THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 189 



Destroying Chickweed. — J. C. C, Dalston. — We are afraid that your garden 

 suffered sad neglect last year, to Lave been allowed to get overrun with this weed. 

 It is rather a troublesome affair to get rid of it in wet seasons, when it has once 

 got ahead ; but after a dry, hot summer like that of last year, there ought not to 

 have been a single plant to be seen in the autumn. There is no remedy but hand- 

 weeding and hoeing, both of which will effect wonders if persevered with. The 

 plants ought to be destroyed before they seed, or you will never be rid of them. We 

 expect the ground is now full of seed, and a certain amount of perseverance will be 

 necessary to enable you to rid your garden of your enemy. 



Raising Seedling Conifers. — A Subscriber. — Sow the seeds of conifers some 

 time in March, in drills in the open ground, or in pans in a cold frame, according 

 to the rarity or quantity of the seed of the respective subjects. If out-of-doors, 

 select a sheltered corner, and sow in drills rather thin. Take up every autumn, 

 and replant to give them more room to grow, and also encourage the production of 

 plenty of fibrous roots, so that they can be removed with safety when large enough 

 to be planted in their permanent quarters. The other query will be answered next 

 month, when the reply will be more useful to our readers generally than now. 



Beetles and Cockroaches. — M. F. — The old-fashioned way of poisoning 

 these obnoxious insects was by spreading slices of pumpkin or sugared bread with 

 red lead. It is a somewhat dangerous proceeding, because cats and dons, and even 

 human beings, may, by some accident, partake of the poison, and perish. We 

 name it, however, because the Floral World is read in many distant places, 

 where small vermin abound, and the remedy par excellence, phosphoric paste, can- 

 not be obtained. There are many preparations of phosphorus to be obtained of 

 chemists and general dealers, and we believe there is not much difference amongst 

 them as to quality. The sort we use is called " Forbes's Composition," the whole- 

 sale depot for which is at 13a, Symons Street, Sloane Square, London, S.W. There 

 is another good preparation, called " Chase's Beetle Paste," which also consists of 

 phosphorus, The way to use these phosphor pastes is to put pieces as large as a 

 hazel nut on slips of paper or caijd in the places the beetles frequent. They should 

 not be put down until late at night, and when there is no likelihood of any light 

 appearing for some hours. In every case, what is left of the paste should be kept 

 closely covered up, or it will soon be useless. Many people fail with these phosphor 

 pastes through their careless way of using them ; they put the baits down too 

 soon, and they are spoilt by the atmosphere before the beetles can make a feast on 

 them. 



Ants. — M. F. — There are many ways of destroying ants, but, as in many 

 similar cases, most of them are more or less dangerous. We have never tried the 

 phosphor paste recommended for the destruction of beetles, hut we have found a 

 mixture ot arsenic with sugar and water effect a rapid and complete clearance. 

 The poison may be placed within their range in a saucer, which should be covered 

 with a piece of board or slate, with a brick or stone laid over, leaving a few crevices 

 for the ants to enter ; this is to prevent other animals getting to it. In the case of 

 ants forming a nest in the soil of a flower-pot, the simplest mode of procedure is 

 to immerse the pot to the rim in water for several hours, which will kill them all, 

 and do the plant no harm. When ants begin to make nests in a bed of flowers, 

 take a large tiower-pot, stop up the hole in it, and invert it over the spot ; they will 

 build up into it, and after a time the pot containing the nest and the whole of the 

 brood may be taken away, and dropped into a deep vessel of water. In the case of 

 ants infesting a plant-house or a store-room, proceed as follows : — Procure a few- 

 pieces of the coarsest sponge, and place them in rough saucers (porcelain saucers 

 are too smooth for the ants to travel over them freely), and then sprinkle over the 

 sponge some powdered lump sugar. They will soon discover the sugar, and crowd 

 the sponge. Throw the sponges into boiling water, and when the ants are killed, 

 squeeze them dry, and bait them again with sugar. By following this up, any place 

 may be cleared of ants in a day or two. 



Todea pellucida. — Captain R. T. — This lovely fern is so nearly hardy, that it 

 may be grown in any greenhouse. Though of delicate texture, it does not need to 

 be stifled in a glass case, though it is a capital case fern, if need be. Shade and 

 moisture, and a rather still atmosphere, are essential to the production of a fine 

 plant, but stove treatment and stifling are both bad for it, except when very young. 

 We have it planted out in a cool fernery under glass, and doing well ; also in pots, 



