THE FLOEAL WOELD AND QAEDEN GUIDE. 223 



and keep the motind always moist. This is the best time in the year for the operation, 

 but if the tree dies you must not blame us, as it is a sort of kill or cure process, 

 Clericns Hortensis is thanked for his suggestion. 



Ceaxothus DENTATU8, EJgbiensis. — It is much the best plan rot to prune the 

 bush at all. But if to keep it in order it must be pruned, let it be done directly the 

 liowering is over, 



Indian Seeds, — Mr. James Orr, of Staplehurst, Kent, is thanked for the parcel 

 of Indian seeds. Some of them may be useful ; but we cannot make any promise of 

 supplying him with plants next year. We never undertake to grow seeds sent to 

 us. We are quite sensible of the kindness intended, but we have our own plans 

 and purposes, and usually foreign seeds do not pay for the trouble they occasion. 



, Vines, etc. — /. A. P. A. — We do not at all approve of the proceedings of the 

 person you employed to cure your vines of mildew. There was no occasion for 

 cutting the vines to pieces, and re-glazing and re-painting the house, unless they 

 (and the house) were many degrees worse than you represent. You ai'e keeping 

 the house and the vines too dry, and we think you give too much air. At all events, 

 you had better give the border a good soaking at once, and have it regularly and 

 liberally watered during the next six weeks, and use the syringe at the same 

 time. Occasional volatilization of sulphur will probably bring the vines into perfect 

 health. Solanum atripurpureum mai/ be planted out, and Tritoma uvaria mtcst be 

 planted out. Four or five canes ai'e enough under any circumstances for each stool 

 of rasjjberries. 



Eiudell's Slow Combustion Stove. — T. E. Lee. — Several of our correspon- 

 dents have informed us that Riddell's slow combustion stove answers admirably for 

 heating greenhouses. We have never used it, and cannot give any opinion. Mus- 

 grave's slow combustion (Musgrave Brothers, High Street, Belfast) we have used, 

 and found invaluable. Let it be understood, however, that a stove inside a plant- 

 house is always objectionable. 



Stipa pennata. — " I must not omit to answer your question in the FiiORAi, 

 World of this month relative to the number of seeds sown, and those which ger- 

 minated, of Stipa pennata. So far as I can remember, I placed aboiit ten or twelve 

 seeds in a 48 sized pot in various positions, some flat, some with their j)oints down- 

 wards, some in a reverse direction. I used light soil, and covered them with a 

 mixture of silver sand and cocoa-nut dust. Four seeds out of the number germi- 

 nated, and they have formed nice strong plants. Thanks for your promise of 

 attention to the kind of evergreens likely to suit a limestone soU. — Yours very truly, 

 F. J. Young, South Milford." 



Garden Vermin. — W. W. and others. — We have received simultaneously from 

 several correspondents inquiries after information on the most effectual method of 

 dealing with garden vermin, the plagues most loudly complained of being snails, 

 woodlice, and ants. The first two are destructive marauders ; the last is rather 

 troublesome than destructive, though they destroy sometimes — as, for example, 

 when they construct a nest in a seed-bed, and bury the young plants in mounds of 

 fine earth, or when they take possession of a frame in which a number of cuttings 

 have been bedded out. Three years ago we lost four-fifths of a batch of rose 

 cuttings by the mining operations of a colony of ants. The batch consisted of 

 about 3000 cuttings, and the operations of the ants commenced just when the roses 

 were forming their first roots, and when we were beginning to leave them to take 

 care of themselves, having removed the lights to expose them to the showers. Let 

 us consider the snails and woodlice first, and add as a makeweight earwigs. The 

 grand preventive of all these is active tillage of the ground. Neglect of any kind 

 is favourable to their increase. They are sm-e to multiply where there are heaps of 

 rubbish, rank crops of weeds, fences undipped, and dirty holes and corners. The 

 frequent use of the hoe, the immediate clearing oS" of crops that have had their day 

 — whether vegetables or flowers — and the manuring and planting of the ground 

 with successions, will do wonders to check the depredations of vermin. Every 

 disturbance of the soil exposes them and their eggs and young to influences detri- 

 mental to their increase, not the least among these being the keen eyes of birds, 

 kept vigilant by the calls of hunger. Frequent dressing of the surface soil with lime 

 and soot will do wonders, both to kill the vermin and produce a healthy vegetation. 

 We do indeed see lime used so freely sometimes, that it must kill the plants as well 

 as the snails ; but we do not advise the wasteful and destructive use of so powerful 

 an agent. A sprinkling which sufiices to make a barely perceptible grey coating on the 



