SEASONABLE NOTES. Gumming.

Otago Witness, Issue 1751, 13 June 1885, Page 7

SEASONABLE NOTES. Gumming.

Gumming ia ft dhease to which ali stone? fruit tiaes are more or iflsti subject, The peach aed nectarine sufi'^r most fro*f\ it. Tha plum and churry sro rarely injured So a seriouft extent by ic. Tho gum fa merely an exudation ol the s.'ip from a rent in tha bark. Tha causes, of the dibaas? r,re various ; it often arises Ivcicr accidental vrounds, unskilful pruning, or ths» breaking of a branch, It sometimes occurs ia conatquonco of too many branches being made to originate too closely together on the stam, aad not unfr t qnentiy resists from fchu tree being worked on an unsuitable stock, or planted m too rich soil. - In tho latter c&bo tho obvious remedy ia t,o take up tho tree and replant it in a poorer soil, but when this oannot be done, root pruning, which by limiting tha bupply of noui'i&hraeßt obtained by the roots wi'l riiminibh the fbw of sap, may be advantageously adopted with the view of checking the direaso; but above all vicissitudes of dryness and moistura of the roots should ba carefully guarded against. Mulching in caso of diy weather ia advantageous in the case of recently planted trees in general, and should ba py,rtirukn % ly attended to iv the case of the plum, for if the root fails to supply enough of Hay to lha treo in dry weathar, gumming is apfc to onsuG. Tne more uniform the f-uppiy of sap tho hsalthior wil. 1 be the tree, and tho less w'H bet/bo danger of gumming taking place, Tha supply of sap canuot bo uniform unless the moisture of tho r.oil about the roots is ataaaily maintained, and tho boot means of doing this i' 3by mulching. ] n peachos gumming ia more to ba dreaded than other diseases and ia very difficult to euro, indeed if it pervadta the troe to any cor>3iderabie extent tho sooner the treo is dug up and replaced by a healihißr one the better. If the symptom*) are but slight, the bark should be frequ9niiy well washed with brush and water, and this should be done in moist weather. The i,e^eh doee not succeed well in too rich aoil ; a mixture of loam and dung prepared as a compo.'t, and lying ior a year or more suits it bsbt, and is not so apt to cause the troe to gum as if feha manure is applied by itself. The same causea that create the gumming on llih bark &ko promote it in tha fruit, and reader ifc almost unfit for market, and the same remedies have to bo applied to prevent it,

Maxims fob Gabdbnbhs.

Generally speaking, the fewer the number of flovvprts on a plant and the smaller the quantity of fruit or? a tree, tho' larger and finer is tha flower aad tho more perfect is the fruit in rogard to size and flavour ; it is therefore prudent when excellence is desiied to thin both flower and fruit in moderation, but by all means avoid excess. A eingle blocm on a roso or chrysanthemum, or a single gooseberry on a bush, or ono bunch of grapes only on a vine would be a di?graca to good gardening. All bulbs and tnbtir3 should ba placed in the ground before they begin to shoot. If allowod to form ahootK or roct c ( in tho air i.iicy waste th' ] ir t'ti'oart'i i n °6 rc-ef'iving any sap or uourißhinoiil; ffun axtorn^l sources, they live upon themselves. Water acts iv piace of soil iti tho caso of coma bulb? — uuch as hyacinths. Novec remove iho leaves from bulbs after ilcw<?rir>K until they ivre quite withered and (load Ah lonK as tho lea v ad retain life they arp employed iv prcpaiing nonribhmant R»d transmitting it to Iho roots. Vigot abler, that ai'O valued for thoir juicinesa and mild thvoitr should bo grown rapidly. Thn ri/Varno it ths csso whoa a strong- flavour i« desired.

Although rapid growth is desirable with tLe majority oi fucouleu, 1 ; vegetables, thia is not the eaao with most flowering- bhiubs which form buthy, und theveforo handsomer, planta when giowa fclowly, Vevr plants thrive in Rt&gcant water : to tho great, majority it is decidedly hurtful, jv-Tluciut? disGiisss and premature decay ; so that wh'lat nioisturo i i nbaolutely necssFary, provision sLculd alv/ays ba ma do for effectual drainage. Tf ;v green plot bscorues overrun with mo?n give h a g^oa Rpri'ikling of hot liiise and a M.-/}'a«a diesßJug < with mannro, and_ the grass v;jll i>inyl;^aj;th and overcome lue infcmdor. All plants aio inoro oi.less bubjeot to attacks bom inppclß, and as different sorfca gonoraliy oMaok difiorent kinds und in different ways, itm haV-il of ouch should bn carefully atudiod.

J i dilTareut seasoia, in iho tjaino plaao, great vr.riatioua in tamparaiura and climatic conditjo'jd occur, no thcS coiiftidorablo modifications cf uauaiiv applioablo direciions b&ye vo ba :.>p.dii, Tho t'fivdencr uiu3t exercise his b2Bt jm'i>iL'onL in cßirying on his opevaliotiri. AJuiiUra should bs vHekd tothopKce where it io Inteudfid to bo nbed whon ths ground is dty aud firm, and should ulways ba put into a coiripact h'-ap if not to bo immediately used. Osi no accourt should irassios ot frozon soil be hurica, Uiey ara long in thawiajy, and whilut thia ia tnking pliiice, aud for a long lima nffcerwariin, the roil is kepi; in n cold, satur/itpd '■.T>diti'"i, rcsidoiuig it, \ovy unf:%rnur lj . ! .>li) In %e^tntion,