soil in. around tho roots and firmly tread. At the same time prune the treo well back.

J Turua.—The end of May or early in June i 3 the best time to insert cuttings of Escallonia macrantha. The frost doeß not affect this variety. They strike readily from cuttings made about 9in. long and inserted about Bin. Firmly tread.

"W J., Kohukohu.—"When . tho tuberousrooted begonia plants have been dried off. the tubers may either be left in the pots or taken out and placed in an empty pot or other receptacle with a little dry sand, or they may be left in tho pots and placed on a shelf or under the stage and kept quite dry until the time arrives for repotting toward the end of the winter, liestart the tubers in email pots in a compost of loam leaf mould and a little sand. D.A.D., Te Kopuru.—Ericas require no pruning and no manure excepting during dry summer weather, when a light topdressing of dry cow manure is beneficial. The lacebark (hoheria) is better not to be prunfed at any time. The colour of the flowers of Erica wilmoreana is pmk and white.

" Bud," "Waipu.—For brown rot upon Japanese plumd and nectarines, spray during the winter with the Bordeaux mixture or lime sulphur and again when the buds are swelling, preparatory to blossoming. "When in leaf, spray with the soluble sulphur at regular intervals until the fruits are nearly ripe. Bonemeal is the best manure for macrocarpas. The gumming that takes place after the inserted buds should have taken and swamps the bud is probably the result of budding when tho stock is too full of growth and sap.

E.C.M., Pipiroa.—The small grubs belonc to the leaf roller. species, the larvae of a small moth. Tho Bmall beetles belong to the weevil family, and, unless very numerous, would not kill the paspalum grass, the roots of which are very tenacious of life. " Subscriber," Rotorua. —The basic slag should bo dug in when preparing the ro3e bed. For mussel scale, spray during the winter, when the leaves are off the Golden Pippin apple tree, with the caustio soda solution, full winter strength, as follows:—lo make 10 gallons, dissolve 2lb. of caustic soda in a bucket half full of water, stir until dissolved, and dilute with the 10 gallons. In a little hot water dissolVe lOoz. of soft soap and add to the caustic. Carbonate of potash, lib., may be added to make it more effective. This solution will cleanse the tree of and all other pests.

J.W., Warkworth.—When the dc.hlias have done flowering and the stems begin to die back, cut them down to within about Gin. or 9in. from the ground. After a week or 10 days carefully dig up tho clumps, remove any soil from among the tubers, and store them in a cellar or under a tree away from any frost. Restart them into growth again next September.

" Digger," "Whakatane.—-For black aphis on orange and lemon trees, Bpray with Black Leaf 40. Add a little soap to make it moro adhesive. The best manure for top-dressing orapge and lemon trees is farmyard manure or blood and bonemeal in equal proportions. Agricultural lime, and not hydraulic, should be used for topdressing garden soils. For reply to further queries, see next week. H.H., Morrinsville.—The apple is named Dunn's Seedling, commonly called Ohinemuri, a well-known commercial variety. Root fungus has killed the two Lawsonianas. Before planting another, tako out some of the old soil and apply a liberal dressing of lime and sulphur and add new soil. C.F.N., Tauranga.—The stalks should be left on the pjission-fraits when picking for sale.

X., Manurewa. —Excepting for convenient e in keeping the plants in one plot and providing better facilities for preventing small birds taking the Beeds when ripening', there is no necessity for transplanting those intended for seed purposes.

" Tyro,'.' Onehunga.—-Peruvian guano is a good fertiliser for young onions. Three pounds of kainit and slb. of super per 40 square yards as a top-dressing is also recommended. If cauliflower seed is sown at once, the seedlings will not be ready to plant before the end of June. In the seedling stage \oz. each of nitrate of potash an<J phosphate of potash, dissolved to the gallon of water, is a good liquid manure. " Gum," New Lynn.—The leaves both represent the scarlet-flowering gum. Eucalyptus ficifolia. The variation in size often occurs in the young plants and sometimes when they grow older. Being raised from seeds, yariations occur both in the colour of the flowers and size of the leaves. Kepos.