MISCELLANEOUS.

Otago Witness, Issue 2242, 18 February 1897, Page 8

MISCELLANEOUS.

AN OTAHO FHUIT GROWER'S EXPERIENCE. One of the most successful growers oi apples in Otago, the products of whoso orchard annually take a must prominent position in the Duuedin autumn horticultural shows, has had » most disasbrous experience this season with kerosene emulsion He writes to a friend in Duuedin :—: — " I am glad to say that my trees — or rather what is left of them — aro coming round x agaiu after tbe check they have received from my using kerosene emulsion for the purpose of cleaning them. II gradually killed about 70 of the best trees, and I only saved the stumps of the remainder by cutting the bark up and down in from three to five strips. You will be no doubt curious to learn if this radical treatment killed the scale blight, and my answer is, denidodly not, bu 1 ; ou the contrary seemed to bring it ou worse than ever. The bark being destroyed by the emulsion, scores of shoots were sent out from tbe root, as ib was impossible for the cap to go up. . . . The ladybirds here have been waging war on the American blight. They were about iv thousands, and destroyed all the woolly aphis before winter, so that there was hardly a vestige, of ib to be seen, and this year it is still scarcely noticeabla." Wo have heard of a similar case, caused by painbing the tree 9 with castor oil. In this instance ib certainly killed the scale, bub ib also killed one or two of the best trees, and had such an effecb on the others that they did not come into leaf till tully a month after untreated trees were in full leaf, and the fruit has been almost nil. In contradistinction of this, a number of trees painted with undiluted co*l tar from bop to bottom are in a healthy condition and bearing a capital cjqp. TWO GOOD PEAS. Mr J. H. Every, of Auderson's Bay, has showu us some samples of Sutton's dwarf pea which would be hard to excel. The pods are long, containing about seven large peas each, and the peas when cooked are deoctibed by Me Every as amoug the best he h*s ever tasted. The ccop has been a most prolific one, and altogether this is a pe* which cau safely be recommended. Another good pea for family use it Anticipition, which is so much thouzhb of by i the English experts thab they say the name might; well be changed to " Realisation." Me Ev<.ry is of opinion tha l ; peas are sown much boo ' thickly, and that their growth ii thus greatly reta-ded. Ha Huds thin sowing gives very much batter results.