66 THE GARDENER. [Feb. 



■witli a syringe or a duster, there is no doubt about its efficacy in cases 

 of mildew, red-spider, or thrip ; but our great panacea for the ills we 

 have described, and many others, is healthy root-action. We have 

 great faith in copious waterings, good drainage, and a discreet use of 

 liquid manure. I am inclined to think that many of the failures 

 which have been attributed to heated or aerated borders could be 

 traced to neglect on one or other of these points. I could not say 

 that I ever saw any noticeable effects produced by sprinkling guano- 

 water, or ammoniacal liquor of any sort, upon the floor as a preventive 

 against insects ; but I have not the least doubt about the good effects 

 of liquid manure when applied to the roots — and it seems to be very 

 energetic in its action, indeed. Strong doses applied to pot- Vines, 

 Melons, Cucumbers, or French Beans, that are affected with spider or 

 thrip, will often eradicate them sooner than anything else. 



There seems every reason to believe that insect and parasitical 

 attacks are, with a few exceptions, a consequence of ill health arising 

 from some other cause. Keep up the vital energy. Thorough ventila- 

 tion, full exposure to light, a moderate temperature, judicious watering 

 and mulching, will effect more than all the scrubbing and painting in 

 the world. Our Vine-borders here are all well drained. Some are 

 aerated, and chiefly inside ; but we mulch thickly inside and out, and 

 are so impressed with the importance of watering copiously, that we 

 have had our tubs and cisterns raised, so that w^e can run the tepid 

 w^ater off through a hose on to the border in a copious stream, and 

 deluge the border in a few minutes. The result is — and I hope I will 

 be excused for saying so — that the crops are always excellent, and 

 shanking is quite unknown. The mulching keeps the roots so close 

 to the surface, especially in the aerated borders, that you can scarcely 

 shove a pen-knife into the border without bringing a bunch of fibrous 

 roots to the surface. 



It has been argued, somewhat confidently, that spider, green-fly, and 

 suchlike pests are the natural concomitants of plant-life under any 

 conditions, and rather undue importance has been attached to the 

 efficacy of the smoking-pan, the virtues of tobacco, and other measures 

 of the same kind ; but I would rather not encourage a reliance upon 

 such auxiliaries, and would be inclined to look upon their too frequent 

 employment as a sign of bad generalship. One of the most fertile 

 sources of disease among plants is the crowding those requiring differ- 

 ent temperatures and modes of cultivation into one house. Many 

 gardeners and employers insist upon having plants of all kinds, 

 whether they have accommodation or not ; and into one of the two 

 extremes they must go — the greenhouse or the warm stove. Where 

 collections of plants are desired, an intermediate house is indispensable 



