HORTICULTURAL OTES.

Otago Witness, Issue 3100, 13 August 1913, Page 12

HORTICULTURAL OTES.

Bi J. Gebbi*.

PLANTS IN BLOOM. Owing to the mildness of the weather, the buds of many of our fruit and ornamental trees are fast swelling up, and many of them arc showing colour. When round the Waimate district a week or two ago I noticed on the Hunter Hills a number of kowhais in full bloom. I have never before noticed them so early in bloom as they are this season. In some of the gardens around Waimate the show of bloom at the time of writing is something unusual. Pyrus japonica (both the red and white varieties), violets, primroses,. polyanthuses, violas, crocuses, anemones, and many others are in full bloom; and the weeping willow throughout the district will be in full leaf in a week or two if the weather continues mild as at present. SUBSTITUTE FOR TEA.

On the East African coast from Abyssinia to Natal, in the Nile Valley, and in Arabia grows a plant, both wild and cultivated, called Catha ednlus, or Arabian tea. This is said to he on the market as a substitute for tea. The leaves of this plant were described by botanists as long ago us 1775. The leaves are called by the natives “ knt,” and when boiled give off a liquor which is said to Ik l a powerful stimulant. The natives drink this tea before starting on long marches or other strenuous labours. Tlie tea is said to have a pleasant aroma, and to be useful against neuralgia, while in many regions the plant is considered to he a protection against plague. RENEWING OLD TREES. When trees become stunted and diseased, either by old ago. bad soils, or unskilful management, they should be headed down or otherwise renovated, or elec cleared out and young ones planted in their stead. Most ' trees may be renewed by heading down, which is iho simplest mode—indeed, all trees, excepting the peach, nectarine, and cherry, will ho much improved by being head d down on their showing symptoms of decay or disease. In performing this operation the whole of the head or branches of the tree should ho cut off in a careful manner, with a saw if their branches be large, and with a knife if not of large dimensions. If the saw is used, smooth the wound over with a sharp knife, and make the cut in a slanting direction for the purpose of allowing the water to run off freely. INDUCING FRUITFULNESS IN TREES. Much has been said with respect to the production of fruitfulness in barren and unblossoming trees, and various plants have been recommended and tried with different degrees of success. Almost every description of fruit tree will come into bearingin regular course, according to its nature, if planted into a proper soil not too deep, provided the roots do not penetrate into a bad subsoil. A shallow soil will render trees fruitful sooner than a deep one, and therefore care ought to be taken in planting to prevent their roots penetrating too deeply. If a free gets too deep into a soil that is really good, much superfluous sap is carried into the tree, which expends itself in leaves and branches instead of

blossoms. Root-pruning and transplanting periodically arc the best means of correcting the superabundant growth. In order to induce the stronger and almost naked roots to throw out a greater number of fibres wherewith to collect a sufficient supply of nourishment, shorten the stronger and tap loots, and thus preserve a just proportion of roots to the branches of the tree. The branches are shortened to produce more fruitful shoots, and the strong roots should bo shortened to create a supply of fibrous roots for the purpose of collecting food to nourish them. Strong naked roots collect little nourishment, but serve the no less important office of conveying that nourishment collected by the fibres to the stem of the tree, by which it is conducted to the large branches, which in their turn convey it to the smaller, and they to the extremities of the buds and leaves. Transplanting trees frequently produces this effect, and is of all methods for inducing fruitfulness the most rational. Boring holes in the stems, cutting notches in the stem and branches, and stripping off pieces of the bark have all been tried. Ringing the stem and branches was known and practised by the Romans, and is mentioned by those old writers Virgil, Columella, etc., but all these makeshifts have been in our time wisely abandoned. NEW ROSES. At the National Rose tShow, England, held last spring, gold medals were awarded to the following new roses—viz., Lady Plymouth, a pale yellow tea rose, with stout petals, which arc reflexed at the edges, and the blooms stand up well on stout stalks; Mrs Fordo, a hybrid tea, with the delicate colouring of the old Souvenir do la Malmaison at its best. The plant is a good grower with good foliage and stout stems. These two varieties wore shown by the noted raisers Messrs Alexander Dickson and Sons. Madame E. Herriot, raised by J. Pernet-Ducher. was also awarded a gold modal. This is a hybrid tea rose of a deep cherry-orange colour. Mrs George Beckwith, described as being an improved Rayon d’Or, with rich yellow blooms, also received ait award, W illowmore, a hybrid tea after the style of Lyon, but with more erect habit- —some of the flowers have a resemblance to Mine. Abel Chatcnay awarded a silver medal. PRUNING ROMNEYA COULTERI.

If large and fine blooms arc desired, the plants may bo cut, down to the ground: and if the plants are old and scraggy it will b« to their advantage to treat them so. The flowers are generally smaller from plants which have been left unpruned, but more flowers arc often borne upon unpruned specimens Shorten any weak side shoots, and the point of branches which may be dead. A surface dressing of wellrotted manure given to the old plants will be of advantage